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Laptop overheating has become a more common problem in recent years as both the CPU chips
and the video chips in laptop computers have become more densely packed with transistors, all
of which generate heat. With both CPUs and graphic systems generating more heat, laptops can
overheat if they are not properly designed or if ventilation and cooling is interfered with. The
problem is compounded when manufacturers put desktop components in mobile systems, or
when laptop design does not properly provide for laptop cooling under foreseeable normal use of
the systems.
Laptop overheating most commonly signals itself by sudden, otherwise unexplained shutdown of
an operating computer. If your laptop computer suddenly shuts down for no known reason, there
is a high likelihood that the fail safe software in the computer is shutting it down when the
computer temperature gets too high. Other signs of overheating notebook computers include
constant or excessive fan operation, unexplained memory or operation errors, and inexplicable
“blue screens of death.”
The problem often arises when you are using your computer intensively in ways that keep the
CPU operating at high capacity and the hard drive and video systems busy as well. Gaming often
leads to laptop overheating. Virus scans, compiling software and similar intensive tasks can also
bring on the problem. The problem also, not surprisingly, sometimes occurs when the
temperatures are high in the setting where the laptop is being used.
The consequences of overheating laptops can be quite serious. Your computer can be damaged,
and may end up requiring expensive replacement of major system components, such as
motherboards or graphic cards. In addition, medical researchers have reported health issues
ranging from sterility to burned genitalia related to use of overheated laptops by fully clothed
users.
If you have an overheating laptop and your computer is still under warranty, you should
promptly report the problem to the manufacturer and seek their help. Because many
manufacturers seem to engage in denial rather than cures with regard to this particular
problem, you should also read the information on laptop overheating on this and related sites so
you can better understand the causes, the consequences and the possible cures for notebook
computer overheating.