Best Way to Fix Laptop Overheating Without Taking It Apart?

If you’re looking for the best way to fix laptop overheating without taking it apart, this guide is for you. But don’t panic! Follow these simple steps to help Bring down those dreaded temperatures.

I understand how frustrating it can be not knowing why your laptop is hot. The thing is the latest gaming laptops are packed with powerful components and when under heavy load they can get seriously hot.

It can be tough to avoid the problem of overheating, with so much power and capability packed into increasingly slimmer models. The good thing is that there are many laptop cooling solutions that will help solve or minimise this problem. So, keep reading to learn more!

Why Is My Laptop So Hot?

The most common reasons why your laptop is hot. Poor internal cooling, blocked intake grills or vents and clogged-up fans. Or you may need to change out the thermal paste or replace the thermal pad. It could also be that you have a virus, or outdated hardware.

Unfortunately, gaming laptops can get hot under heavy load. Laptop manufacturers are squeezing more powerful hardware into tighter spaces. Even with all the advancements, like vapour chamber cooling systems like with the latest Razer or Alienware laptops, your gaming laptop might still overheat.

Here are some common reasons why laptop get too hot.

1. Blocked Air Vents.

One of the most common reasons for laptop overheating or getting too hot is when there’s a blockage in the air vents or exhausts. If hot air isn’t able to dissipate away from your hardware because you have put something over the vents. It could easily raise the internal temperatures. So, if you’re having trouble with your laptop overheating, be sure to check ALL vents to ensure that they’re not covered up or blocked.  

2. Laptop Fans Covered.

Another common reason why your laptop is getting too hot or your laptop is overheating is because the cooling system is not able to push heat away. You might be using your gaming laptop on a flat surface that’s not suitable. Or perhaps you are using it sitting back on your bed, or resting it on a pillar. No of these places are any good. So make sure your gaming laptop is elevated where possible, this will allow for the most amount of airflow. And there’s less chance of dust and fluff building up.

3. Your Fans Have Stopped Working.

Gaming laptops are designed to operate at high temperatures, with some able to run up to 100 degrees Celsius. Yes, that’s right, ONE HUNDRED DEGREES. In any case, they need help from the internal fans to operate smoothly. If they’re not running how they should, this could raise the operating temperatures very quickly. Test how well your fans are working with Speed Fan software.

4. Problems With Your Hardware.

Poorly configured hardware can cause a laptop to overheat. If the processors are poorly configured, they will need to work harder, which will result in higher temperatures. The same can be said, if you had a virus or some sort of malware festering inside your gaming laptop. They can cause of higher temperatures.

5. Old or Dry Thermal Paste.

Old or dry thermal paste can become problematic to the point where your processors can’t perform as well as they once did. Even if it doesn’t necessarily cause overheating. However, replacing the thermal paste should be a last resort solution. If done incorrectly, it can worsen the situation. So keep reading to learn other ways to fix an overheating laptop without taking it apart.

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Signs Your Laptop’s Overheating?

Gaming laptops aren’t supposed to exceed a certain temperature. The latest hardware from AMD, NVidia, and Intel has guidelines on what is the max temperature they can operate at.

But, if you feel that your laptop is getting too hot, there are several things you can do right away to bring down the temperature. If you leave it, you may risk permanently damaging your laptop. 

8 Reasons You Know Your Laptop Is Too Hot

• Application, games, and programmes freeze.
• Your laptop screen suddenly turns black
• Error messages appear on the screen
• The keyboard area is much warmer
• Simple tasks cause your fans to run at full speed
• Your laptop freezes, and you experience BSOD.
• Hot where the CPU, RAM, and battery are located

If you experience any of the above, stop, turn off your laptop, unplug the cords, and remove the battery (if possible). Then keep reading to learn how to fix overheating laptop without taking it apart.

How To Fix Overheating Laptop: 6 Steps!

It is time to learn how to fix overheating laptop without taking it apart. The first step is to invest in a cooling pad. Here is the best cooling pad for the Razer Blade 15. But, do not expect a laptop cooler to reduce your laptop’s temperatures by any more than 10 degrees Celsius.

However, laptop cooling pads are one of the cheapest, yet best gaming laptop accessories you can buy to help keep your laptop cooler. You can also use a laptop cooler to help position your laptop correctly. (See my laptop below). This will also make it much more comfortable for gaming and typing.

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Step 1: Disable Programmes To Prevent Heat

Overheating could be caused by a number of things, so you should first look at what could be causing your laptop to get hot by observing which part of your gaming laptop seems to get the hottest. 

It is possible to check your laptop’s temperature in real-time. There is plenty of free software available for this purpose. HWMonitor is one such program, and you can use this to monitor voltages, fan speeds and most importantly temperatures.

Download HWMonitor for free here.

After downloading HW-Monitor, run one of your games and then HW-Monitor. After a couple of minutes, check to see if it gives you an indication of what is making your laptop so hot.

If it shows your CPU temperature is too high. It may be that you may have too many applications running, and your system cannot keep up. And this could be causing your gaming laptop to overheat.

Do not worry, there are a few things you can do. First, click CTRL+ALT+DELETE to bring up the Task Manager Sheet. Which will show which processes are running and then you can disable the most taxing programmes and see if that helps.

Windows Task Manager Sheet

Step 2: Adjust Custom Power Plan

Another way to help fix an overheating laptop is to change the default power settings. You can also create a custom power plan that you can use for intensive tasks such as gaming, and video editing. Follow the steps below.

Changing Power Settings

• Press Windows + X Key
• Click on Power Options
• Scroll Down to Related Settings
• Click Additional Power Settings
• Click Change Plan Settings
• Next, Click Change Advanced Power Settings
• Scroll Down To  Processor Power Management
• You Can Edit Max & MIn Processor State

Below are the settings I use. They have worked perfectly for me and should help stop laptop from overheating. By all means, try these to see if they work for you. If you don’t see any improvements, play around with the tabs and see what performs best.

If you are unsure about processor performance boost mode and how it can benefit you. Read my guide on how to improve performance on your laptop. For me, enabling this feature has been one of the most effective solutions. If you are experiencing high CPU temperatures during heavy load this will help.

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Step 3: Check You GPU Temperatures

Gaming is one of the most strenuous tasks you can do on a laptop. This is when the GPU is working the hardest and will generate the most amount of heat. One of the reasons why your laptop runs hot.

There could be several reasons why your GPU is too hot. Like, inadequate cooling. Blocked vents and even a rise in room temperature can lead to higher graphics card temperatures. It could also be that the settings in-game are too high. That said, let’s see if your GPU is too hot.

Using the same HW Monitor sheet, you can see the temperature of your graphic card under load. However, there is a more effective software you can use to better monitor your graphics card temperatures. The GPU-Z software is free to download and easy to use. First, install the software on your laptop and then run it and then follow the instructions below. 

How To Use GPU-Z Software

• Click the ‘Sensors tab‘ and look for the ‘GPU Temperature’ box. 
• Click on ‘Settings’, the three lines at the top of the window. 
• Click the ‘Sensors tab’
• Tick the ‘Refresh sensors while GPU-Z is in the background‘. 
• Now ‘Minimise GPU-Z’.
• Run your game for around 15 minutes. 
• Click the small black arrow next to the ‘GPU Temperature’ box
• Select ‘Show Highest Reading’

What To Do If Your GPU is Overheating?

After running the GPU-Z software, you should now have your results. A safe temperature is between 70-90 Degrees Celsius. If you see temperatures above this, don’t worry too much. The latest GPUs and CPUs have a failsafe in place. They will throttle down to prevent damage if a certain temperature is reached.

The only problem with continuously running at higher temperatures is that the lifespan of your laptop. You may experience issues further down the line. So, to prevent your graphics card from overheating too much, there are a number of things you can do.

Start by ensuring dust or dirt is not preventing the fans from working. If you don’t want to open the chassis, blow compressed air through the vents. You can also grab a vacuum and run it over the vents.

Also, make sure you elevate your gaming laptop when in use. Using a laptop stand or a laptop cooling pad. Next, ensure all your drivers are up to date. Not just your hardware drivers. But also, the drivers for your peripherals and your operating system.

Lastly, consider toning down the graphics settings in your games, and you can also cap the frame rates. This will help save precious resources and require less power which means less heat.

How to Cool Graphics Card?

• Use a Laptop Cooling Pad
• Blow Compressed through Vents
• Update All Hardware Drivers
• Ensure the Room is Cool
• Cap Frame rates in Games
• Lower the In-Game Settings
• Use MSI Afterburner Software

Step 4: Keep Your Hardware/Software Updated

One of the main reasons laptops overheat is because of outdated drivers. Drivers are the software that allows hardware to communicate with the operating system. Outdated drivers can cause conflicts and errors. This can lead to all sorts of problems, including causing your laptop overheating.

It’s therefore imperative to ensure you have the latest drivers for all your hardware. Includes your graphics card, processors and Windows. You must also keep your devices up to date. You can usually find drivers on the website of your laptop or device manufacturer. Or by using a tool like Driver Booster.

Here are a few reasons you should keep your laptop updated:

• Ensures compatibility with other software and devices
• To fix security vulnerabilities (highly critical)
• Improves Overall System Performance
• Prevents Overheating Problems

Step 5: Check Your Fans Are Working

Your laptop may be too hot because your fans aren’t running fast enough. Or they may not be working at all. This may mean they are not cooling your GPU and CPU like they used to. There lies your problem.

You can try and change the fan speed to be more aggressive. The only downside is you will get a louder fan noise than before. But doing this may result in lower laptop temperatures. However, if you are experiencing laptop overheating issues, it will be worth it.

Although, not all laptop manufacturers allow you to change the fan speed. You can look at your BIOS settings and see if the fan settings can be adjusted. If not, you can use MSI Afterburner. This software will show if your laptop model allows you to configure the fans or use Speed fan. Both are easy to use.

Step 6: Not Cleaning Regularly Can Cause Overheating

Not cleaning your laptop regularly can cause all sorts of issues, from poor gaming performance to your laptop overheating for no reason and there could be many causes of this. So, it is imperative to maintain your gaming laptop. 

Without proper maintenance, dust and dirt can quickly build up and get into the vents and prevent the fans from working. And this can cause the computer to overheat. Cleaning will help to keep your gaming laptop running smoothly and extend its lifespan. 

Steps To Clean Gaming Laptop:

1. Turn off your laptop and unplug your power adapter.
2. Make sure you give the laptop time to cool down after use.
3. Disconnect all external devices such as headsets and mice.
4. Using a soft cloth, or cotton swabs and wet with the isopropyl solution.
5. Wipe the surface of your laptop, but do not press down too hard.
6. Hold your laptop upside down to expose the intake fan grilles.
7. Use compressed air to blow off dust from under the keycaps, through the grilles and the side vents. 
8. Finish by wiping down your screen. Best to use a proper screen cleaner
9. Wipe down the laptop again. Plus, clean the surface of your desk.

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Conclusion..

One of the most common problems is your gaming laptop overheating for no reason. This can be for a variety of reasons. The good news is, there are many simple steps you can take to make sure this doesn’t happen or is less likely to. All this without taking your laptop apart and risking damage.

Hopefully, this article has helped you find an easy solution to help you learn how to keep your gaming laptop cool and therefore running smoothly. Let me know in the comments below.

If you want to stay up to date with all the latest news, consider subscribing to my newsletter. So, I can send you more helpful articles and simple hacks to help take care of all things gaming laptop related!

Thanks for Reading, Cya Soon!

Helpful Content: If you are looking for a new gaming laptop. I have an excellent article highlighting the best laptops with the best cooling system in 2023 based on actual data.