With the amount of heat that gaming laptops generate, many gamers have started to question whether gaming laptops are actually designed to run hot.
While the statement itself is wrong, gaming laptops are not designed to run hot , nor are they supposed to run hot, why?
Let me explain.
A gaming laptop does generate a lot of heat, but there are no apparent flaws in how they’re manufactured, most gaming laptops usually run hot because they’re not taken care of properly.
A well maintained laptop will never go above 75-80 degrees under maximum load, and that too on a hot day!
In winters, you can expect temperatures to remain below 70. So gaming laptops are not designed to get hot.
Some of them do come with a little flaws such as less amount of vents for heat dissipation or wrong placement of internal fans. But most of them come with a very temperature optimized design and structure to keep your laptop cool.
Avoid getting thin laptops because thinner laptops usually trap more heat due to the design, so they tend to run hotter than thick laptops because the fans have to work harder to reduce the temperatures.
Should I Be Worried If My Brand New Gaming Laptop Is Running Hot?
You have to check the temperatures of your laptop CPU and GPU first in order to find out if it’s actually running hot or not.
A brand new gaming laptop will not go above 65-70degrees , if it’s going above those temperatures then it’s a cause for concern.
If the temperatures aren’t stable and if they’re going above 70degrees on a new laptop then you should immediately claim warranty because it’s most likely because of a faulty cooling system.
How Hot Is Too Hot For A Gaming Laptop?
Gaming laptops are designed to handle high temperatures, that’s because the hardware in gaming laptops performs at a much faster pace than regular ones, thus generating more heat.
And on top of that, these machines come with a dedicated graphics card as well, so basically , all of the hardware is cramped up inside with very little room to breath.
Which is why gaming laptops have a higher heat capacity.
How Hot Should A Laptop Get On Average?
Most gaming laptops tend to run at 75-80 degrees under full load, which is considered pretty normal, but if the temperatures are going above 90 then you should be worried.
if the temperature is above 90 Degrees while gaming and if it’s not coming down then it either means that there’s a lot of dust inside your gaming laptop or the cooling system is not working.
So bear in mind that all temperatures under 85-90 are perfectly normal for a gaming laptop, any number higher than that is a cause for concern.
Is 75 Degrees Hot For A Gaming Laptop?
A temperature of 75 degrees is the perfect temperature for a gaming laptop and is definitely not considered as a dangerous temperature.
However if the operating temperature is 75 then you should get your laptop inspected by a professional.
How To Reduce CPU Temperature While Gaming On A Laptop?
There are many ways to reduce temperature on your laptop, let’s go through them one by one:
- Keep your laptop in a well ventilated room: with plenty of airflow and and open space, avoid using it in a room which is usually hot.
- Invest in a good laptop cooling pad: this will help to push out more air in the laptop and help it dissipate more heat from the side vents, thus reducing the temperature by an extra 3-5 degrees.
- Buy a laptop stand: a laptop stand will elevate your laptop and help it suck more air from the bottom, thus controlling CPU temperatures, you can even pair a cooling pad with a laptop stand for killer temperature reduction.
- Clean Your laptop with a blower: Clean the vents of your laptop using a blower and keep it dust free by using a soft lint cloth to clean the screen, keyboard and trackpad
- Reapply Thermal Paste: Sometimes your CPU temperature is rising because of old thermal paste, so all you have to do is take it to a professional and get the thermal paste replaced.
Is It Normal For Laptop To Get Hot While Gaming?
Yes, it’s perfectly normal for a gaming laptop to get hot while gaming, but you should be worried if your gaming laptop CPU temperature is above 90. And to control this temperature you have to apply the tips above or at least buy a good gaming laptop cooling pad.
This will help ensure that your gaming laptop doesn’t get damaged, because gaming laptops already tend to generate alot of heat, and stable temperatures above 90 will massively reduce the lifespan of your gaming laptop by as much as 6-7 months.
So you have to control this immediately.
But most gaming laptops do get hot and it’s very normal so you don’t have to worry about it.
Is It Bad To Run A Program That Makes Laptop Fans Turn On?
No, laptop fans exist to keep your laptop cool, so you can run any type of program you want, laptop fans are supposed to turn on when your laptop is getting hot and when it reaches a certain temperature, only then your fans will start to work.
Unless you’re running a heavy game on ultra high settings ignoring the sound of your fans, then it’s bad for your laptop.
What Is The Average Temperature Of A Laptop While Gaming?
The average temperature of a brand new laptop while gaming is going to be around 70-75 degrees, provided that you’re not running the game on full blast settings.
With a 1 – 5 year old laptop, the average temperature will be around 80-85 degrees, without any type of external cooling solutions, with a cooling pad, you can expect the temperature to remain around 80.
But the temperatures actually vary depend on the settings of the game, if you’re running the game on absolute lowest settings then the temperature can even be 55-60 degrees.
But 80 degrees is generally the highest a laptop should go while under load from heavy gaming.
Is 90 degrees Safe For A Gaming Laptop?
90 degrees (c) is not safe for a gaming laptop, under any kind of conditions. Prolonged stability of 90 degrees will result in damaged components.
At What Temperature Does A CPU Get Damaged?
You can expect your laptop CPU to underperform when it goes above 95 degrees, and it will become damaged beyond repair.
Laptop CPUs tend to shut down at 100-105’C, which is considered too hot for a gaming laptop, and will eventually have to get replaced or you’ll have to buy a new laptop.
How Do I Know If My Laptop Is Getting Too Hot?
Here are some of the things you should check for to know if your gaming laptop is getting too hot.
- If your laptop is constantly lagging or stuttering, it might be that the fans have stopped working and your laptop is running without any cooling, which leads to malfunctioning hardware.
- Use a temperature checking tool like coretemp to check the operating temperature of your laptop CPU, if the idle temperature is above 80 then your laptop is getting too hot.
- If you feel that your laptop is underperforming, then it might be getting too hot.
- While gaming, if you don’t hear the sound of your laptop fans then it might be heating up.
- One of the earliest signs of an overheating laptop is it constantly keeps restarting, so keep an eye out for that as well.
Can A Laptop Catch On Fire?
There are 2 known ways that a laptop can catch fire.
- The first one is exposing it to extreme temperatures
- The second one is leaving it unattended while charging, if you do this, the battery might catch fire, but this happens in very rare cases.
Is It Normal For A Laptop To Get Warm To Hot On The Bottom?
Yes it’s normal, because laptops usually suck air from the bottom, so they do get hot, plus all of the hardware is placed on the bottom of your laptop, so they do get hot.
They may get even hotter if you place it on your lap, so avoid doing that , use a table and you’re good to go.
Wrap Up
Gaming laptops are not designed to run hot, they do get hot due to lack of maintenance, but a well kept laptop will never get too hot and will be able to last for quite a while.
