Wednesday, September 28, 2011
As CPUs get faster, they generate more and more heat. The heat is vented out openings in your laptop by a fan. Blocking the vents can cause your laptop to freeze or shutdown unexpectedly. Chronically overheating your laptop will damage the CPU and the hard drive.
Your can figure out where the vents are by using your hand to detect hot air. Make sure you search underneath the laptop for vents.
• Always place your laptop on a solid surface. Laying your laptop on top of a surface like your bedspread will block heat from exiting your laptop and clog the insides of the laptop with fibers that will further block escaping.
• If you have vents on the bottom of the laptop, try propping the laptop bottom up so that the vents are not in direct contact with a surface. A magazine placed strategically beneath the surface of your laptop and not blocking the bottom vents will maximize heat dispersal and minimize the temperature inside of your laptop.
There are programs you can use to monitor the temperature of your laptop. In general, laptops should not exceed 120 ⁰. SpeedFan is a free program that runs on windows that will display your internal temperature. Here is a link to download the program: http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php