A gaming laptop is an alternative for users who prefer to play pc games, particularly students and professionals who do not want to compromise on the portability part.
For instance, if you are about to buy a new gaming laptop to fulfill your needs or use it for the first time it’s quite usual to worry about heating issues.
As gaming machines intend to heat more than normal laptops makes everyone curious about do gaming laptops overheat let’s find out the answer.
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Do gaming laptops overheat?
The answer is, not every gaming laptop overheats until it reaches the situation where you start noticing huge fps drops or continuous crashes in gaming.
Basically, every gaming laptop is meant for handling heavy loads as result inner components always work on high power, biggest difference and element that puts stress is the dedicated graphics card.
Every laptop is equipped with some sort of video card but gaming rigs have separate GPUs to provide better visuals, additionally, CPU wattage is higher in gaming laptops up to 45 watts whereas normal laptops have 15watts.
It’s quite evident these laptop heats more than regular machine however it does not mean every gaming machine overheats, (I will soon discuss when to tell a laptop is overheating)
But for now, let’s understand the formation, manufacturers add extra fans and a better venting system despite the warm air from your machine, especially during heavy usage.
The best example is while playing games, yet to some extent, the laptop thermal problem is not entirely sorted out even after a lot of upgradation and innovations like the vapor chamber technology the issue still persists.
However, there is no need to always worry about heating most modern laptops automatically slow down once reach their limit but your game starts to run slower and the components are efficient to handle the intensity at a large level.
But it’s important to keep checking the temperatures as continuous heating can seriously damage the inner ingredients of your machine including the battery, as a result, it can shorten the durability, read below to understand how to manage overheating in a gaming laptop.
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How to tell if your gaming laptop is overheating?
There are quite a few ways to identify if the laptop is facing problems such as thermal throttling one of the most common indications is laptop starts freezing during gameplay, now, this can happen due to many reasons it depending on which game you run on your system.
When you put settings at max with overclocking GPU or CPU, the machine starts to generate high power on a continuous basis and it’s quite obvious the both processor and graphics card starts to heat.
For instance, if the game is CPU-bound then your processor might not be capable of handling the game or for that matter, GPU is not powerful enough to run graphically intensive games so this can also be the reason why gaming laptop overheat.
Additionally, sometimes the battery also reason specifically after playing games for long hours battery heats a lot and the fps drops drastically.
In these, all situation makes sure to shut down the laptop and remove it from charging let the device rest for some time, and then try to boot up but the question is how to identify laptop temperatures well it is quite easy.
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How to check gaming laptop temperature while gaming?
Monitoring the laptop’s performance is necessary before taking further action, the MSI afterburner application is a very popular application to analyze the temperature during live gameplay.
This software is very easy to set up, and once you finish installing follow the instructions, another best feature of MSI afterburner it helps the gamer to track performance like screen FPS and ram usage, this way you get all the analysis as a result gamer can improve their performance.
Once you are done with assembling it starts providing all the information on the laptop’s screen check the CPU and GPU temperatures.
If the laptop constantly sticking above 90-95 degrees temp, it is alarming and you must take a few steps to cool the gaming laptop read below tips on how to cool a gaming laptop.
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How hot is too hot for a laptop
There is no specific number to define how hot is too hot for a laptop, for instance sometimes the temperature reaches beyond 90 degrees but it does not affect performance.
Additionally, every laptop component also has a certain limit to handle the heat including the motherboard, ram, processor, and graphics card, the battery also plays a vital role in performance.
However, if your laptop continuously runs above 90-95 degrees without any major drops in temperature then it’s a matter of big concern as it’s not at all healthy for the laptop’s longevity make sure to follow the below steps to reduce and control thermals.
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Ways to prevent gaming laptops from overheating
Cleaning the laptop is key
The laptop’s inner parts like fans and vents easily grasp dust this is where the machine starts to heat as both of them have the accountability to throw away warm air and bring cool air into the device.
Additionally, other components like processors, motherboards, and graphics cards can also absorb the dust so cleaning inner parts also improves the laptop’s performance.
Now there is no one asking you to keep doing it every day or for every month but after every 3-6 months you should consider cleaning make sure to use a clean dry cotton cloth or there are tiny brushes available you can use them.
- Use cooling pads
There is a myth about cooling pads damaging your laptop, use is avoidable but while a laptop working on a heavy load you should always consider using cooling pads especially if your gaming laptop heat faster it’s a great solution.
Additionally, if a machine is equipped with fewer vents and smaller fans, then a cooling stand comes in handy however choosing the right size is a must as it should fit under your laptop properly here is an in-depth article on how to choose cooling pads.
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Change fan settings
Do you know you can adjust the fan speed of a gaming laptop, always make sure to check the speed of the fans mostly you get this option either on settings or brands inbuilt software.
All you have to do is increase the fan speed however machine might start creating noise but somewhere you have to sacrifice to cool down your laptop.
This can help you to maintain temperatures but make sure to use it wisely like if you are working on a regular day-to-day work minimize the speed.
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Change thermal paste
If the laptop is old above 2 years, then there are chances thermal paste around your CPU started to fade away, this is a substance designed to manage the computer’s performance as it helps to keep the machine away from heating.
First check if the laptops need servicing if yes then apply thermal paste, once you are sure you can purchase it from online or offline stores.
It does not cost you much but choosing good quality thermal paste is essential, advise you to take servicing help if you are not computer savvy as the wrong method can ruin your laptop hardware.
Underclock CPU and GPU
Gaming is a heavy-intensive task it uses CPU and GPU resources a lot, and as result, both of them either automatically run at high settings or the user manually overclocks to extract maximum output for smooth gameplay.
However, this is the primary reason why do gaming laptops overheat, you can try to underclock the processor and graphics card setting to minimize the load on the machine.
Switch Integrated GPU:
There are quite a few gaming laptops available with a mux switch, this switch helps you to change the GPU settings from dedicated GPU to integrated GPU which is quite useful if a laptop generates heat even during normal use.
It’s quite easy to do but the process of enabling or disabling the mux switch depends on the brand to brand regardless mostly this feature available in a command center or brands application which is accessible on a laptop check and change the settings to see the result.
Manage room temperature
The room temperature is another reason for a gaming laptop to raise its temperature, try to use a laptop in cool places you can on a fan or AC in the room this is an especially unique trick for gamers and streamers.
Additionally, do not keep laptops on surfaces where heat is being generated like fridges or vehicles, and avoid using machines outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to reduce CPU temperature while gaming on a laptop?
If the CPU temperatures are high on games first thing you should try is to increase the fan speed, if possible underclock the CPU and check if it worked if not then you should also examine the thermal paste.
As thermal paste around the CPU keeps the processor cool however after a certain time it started to fade so applying thermal paste can improve the efficiency of the laptop.
Can I use cooling pads for a gaming laptop?
Yes, you should always utilize cooling pads while playing games, as pads provide additional help to control temperature.
Are 85 degrees hot for the CPU?
Yes, if the CPU running at 85 degrees is always a matter of concern, if it is fluctuating and drops immediately below 80 degrees then it’s pretty much fine.
Why Asus laptop overheating during gaming?
If the Asus gaming laptop overheats during gaming then suggest you check the vents as some of the Asus models especially Asus TUF equip with fewer vents, in this case, use cooling pads.
However not all Asus machines overheat if you own laptop series like Strix or ROG, to avoid overheating clean the inner parts, use the cooling stand and check the power settings also underclock the CPU and GPU.
Conclusion
So here it is we have discussed in depth why do gaming laptops overheat. If gaming laptops heat, then check the temperatures first, if it is up to 80 degrees then it’s completely ok in fact at times 85-90 degrees is decent if it is kept fluctuating.
Moreover, if you are not comfortable with such an issue then you can always opt for a gaming desktop over a gaming laptop and for the user who owns a laptop taking care from the beginning can avoid further damage.
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