Laptops fail faster than desktops due to wear and tear from being portable and overheating. Maintaining the stock heat sink and keeping it free from dust is crucial for longevity. Using a laptop on a blanket or pillow can block airflow, causing overheating. Inspect the heat sink for dust buildup and use compressed air to remove it.
A common complaint among laptop computer users is how quickly their laptops seem to fail, compared to desktop personal computers (PCs). This is largely because they are portable and experience more wear and tear than their larger, more stationary counterparts. In addition, many laptops are used in bed or on the sofa, resting on blankets and pillows, which are not effective in distributing the air. Computer parts fail much faster when they’re overheated, so making sure they stay as cool as possible is key to extending a laptop’s useful life. While users may consider upgrading or replacing their laptop heat sink to improve cooling, this is, in fact, rarely needed or useful.
With so little space in a laptop chassis, there isn’t much room for innovation in heatsink designs. More important to helping a laptop stay cool and ensuring its longevity is keeping the stock heat sink well maintained and free from dust. Ultimately, accepting the limitations of laptop cooling systems and learning to work within them is the best way to have a trouble-free user experience.
A laptop heat sink is basically a piece of aluminum that’s designed to help push heat away from sensitive parts of your computer, like the central processing unit (CPU) and hard drive. Typically, it has a series of very small fins that act to dissipate the heat generated by those parts. In addition to the passive function of a heat sink, a laptop’s cooling system also usually includes one or more small fans that actively push air through the motherboard.
Ideally, the inside of a laptop should rarely get above 95°F (35°C). Above this point, parts start to heat up and malfunction. Continued use at high temperatures often causes them to fail prematurely. In most cases, a laptop’s cooling system will sense when the temperature reaches dangerous levels and initiate a series of steps to correct the problem. The processor speed may be reduced, the screen dimmed and the fans running at a very high speed.
However, this type of active management shouldn’t happen all the time. If a laptop’s fans and other safety devices are continually called into service, several steps may be required. First of all, the user should consider how the laptop is operated. If it’s directly on a blanket or pillow, there’s no way that fresh air will be circulated properly. There are specialized miniature laptop desks that slightly support the laptop to maintain adequate airflow, while still making it comfortable to use in bed or on the couch.
Also, the laptop heat sink itself should be visually inspected periodically to ensure that excessive dust isn’t affecting its effectiveness. Due to the electromagnetic properties of a working computer, dust is naturally attracted to the motherboard. The fins on a laptop heat sink are a natural refuge to settle into, and if not kept in check, can build up and block air from getting through. Avoid using a vacuum cleaner to remove dust from computer parts, as vacuum cleaners generate static electricity which can be harmful. Instead compressed air should be used to gently blow the dust away.
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