Ways to reduce CPU heat on a laptop?

[TomWieck]

My previous laptop recently broke after a BIOS error and excessive overheating, I've got a new one but was wandering if there was anything I can do, without opening it up, to try and reduce the heat?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

There are various laptop cooling pads you can use.

But really, all you need to do is make sure the vents and the fans on the Laptop are well cleaned and clear of any dust and when your laptop is in use it has proper airflow. Personally, every couple weeks I'll clean out the vents with some compressed air and then once a month I'll remove the bottom panel where the fan is located, check for any large clumps of dust or anything similar.

 

[Originality]

There're a number of things you can do to manage and mitigate heat on laptops. The first and foremost, is to get a laptop cooling pad.

Identify what model laptop you have, what CPU and/or GPU it has, and what their relative TDPs are (this will give you an idea of how hot it's capable of running). Then check any review sites or forums to find out how hot they find it running.
Make sure you regularly clean dust out of the vents and fans.
Go through your power options and set it to Balanced or Power Saver.
If you're experienced with computer or know someone who is, take the laptop apart, look for the CPU (and/or GPU) socket, and check if there's any thermal paste used (my PB laptop from many years ago had none). If there's none, invest in some and apply a very thin layer. Take care when putting it back together.
Avoid using the laptop in a room with a high ambient temperature (e.g. near radiators or lack of ventilation).

If that's still not enough, you can also invest in USB fans and keep them pointed at the laptop. If you get desperate to reduce temperatures, underclock the CPU.

 

[TomWieck]

Cheers for the help. my cooling mat does seem to help a bit, will make sure to blast it with compressed air and try and keep my room a bit cooler

 

[DinohScene]

There are various laptop cooling pads you can use.

But really, all you need to do is make sure the vents and the fans on the Laptop are well cleaned and clear of any dust and when your laptop is in use it has proper airflow. Personally, every couple weeks I'll clean out the vents with some compressed air and then once a month I'll remove the bottom panel where the fan is located, check for any large clumps of dust or anything similar.

I was beginning to think I'm the only person who does that .-.

 

[Sakitoshi]

There are various laptop cooling pads you can use.

But really, all you need to do is make sure the vents and the fans on the Laptop are well cleaned and clear of any dust and when your laptop is in use it has proper airflow. Personally, every couple weeks I'll clean out the vents with some compressed air and then once a month I'll remove the bottom panel where the fan is located, check for any large clumps of dust or anything similar.

that's kinda paranoid.

a good and universal recommendation is keep your laptop vents always free to ensure the air flow and put it on a flat surface when doing heavy tasks that make the fan run fast.
following that simple advice your laptop will remain cool enough to last many years. laptops lately can withstand up to 100°C and probably hit 90°C under heavy use, mine does while playing graphic intensive games and is 2 years old now.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Cheers for the help. my cooling mat does seem to help a bit, will make sure to blast it with compressed air and try and keep my room a bit cooler

Just a tip, make sure you don't hold the can of compressed air too close and always hold it upright during use. The air gets very cold when exiting the can, and water vapor could condense and go into your laptop. That's why I always wait a while before I turn it on again to make sure any small amount of water will have evaporated.
Also don't use an air compressor, it could end up spraying oil into your laptop.

 

[the_randomizer]

What I did for my laptop is get a laptop cooler which sucks air from the bottom up and onto the fan, keeps temps at a more stable level then if I didn't have one, and like what other have said, keep the fans unobstructed so the airflow can help stabilize the temps.

 

[FAST6191]

How much difference it will make will vary but you might also consider a SSD in addition the dusting, thermal pad/paste replacing and general power settings. Spinning rust drives do kick out a bit of heat though it might not be anywhere near the CPU, bonus is SSDs are very nice these days, quite cheap and if you want justification then as the laptop is probably a bit older (3 years perhaps) it is about now I see hard drives start to fail.

If you are feeling crazy you could also possibly overvolt/lock fans on full speed.

 

[the_randomizer]

How much difference it will make will vary but you might also consider a SSD in addition the dusting, thermal pad/paste replacing and general power settings. Spinning rust drives do kick out a bit of heat though it might not be anywhere near the CPU, bonus is SSDs are very nice these days, quite cheap and if you want justification then as the laptop is probably a bit older (3 years perhaps) it is about now I see hard drives start to fail.

If you are feeling crazy you could also possibly overvolt/lock fans on full speed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the sheer no. or reads and writes to the NAND, wouldn't SSD technically wear out faster (esp if an OS is installed)? My understanding is that NAND has a fixed no. of how many times something can be written.

 

[FAST6191]

Lifetimes of SSDs vary a bit (see some of the discussions with recent datacentre grade/intended stuff from Sandisk), however modern ones tend to employ wear levelling to a serious degree and most modern OSes are geared to handle life on a SSD better (mainly stopping defragging, not writing everything to log files, buffering writes, using more RAM rather than HDD cache, supporting TRIM commands....).
Also the main point of the comment was less than SSDs last forever and a day (though they do exceptionally well) and more that traditional drives wedged into laptops seem to have a lifetime of about three years if my junk drawer/increasingly large collection of cool magnets and those of my associates is anything to go by.

As a final one if you enjoy dropping your laptop then if it is SSD sporting you are more likely to just have to replace the screen.

 

[TomWieck]

I would like to invest in an SSD but I already have a 1TB hard drive and the laptop is pretty new, dont want to ruin it already by putting in a new hard drive. Cheers for all the tips guys, might look into getting some more efficient cooling pads or something and just keeping my room cool.

 

[the_randomizer]

I would like to invest in an SSD but I already have a 1TB hard drive and the laptop is pretty new, dont want to ruin it already by putting in a new hard drive. Cheers for all the tips guys, might look into getting some more efficient cooling pads or something and just keeping my room cool.

Coolers will definitely help for sure, and no prob

 

[ALPHAMARIOX]

Some laptops do have better ways of cooling down the circuits and drives than others, but it's best to use a thermal pad, as many others above suggested.
I always like to keep my room clean just to ensure that my machines are able to run more smoothly as they perform more tasks, which is one reason why I love Winter. It can't be too cold either, considering that some chips and buses can get damaged, sometimes permanently, when exposed to cold temperatures for a prolonged amount of time.

 

[jonthedit]

Just a tip, make sure you don't hold the can of compressed air too close and always hold it upright during use. The air gets very cold when exiting the can, and water vapor could condense and go into your laptop. That's why I always wait a while before I turn it on again to make sure any small amount of water will have evaporated.
Also don't use an air compressor, it could end up spraying oil into your laptop.

Oh my god. I just had to post when I read this.

The only way an air compressor could get water into it is if the user takes poor care of it. (leaving it on, not draining it when not in use for more than 24-hours)
Oil?! I believe an error occurred with logic.

Sorry, but... I am at a loss of words.
And to think the person is an engineer

 

[PityOnU]

Oh my god. I just had to post when I read this.

The only way an air compressor could get water into it is if the user takes poor care of it. (leaving it on, not draining it when not in use for more than 24-hours)

Just a tip, make sure you don't hold the can of compressed air too close and always hold it upright during use.

Oil?! I believe an error occurred with logic.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-16-oz-Air-Compressor-Oil-HDA10700AV/100096995

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/e...-compressor-pump-leaks-oil-into-air-hose.html

Sorry, but... I am at a loss of words.
And to think the person is an engineer

Engineers tend not to open their mouth until they have a very solid understanding of the related material. Perhaps you could learn something from that.

 

[unz]

Monitor CPU, GPU, RAM and HDD temps with CPUID Hardware Monitor.
The free version suits most people. Get Pro only if you're into hardcore modding/OC'ing.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

 

[ALPHAMARIOX]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-16-oz-Air-Compressor-Oil-HDA10700AV/100096995

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/e...-compressor-pump-leaks-oil-into-air-hose.html



Engineers tend not to open their mouth until they have a very solid understanding of the related material. Perhaps you could learn something from that.

I guess that happens when some people don't fully read the contents of the compressed air. I have an electric one like this one, which lasts a bit longer, but requires an electrical outlet for use.

 

[Smuff]

Just a tip, make sure you don't hold the can of compressed air too close and always hold it upright during use. The air gets very cold when exiting the can, and water vapor could condense and go into your laptop. That's why I always wait a while before I turn it on again to make sure any small amount of water will have evaporated.

Very true. We use cans on compressed air at work regularly, and the favourite trick is to leave a patch of ice on someones butt by spraying them with the can inverted (Juvenile, I know).
ALWAYS remember when using cans of compressed air to not shake the can or hold it inverted kiddies. If you don't, you risk getting propellant all over your lovely electronics (or in our case at work, laser optics).

Also don't use an air compressor, it could end up spraying oil into your laptop.

Quoted for truth. This is why we use cans of air at work and not a compressor (which would be MUCH cheaper with our level of use).

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Oh my god. I just had to post when I read this.

The only way an air compressor could get water into it is if the user takes poor care of it. (leaving it on, not draining it when not in use for more than 24-hours)
Oil?! I believe an error occurred with logic.

Sorry, but... I am at a loss of words.
And to think the person is an engineer

The water comes from canned air, not an air compressor. The expansion of the canned air cools it down making water vapor condense.

Oil, that comes from the lubed up parts inside an air compressor (I haven't actually used one of those, but I've heard it mentioned time and time again that they should be avoided because of this very reason)