It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that running hot is hardly what you want. One of the biggest design issues when engineering our builds on VM is heat. Short-term high thermals will inhibit your performance by throttling. Long term high thermals will shorten the life of your components.

So why do laptops – on the whole – seem to run so often? Is it too hot? From gaming laptops that heat up to either 90 C when opening a triple-A title Excluding people with second-degree burns, it's almost predictable that laptops are simply machines that heat up like a grill. We took a beat to find out the big reasons so you can cool down your laptop.

Dimensions

Let's start with the elephant in the room. When you compare a desktop to a laptop, there is a significant difference in room and surface area availability. It has exactly the effect you think. Heat has fewer places to go, and cooling solutions, even with thorough engineering, can't compete with the options available for desktops.

Location of components

This is probably something you've noticed if you've had the same laptop for a while – some areas seem to heat up differently than others. The placement of components inside a laptop can lead to temperature changes. The CPU and GPU are usually located towards the center of the laptop, where airflow is restricted, leading to higher temperatures. Conversely, components such as batteries or storage drives may be located on the edges or bottom, where there is more room for airflow, resulting in lower temperatures. This is because CPUs and GPUs are rated to run at higher temperatures than batteries, most lithium-ion batteries are not recommended to go anywhere above 45 C.

Hot ingredients

The CPU and GPU tolerate such high temperatures because they are responsible for them. Under load, they generate more heat than any other component in your laptop. They also typically have extensive heatsinks and cooling systems attached, although this doesn't prevent these chips from getting hot in such a closed system.

The dust

Your laptop, as rugged as it is on the inside, is no stranger to dust. Exhaust vents on laptops are often very small in an effort to keep particles out. Sadly, over time this will work against your laptop, as the dust inside probably has nowhere to go. We recommend using some compressed air to loosen dust stuck to your laptop's fans and vents. Periodically, you should also go down to dust your fans and vents to cool your laptop optimally.

Environment

The ambient temperature of the environment can be a factor in the temperature distribution of the laptop. Operating your device in a hot, or more likely, poorly ventilated environment can result in higher overall temperatures and potentially hotter areas inside the laptop. You should do your best to only use your laptop on a solid, level surface to allow for plenty of airflow. You can also invest in a thermal pad to cool your laptop – be sure to read the reviews before pulling the trigger!

Thermal design

Some components may have different thermal design power (TDP) ratings, meaning they are designed to operate under load at different temperatures. Components with higher TDPs can generate more heat, causing the temperature inside the laptop to rise. While you may not have power over the TDP of the components already in your system, you can monitor their performance and thermals within the additional settings of your task manager.

Laptops vary in temperature, and it is inevitable that they will heat up under load. By monitoring your laptop's temperature and giving it plenty of air, though, you'll ensure it's running as cool as possible.

If you want a laptop that shines through any task while staying cool, Check out our selection of laptops here!

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Marcus is a designer at Velocity Micro. He's behind almost all the photos you'll see from us. His interest in PCs is a result of his experience in digital art and design, 3D modeling, and computer peripherals. Lives in a large area of ​​RVA with his partner, two dogs, two cats, a small woodshop and arcade controller collection.