Between annoying lags, loud fans, and that weird charger which only works at one specific angle, it feels like the potential woes that come with owning a laptop are endless.
And in the current heatwave, you might have noticed another problem with your favourite device – it’s getting too bloody hot.
A heatwave is a tough time to be using pretty much any kind of technology. First came the news that even leaving plugged-in devices in your room could heat it up further at night.
Then, it turned out that charging your phone overnight during a heatwave can lead to an increased risk of fire if you leave it under your pillow.
And now, it seems that leaving your (fascinating, I’m sure) litany of opened tabs on-screen can contribute towards the overheating, too.
We thought we’d look into why your screen display matters in a heatwave, and how you can protect your fave gadget this summer.
So, why does it matter if my true crime wormhole is open?
Your laptop can become overheated for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there’s the obvious – using your laptop in a hot environment can mess up its performance, especially if it’s positioned in direct sunlight.
And you could also accidentally be smothering its all-important fans and vents.
“If you are using your laptop on a bed, pillow, or under a cover of blankets, your computer is more than likely to feel hot. Blankets and pillows retain heat and can cause your computer to overheat if you are using it on top of any of those,” shared Insider.
Your vents and fan could also be blocked by dust, dirt, and yes, even those crumbs from your rushed over-keyboard lunch (guilty). And even unsuitable chargers can cause some toasty troubles.
But another factor that can cause your laptop to enter lava mode is stressing out its CPU, or the part of your computer that gives it commands.
This can happen because you have multiple applications open, are using very energy-intensive apps (like complicated games), or – yep – just happen to have a million tabs open at all times.
“Too many tabs, in almost any web browser, will lead to overtaxed computer memory, a reduction in battery life, and, for sure, a cluttered browser workspace,” shared Forbes.
This can overheat your laptop, according to Avast (bad news for my deep dive into the dubious future of bananas).
So, how can I keep my laptop cool?
Firstly, you can shut your tabs. (Or at least the ones you don’t need.)
But you should also troubleshoot for other issues. Your red-hot battery could be caused by having your brightness too high (Laptop Magazine says that “brighter display pixels create more heat”).
You could also have a lot of dust and dirt in your vents – try giving your fans a thorough clean as a first step.
Other things to look out for include:
- Using very energy-intensive apps,
- Having a case on your laptop (this can overheat it),
- Placing your laptop on soft, warm surfaces like a pillow,
- Blocking the vents,
- Using outdated software,
- Having defective fans.
It’s important to make triple-sure you’re doing all you can to protect your laptop from overheating right now. Not only can a boiling-hot battery cause permanent damage to your device, but it could also create an accidental fire (yes, really).
After all, ’tis the season for laptop heatstroke.