When you play games numerous things happen to your hardware. So is it normal for a laptop to get hot while gaming? Absolutely! Your laptop works harder which causes it to operate at a higher temperature.
Is It Normal For Laptop To Get Hot While Gaming?
It is perfectly normal for your laptop to get hot whilst gaming, or carrying out other resource intensive tasks. The increase in heat is due to the fact your hardware is working harder. The two main components ramping up their performance are the CPU and GPU.
When your laptop is being worked harder it generates more heat. In turn this causes your fans to run at a higher RPM which will produce a notable amount of noise. This shouldn’t cause you any concern.
So if you are just carrying out basic tasks or web browsing on your laptop, their shouldn’t be much noticeable heat. But if your are gaming, then expect more heat due to the fact your laptop is being worked harder. It can be normal for some gaming laptops to run up to 100 degrees!
What Are The Signs Of Overheating In a Gaming Laptop?
Overheating is where your laptop’s temperatures rise to an unsustainable and unhealthy level. The damage caused by overheating can be irreversible. So while it is normal for a laptop to get hot whilst gaming, there are a number of warning signs of overheating you need to be aware of:
- Laptop is too hot for your lap
- Fans constantly running and very loud
- Struggling to perform basic tasks
- Graphics output is strange / pixelated
- Constant crashing / powering off
3 Simple Steps To Prevent Laptop Overheating
Check and clean your laptop’s fans
When your laptop is getting hot you will notice the fans start to spin faster. As a result of this you should be able to feel hot air being blown out of the vents. To help keep your fans performing optimally, you should clean them regularly to remove and dust or debris that has accumulated. This task can be completed relatively easily with an inexpensive can of compressed air.
Increase ventilation
A relatively simple trick to help prevent your laptop from overheating is to increase ventilation. But what does this actually mean? On a basic level, put something under your laptop when it is being used at a desk. This can simply be a book, or any object to help raise your laptop a minimum of an inch. This simple trick will increase the airflow around your laptop helping to prevent overheating.
Laptop cooling pad
Another simple step to help prevent overheating is to use a laptop cooling pad. A laptop cooling pad can take away hot air instantly and be adjustable to promote even better airflow. Most are suitable for laptops up to 17″ in size, such as the example pictured below, and are powered simply from a USB port.
How Hot Is Too Hot For A Laptop
Generally speaking a gaming laptop can run at temperatures up to 95 degrees centigrade when under stress. This is completely normal. As long as your fans and exhausts are well maintained you shouldn’t have any issues.
When carrying out day to day tasks on your laptop it should run a lot cooler. Anything up to 50 degrees centigrade for these sorts of tasks is normal. A lot of the time you will find your fans won’t even need to start up.
Is It Bad That My Gaming Laptop Gets Hot?
When playing games it is expected that your laptop will get hot whilst playing games. As discussed above, this is completely normal and shouldn’t cause concern. The only time your laptop getting hot will be an issue is if it is overheating.
FAQ
When plugged in and turned on a laptop charger will get warm. This is completely normal especially when charging your laptop battery. Always take safety precautions such as ensuring the charger is not covered and is on a hardwaring surface.