Do Gaming Laptops Overheat? (Unlocking the Real Truth!)

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Published:

20/01/2023

When it comes to gaming laptops, there’s nothing more frustrating when it starts overheating. Not only does it impact the performance, but it can also cause long-term damage. In this post, I will be diving deep into the topic to answer the question, do gaming laptops overheat?

I will also include common causes, warning signs, and offer some effective solutions to keep your laptop running at optimal temperatures. Whether you’re a serious gamer or just looking to prevent issues down the line, keep reading this post.

Do Gaming Laptops Overheat?

Gaming laptops can overheat due to high performance demands, lack of proper ventilation, and other factors such as poor maintenance. Overheating can impact performance and cause severe damage to a laptop. Proper cooling solutions, maintenance, and monitoring can help prevent this from happening.

With that said, after owning several gaming laptops, including the Razer Blade 15. Contrary to what a lot of users think, it handles heat really well. However, I tested it to answer a common question, do Razer laptop overheat? You may be surprised as it did not overheat while running the resource hungry AAA game, Call of Duty Warzone 2.

Here are the results below, using HWiNF0 software;

Razer Blade 15 Temperature Test Playing Warzone Without a Cooling Pad — Results Without a Cooling Pad

Razer Blade 15 Temperature Test Playing Warzone With a Cooling Pad — Results With a Cooling Pad

The Razer Blade 15 is an excellent laptop that features a vapor chamber cooling system which from the data I have seen, this cooling system seems to be the best cooling system structure. Compared to traditional thermal systems with copper heat pipes and multiple fans.

If you check out my article listing the best laptops with the best cooling systems, eight gaming laptops on the list feature the same two-phase vapor chamber cooling system.

Now let’s dive into the main causes of overheating.

My Current Gaming Laptop Collection — My Current Gaming Laptops I Use For Testing

What Are The Signs A Gaming Laptop is Overheating?

Signs of a gaming laptop overheating include reduced performance, system crashes or freezes, excessive fan noise, increased laptop temperature, random shutdowns, and graphical artifacts on the screen. It is why you must regularly monitor your laptop’s temperature to prevent potential damage.

Here are some of the signs that a gaming laptop may be overheating:

The laptop making loud fan noise
The laptop fans running faster while idle
The laptop shutting down unexpectedly
The laptop feeling hot to the touch
Performance issues such as frame rate drops
Monitoring software reporting high temperatures
You see errors such as, “Thermal Shutdown Occurred”
Lines start to appear on the display
You hear a popping or crackling noise
The battery life may decrease significantly

What Are the Main Causes of Overheating?

The causes of overheating in gaming laptops include poor ventilation, dust build-up, malfunctioning fans, intense resource usage, poor thermal paste application, and ambient temperature. Regular maintenance and ensuring proper airflow can help mitigate these issues.

As overheating can be exacerbated by dust build-up within the laptop chassis, such as on the vent inlets and fans. You could have the best gaming laptop in the world, but if something is blocking the ventilation, it can have disastrous consequences for the device.

Another factor that can contribute to overheating is the use of high-performance hardware. Gaming laptops with powerful processors and graphics cards will generate a lot of heat. This can put a huge strain on the cooling system, again, causing the temperature to rise.

Common Causes That Can Lead To Overheating

Running resource-intensive applications: AAA games, video editing software, or other rendering software, can all put a lot of stress on the hardware, causing the internal temperature to rise.
Overclocking: If you increase the clock speeds of the processor, or the GPU beyond the manufacturer’s recommended settings. This can lead to increased heat output.
Power management settings: Incorrect power management settings can cause the processor and GPU to run at full speed. Again, this can lead to overheating.
Faulty cooling system: A malfunctioning cooling system can cause the internal temperature to rise. Say if the fans were not running at full speed when under heavy load.
External environment: Using a gaming laptop in a hot environment or placing it on a soft surface like a bed or couch can impede airflow. This can also attract dust, hairs, and other debris.
Poor Maintenance: Gaming laptops should be cleaned regularly, using compressed air and a lint cloth to keep dust at bay. Poor maintenance is one of the biggest factors for high temperatures.

How to Prevent Overheating in Gaming Laptops?

To prevent overheating in gaming laptops, first, always keep the air vents clean. Dust and debris build-up can impede airflow and cause the internal temperature of the device to rise. Use a can of compressed air to blow out dust and debris from the air vents.

Another step is to use a cooling pad. A laptop cooling pad or laptop stand is an external device that sits under your laptop and provides additional airflow to effectively dissipate heat. This can help reduce the internal temperature of your laptop by as much as 10°C (50°F). Cooling pads also have legs that you can prop up to help elevate your gaming laptop further.

Use a Laptop Cooling Pad — The Thermaltake laptop cooler is one of the best

You can also use software to monitor the internal temperature and adjust or reduce the settings in the games you play. You can also use software such as MSI Afterburner to lower the clock speed of the GPU to reduce heat output. Here are some other things you can do.

9 Effective Steps to Stop Overheating

Clean the laptop’s vents and fan regularly to remove dust
Keep the laptop on a hard surface and elevate it to allow airflow
Close unnecessary programs and windows to reduce strain on the CPU
Adjust power settings to lower the CPU usage and clock speed
Use a suitable laptop cooling pad to help dissipate heat
Keep the gaming laptop in a cool, well-ventilated area
Avoid using the laptop on a bed or pillow, this will block the vents
Keep the laptop’s software and hardware drivers up to date
Monitor the temperatures of the processors using a tool such as SpeedFan

How to Solve Overheating?

If you feel your laptop is overheating, immediately turn off the device. Unplug all peripherals such as your gaming mouse, controller, and headset, and disconnect the laptop from the AC outlet. Allow the laptop to cool down to a safe temperature before investigating the cause.

Next, inspect the air vents and fans for dust and debris build-up. If needed, use a can of compressed air to clear the vents, and then turn the laptop on its side and blow air through the keyboard. You may also need to open up the laptop to clean the inside.

Turn off the overheating laptop and unplug peripherals and AC outlet
Allow the device to cool down to a safe temperature
Inspect air vents and fans for dust and debris buildup
Use compressed air to clear vents and blow air through the keyboard
Open the laptop and clean the inside, grounding yourself first
Update hardware drivers, especially GPU drivers, and Windows
Install monitoring software like HWMonitor, Core Temp, or SpeedFan
Use MSI Afterburner to lower clock speeds by undervolting
Lower settings and reduce background programs in Windows if necessary
Contact the manufacturer for service if the issue persists

But be extremely cautious, and ground any static electricity by touching a metal object with both hands before handling internal components. Next, ensure all hardware drivers, especially GPU drivers, are up to date, as outdated drivers can cause various issues. Also, check for Windows updates and then restart your gaming laptop.

After you have fixed your device, install software like HWMonitor or Core Temp to monitor your laptop’s temperature, focusing on GPU and CPU temperatures under load. SpeedFan can help you verify that the fans are functioning properly.

With MSI Afterburner, you can try lowering the clock speed of the GPU or processor by Undervolting, reducing heat output. If temperatures remain high, consider lowering settings and reducing background programs in Windows.

Helpful Content: There is also great article here showing you how to keep your gaming laptop cool the right way. The perfect post, if your laptop is too hot!

Conclusion

Overheating is a common problem among gaming laptops, especially older models. But it can be prevented and solved with a few simple steps. By keeping the air vents clean, using a cooling pad, and monitoring the temperature of your laptop are all effective ways to keep on top of overheating.

If this post has answered your query? please subscribe to my newsletter. I buy and test gaming laptops and other gaming laptop accessories so users like you know what’s best.

Thanks for Reading, Cya Next Time!

About the author

James Alexander

James Alexander has been an avid tech lover since the days of the Sega Master System. Got his first gaming laptop in 2006. James has been dissecting and testing laptops ever since. Including models from MSI, HP, Dell, ASUS and Razer. He also has experience in IT and Digital Marketing.