The latest gaming laptops have improved ten-fold. Now offering the most immersive gaming experience. But still, they can get hot. So, learning how to keep gaming laptop cool while gaming is more important than ever.
Keeping your laptop cooler not only improves performance, but ensures your laptop lasts longer. Stop wasting worrying about your laptop overheating and spend more time on keeping temperatures down.
So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Step 1: Use a Laptop Cooling Pad
The first tip to help keep your gaming laptop cool while gaming is to invest in a laptop cooler. Even though laptop cooling pads will only reduce your temperatures by a few degrees. It may be enough to make the investment worthwhile.
How do I know? Earlier this year, I tested one and cooling pads do work with laptops, The laptops stand was able to reduce the internal temperatures of my HP Omen 15 by as much as 5°C (41°F) while gaming. And 10°C (50°F) with running Adobe Photoshop, nothing too crazy, but a reduction, nonetheless.
Why Laptop Cooling Pads Are Worth It
A laptop stand can also be useful in other ways, such as helping to elevate your laptop. This improves airflow and allows warm air to escape much quicker. They also offer a more comfortable angle for typing.
These are just a few of the reasons that make them one of the best laptop cooling solutions. Besides, it is a small price to pay and well worth the investment if it helps to cool down your gaming laptop.
Helpful Content: If you want to see by far the best laptop cooling pad, check out the best cooling pad for the Razer Blade 15 one that helps keep my Razer laptop running cool.
Step 2: Cleaning Will Prevent Your Laptop From Overheating
The second best way to keep your gaming laptop cool is proper maintenance. Dust and dirt can quickly build up blocking air vents, and causing the laptop fans to work harder, leading to poor performance.
You should clean your laptop using cotton swabs in the worse hit areas, airflow will remain unrestricted. However, it is not generally recommended to clean the inside of the laptop computer too often.
Once every three months would be good. At which point, you should remove the back but be extremely careful as there is a high chance you could do more harm than good.
To clean your gaming laptop, you will need a can of compressed air, some isopropyl alcohol solution, and a soft lint free cloth. Note: if you have just used your gaming laptop? Give it time to cool down.
Steps To Clean Gaming Laptop:
- Turn off your laptop and unplug your power adapter.
- Make sure you give the laptop time to cool down after use.
- Disconnect all external devices such as headsets and mice.
- Using a soft cloth, or cotton swabs and wet with the isopropyl solution.
- Wipe the surface of your laptop, but do not press down too hard.
- Hold your laptop upside down to expose the intake fan grilles.
- Use compressed air to blow off dust from under the keycaps, through the grilles and the side vents.
- Finish by wiping down your screen. Best to use a proper screen cleaner
- Wipe down the laptop again. Plus, clean the surface of your desk.
Cleaning your laptop this way should be done at least once a month to ensure you keep dust at bay. That said, it’s impossible to eradicate dust altogether. Unless you live inside a bubble. But you can try.
You may also like: If you’re looking for something to improve you gaming experience, we have listed 10 of the best Razer Blade accessories you must have in 2022. Check them out!
Step 3: Use Your Gaming Laptop On A Hard Surface
Do not use your gaming laptop while it is sat on a soft surface like your bed or the couch. Surfaces like these will block the airflow and this can lead to overheating. Or even worse, using your laptop while on the bed will attract more dust and debris, such as hairs, which can lead to damaged the hardware.
It is recommended to always use your gaming laptop on a solid surface. Ideally you want to only use it on a desk specifically designed for gaming. If that is not possible, use a hard surface like a table.
Step 4: Keep Software and Drivers Up to Date?
With any computer, outdated drivers and software can cause major problems. Outdated hardware like the graphics card and the CPU can cause your gaming laptop to run less efficiently and lead to overheating.
As well as updating the hardware, you should also ensure the operating system is up to date. These updates can include security patches, as well as, general bug fixes and future enhancements.
How to Update Windows Drivers
- Click Windows Key and type Updates
- Select Windows Update Settings
- Click the big blue Check for Updates button
- After the update, restart your laptop.
By keeping the Windows operating system and hardware and device drivers up to date will ensure you enjoy the best possible gaming experience and performance on your new gaming laptop.
Step 5: Check for Faulty Fans
Gaming laptops generate more heat when the fans run the fastest they help keep the processors cool. If the fans are faulty, they will not be able to dissipate the heat, and your laptop will run hotter.
The easiest way to test if the fans in your gaming laptop are working is to hold your hand over the intake and exhaust vents and feel for airflow. If you can feel air blowing, that means the fans are working.
Another way to check, is turn your laptop on and run a programme or game. You should be able to hear the fans spinning. But, if the fans are producing a clicking sound. They may be clogged up with dust.
If the fans are clogged with dust, try spraying compressed air through the vents. However, depending on the severity of the dust problem, you may have to remove the back of the laptop, so be careful.
After all that, if you are still having issues or concerned about the fans speed, try the SpeedFan software or Fan Control. This free software helps to monitor and adjust fans speeds, amongst other things.
Step 6: Create Custom Power Plan
One of the most effective ways to keep a gaming laptop cool while gaming is by creating and editing a custom power plan. Then enabling Processor Performance Boost Mode. This can improve heat dissipation and reduce the temperatures of internal components by 30°C (86°F).
To do this, follow the steps below;
- Press Windows key, type Control Panel
- And then select System and Security
- Select Power Options, then Change Plan Settings
- Click Change Advanced Power Settings
- Click Processor Power Management
- Change Min Processor State to 5%
- Change Max Processor State to 95%
- Click Apply then click OK
Further Learning: If you want to learn how to disable processor boost mode. Follow this link below, and ensure you check out tip 14: How to improve Performance On Laptop, enjoy!
Step 6: Reduce In-Game Settings
If you’re experiencing excessive heat it could be because the graphics settings you are currently using are too high for your system. Reducing the settings will help to reduce your laptop’s overall temperature.
Despite this, how hot should a gaming laptop get is often asked. Unfortunately, this is part and parcel of portable gaming. But, you can at least get some way towards enjoying an optimal temperature.
For dedicated NVidia GPU’s, right-click on your desktop and select NVidia control panel. Change Power Management Mode to Optimal Performance. This will provide the most efficient idle power savings.
However, you can also enable Max Performance this keeps the GPU running at its peak performance, regardless of GPU usage. But this will generate the most amount of heat, which you are trying to avoid.
For more information about this setting, you should read this post at thefpsreview.com. Highlighting how the optimal setting is best and especially if your GPU temps are hitting max levels.
Reduce Display Resolution
Reducing the resolution is also a great way to lower temperatures. Lowering the display resolution in-game will help reduce the load on your GPU, even though this will affect how your games look.
Reduce Textures And Details
Reducing texture settings in-game can also have an impact on laptop heat. Scaling down textures is an effective way to keep your laptop cool. Other setting to reduce include, Ambient Occlusion and Anti-Aliasing. And reducing these will only affect the way your gaming laptop renders images.
Step 7: Use MSI Afterburner to Improve Cooling
MSI Afterburner is suitable not just for desktop computers. The software also works great with gaming laptops with either AMD or NVidia dedicated GPUs.
It works by overclocking the hardware in real-time by changing the GPU clock and memory speeds. Used right, it can be an excellent laptop cooling solution to improve your laptop’s temperatures.
First, download Afterburner from the MSI. Then it is a good idea to follow the steps MSI provides. Be careful but do not worry if you encounter thermal throttling your laptop will automatically shut down.
Step 8: Reduce Process To Keep Gaming Laptop Cool?
Another great way to cool down your laptop while gaming is by reducing unnecessary programs. You should always try and avoid using heavy or resource-intensive programs while gaming.
Running multiple programs will strain your hardware, causing your laptop to heat up. By disabling programs it will not only keep the system cool, it will also improve your gaming performance.
To disable programmes and applications, use the Windows Task Manager Sheet. You can check what programs that are running. Then decide if you need them. If not, right-click and click end task.
Another effective cooling solution is disabling programs running on start-up. Using the same Task Manager Sheet, select the Start-Up Tab. And scroll down the list of programmes and Right-Click, and then disable. This will also speed up the boot process and improve CPU temperature.
Step 9: Apply New Thermal Paste to Help With Cooling
Our final tip on our how to keep a gaming laptop cool, is by re-applying thermal paste onto the processor. Thermal paste can dry out over time and become less effective. So if your laptop is overheating or getting too hot, it might be a wise idea to reapply the thermal paste. This will help improve heat transfer and hopefully keep your laptops cooler. However, I recommend using a high quality thermal paste like Arctic Silver 5 or better. Just make sure to follow the instructions on how to apply it.
Steps For Applying Thermal Paste
- Shut down your laptop and remove the battery (if you can)
- Unscrew the screws on the back that hold on the cover
- Gently pull off the cover and set it aside in a safe place
- Locate the CPU and locate the thermal paste pads
- Use a credit card to scrape away any old thermal paste
- Apply a small amount of new thermal paste to each pad
- Use the card to spread it around evenly
- Replace the cover and start up your laptop
How To Keep Gaming Laptop Cool: FAQs
Do Gaming Laptops Need Cooling Pads?
Gaming laptops always generate more heat than everyday laptops because they come with powerful hardware. They also have at least two fans built-in with the cooling system to help keep it running cool. But, you will still benefit from the use of a laptop cooling pad. Not only will they help to keep it from getting too hot. They will also help elevate your laptop to allow for better airflow.
Is It Okay For Gaming Laptop To Get Hot?
Laptops designed for gaming can get hot, which is ok. But in order to avoid damaging the laptop’s components, that could lead to a shorter lifespan. It is best to prevent it from overheating. Buy a cooling pad or cooling mat and keep it well maintained. And you should be ok.
Why Do Gaming Laptops Overheat
Gaming laptops have powerful processors and graphics cards that can produce a lot of heat when underload. If the built-in cooling system can not dissipate the heat sufficiently, it may lead to overheating. Poor maintenance of the laptop can also lead to high temperatures and a shorter lifespan or worse irreparable damage.
What Generates Heat Inside a Gaming Laptop?
There are a number of things you do a gaming laptop that can generate heat. These include, editing and rendering videos, transferring large data files, running high fidelity games and streaming and watching videos.
Conclusion..
Hopefully my guide on how to keep your gaming laptop cool has paid off and you are now enjoying the best performance. In case here is a recap, clean your laptop on a regular basis and with cotton swabs. This will make a big difference in how hot your laptops run.
Investing in a laptop cooling pad will help keep your laptop cool. Here is the one I use with the Razer Blade 15. Moreover, enabling and disabling processor boost mode can be a very effective way to keep the temperatures down. Finally, disable unnecessary apps and programs running in the background.
Just follow the steps above and your gaming laptops will stay cool while gaming. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and or check out my other gaming laptop tips that may help.
Thanks for reading, Cya Next Time!
Helpful Content handpicked: Is your laptop has overheated and suffered damage. Read my helpful gaming laptop buying guide that runs through what you should consider.
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