As the summer weather heats up, you might take notice of how the change in temperature affects the performance of your laptop computer. . What can you do about this?
Use our helpful guidelines on how to protect the precious components inside your laptop by preventing it from overheating.
Elevation is the Key to Keeping Your Laptop Cool
The position of the venting fan in the bottom of the unit makes it important to always place the laptop on a flat, hard surface when in use. This could be a table top, tray table, lap desk or even a wooden cutting board.
The soft, malleable surfaces such as a pillow, cushion, quilted fabric, carpet or a plush sofa all cling to the underside of a laptop and cut off any possibility of ventilation. The answer: Elevation.
Methods of creating better airflow through elevation include:
1. Propping up the computer using a small book.
2. A commercially-made, ventilated, adjustable laptop stand available on such sites as Amazon, Newegg or Best Buy.
3. A laptop cooling mat made by some of the following manufacturers: Thermaltake, LapGear, Xion, Targus.
4. Use an external heat sink, which uses a thermal conductor to draw and dissipate the heat away from the CPU.
All of these ideas, and even some you might creatively invent, allow enough of a lift, tilt or cooling surface to provide airflow and help to prevent overheating.
The Technical Approach
Adjusting the settings on your laptop to maximize energy saving mode helps lower the draw on the battery cell during use or inactivity.
It is simpler for Windows users to go in and change settings than it is for Mac users.
The following power usage adjustments can be made:
1. Reduce screen brightness
2. Reduce the timer for sleep mode while on battery power
3. Reduce the timer to turn off the screen from inactivity
4. Reduce the apps that run in the background
5. Engage power saver mode
You can click on the battery icon to access these options or go into settings from the start menu.
At LaptopMD, we know these are the best methods to extend the life of your laptop battery while preventing your computer from overheating.