How To Cool Laptop When Gaming – Follow These Steps

Overheating is a major issue with gaming laptops. No matter how lengthy or intense your gaming session is, we’ll show you how to keep your laptop cool.

Gaming computers are very exceptional. They’re (relatively) light, portable, and put the graphical processing power of a PC into a small, easy-to-handle package. Unfortunately, their compactness is also one of their main flaws.

Even ordinary computers can generate and retain a lot of heat. When you add a strong GPU to it, the problem becomes much, much worse.

After all, hardware makers can only do so much to keep such a small space cool while both the CPU and GPU are working hard.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your PC’s cooling system is in good working order, and you can even give it a little more kick!

Step One: Proper Placement

When not in use, a laptop should be put on a level, sturdy surface, especially when it is heavily loaded.

When put on a soft surface like a bed or your lap, part or all of the fan intakes on the underside will be blocked, restricting airflow and preventing the cooling system from working correctly. When put on a hard surface, a laptop’s rubber feet, on the other hand, raise it slightly to allow the fans to pull in enough cold air. If you don’t have a suitable firm surface on which to set the laptop, you can perform one of the following:

• Keep it on your lap while making sure that you’re not blocking the fan intakes.
• Elevate it by using a book, a box, or any similar solid object as a stand.

Step Two: Cleaning

Due to the constant circulation of air through a laptop, dust accumulation is unavoidable. There’s no way to avoid it, so the best you can do is clean your laptop on a regular basis, ideally every three to six months.

Cleaning a laptop has never been easier. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Purchase a compressed air can. You’ll simply need this tool to clean your laptop without having to open it.
2. Before you begin, make sure the laptop is turned off and has had time to cool down.
3. Turn the laptop on its side to reveal the bottom intake fan grilles.
4. Spray the grille by bringing the can close to it.

IMPORTANT: Always keep the can upright to prevent the liquid air from escaping and damaging the hardware.

5. Move and tilt the laptop around to properly clean the intake from all angles. Continue doing so until there is no more visible dust coming out.
6. For each intake, repeat the steps above.

Step Three: Additional Cooling

Aside from ensuring that your laptop’s internal cooling system is functioning properly, did you know that you can also purchase a laptop cooler, or cooling pad, as they’re often known?

This is a simple and inexpensive attachment that will considerably assist you with any overheating difficulties you may be experiencing. In fact, when it comes to gaming laptops, a cooling pad is almost mandatory.

Cooling pads function in the following way: you set them on a flat surface, then place your laptop on top of them, plug them into one of the laptop’s USB ports, and let the fan(s) do their thing. As a result of the enhanced ventilation, you’ll notice lower temperatures throughout long gaming sessions.

Additional Measures

If you’ve tried everything above and your laptop continues to overheat, there’s most likely a hardware or software problem that has to be addressed.

Insufficiently Powerful Hardware

True, a dedicated GPU creates heat, but if we’re talking about a low-end GPU that’s being pushed too hard by modern games, the temps might quickly spiral out of control. The same may be said for CPUs that have integrated graphics (almost every Intel CPU) or AMD’s APUs.

If you see considerable performance losses together with a rise in temperature, your graphics processor is approaching critical temperatures. In this situation, you should speed up the cooling process by cleaning it or purchasing a cooling pad, ideally both.

If that doesn’t work, there are two other options:

1. Reduce the game’s settings. Obviously, this reduces the GPU’s workload and, as a result, generates less heat. Starting with GPU-intensive features like ambient occlusion or anti-aliasing is the best way to go. Lowering the display resolution, on the other hand, is a certain way to assist an out-of-date or underpowered GPU keep up.
2. Purchase an external GPU. These are a terrific method to obtain desktop-level graphics in a laptop while lowering the amount of heat generated within. They are, however, extremely expensive, and you should be sure that your CPU is capable of handling the GPU you intend to purchase.

Faulty Fans

Internal fans on most current laptops (especially those geared for gaming) help keep all of the components cool. You’d notice a temperature increase if just one of those fans broke down.

Using your hearing is the best approach to check this without having to open the laptop. Simply put the system under extreme load, causing all of the fans to spin at high speeds, and pay particular attention to each of the intakes. Visit here to find out what are the top 11 inche laptops and keep an eye — or rather, an ear — out for two telltale signs:

1. Long before it breaks down altogether, a defective fan will likely make various rattling, grinding, or heaving noises. If your fan is generating any noise other than the usual constant humming of a rotating fan, it may not be running at maximum capacity.
2. Silence – Obviously, when a laptop is under severe strain, no fan will be idle. If you discover that a fan is making no noise at all while the laptop is under load, it is almost certainly broken and has to be replaced.

Now, tinkering with a laptop is more difficult than with a desktop computer. Rather than attempting to fix your laptop yourself, it is recommended to have it repaired by a qualified specialist.

In fact, if your laptop is still under warranty, never open it because doing so will very certainly void the guarantee.

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