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Tech Talk

The issue of overheating laptops (Part 1)

A while back a good friend of mine brought his laptop for me to check for him. “It needs a good cleaning up” he said.  So I turned on the computer and had him login so that he could show me what made him conclude that his machine needed a “good cleaning up.”

I do not want to exaggerate here, but the laptop could not have been on for more than about five minutes when I realized that it had gotten very hot.  I’m not talking about normal operational heat – the laptop was overheating.  I was somewhat taken aback by his failure to identify this particular occurrence as a problem, so I asked him if the machine “normally” got that hot or if it was the first time this had happened.  He then informed me that “it used to work okay when it was new, but I started noticing it warming up in the last couple months.”

Now, in case you are not aware, there is nothing normal about a computer overheating.  If it was overheating from when it was brand new, then it would have been safe to say that either he bought a faulty device or that the problem was as a result of the laptop being poorly designed/built on the manufacturers end (insufficient vents, or poorly designed vents, crappy fan etc.). But the fact that the problem started long after he would have bought the machine (over two years later) meant that there were other forces at play apart from the two mentioned above.

While it is natural for a device to get a bit warm when in use, it should NEVER get hot.  And I know you may be saying that what is hot for one person can be considered warm for another and you’d be correct (to a certain extent).  But hair-splitting aside, I think most persons with a little something between their ears will know when a device is hot as opposed to it being warm.

For this article I will be focusing on laptop computers, but that does not mean that desktop computers do not overheat as well.  It’s just that laptops are (unfortunately) more prone to overheating than desktops.

So what causes a computer to overheat (apart from the manufacturer messing up)?

1. Blocked air vents – This can be due to a build up of dust and other lint-like particles OR as a result of the user using the laptop on a surface which does not allow the air to flow as it should such as on a mattress, carpet, pillow etc..
2. Dirty fans – A build up of dust on the fan blades will decrease the fan’s effectiveness and can even lead to the fan failing long before it should.
3. Failing/Faulty fans – As with everything, wear and tear will eventually take a toll on the fans and they will need to be replaced.  A failing fan often becomes noisy and would cease to spin as fast as it should.
4. Overclocking – If you increase the speed of your processor, you should also consider getting a “better” fan to handle the additional heat that will be generated.
5. Overloading – Giving the computer more tasks to do than is necessary can result in the processor having to work harder.  If the cooling system is already compromised (dirty fans, blocked vents etc.) then this can lead to overheating.
6. A dying battery – As battery cells degrade/die over time they tend to get hotter than normal during the charging process which can in turn lead to the laptop overheating.

While there are other factors which can contribute to the problem of overheating, the six mentioned above are at the top of the list.

I guess the question now is, “how do I fix the problem or avoid it from occurring if it hasn’t already?”  Well, the answer will be covered in a subsequent article.

As always, I love hearing from you, so if you have something to say please fell free to do so in the comment section and remember to subscribe to this website if you haven’t already done so.