5 Simple Ways to Cool a Hot Notebook

Tip #3: Unplug Your Notebook

Some notebooks are manufactured to consume more power (and generate more heat) when plugged in than on battery alone, even with the exact same power settings enabled. After lowering all your power saving settings (as in tip #2), you may want to try pulling the plug.

We took our test Toshiba E205 and unplugged it to see if the temperatures dropped any further. Our results were as follows:

As you can see, the key contact points got much much cooler when we unplugged. The bottom remained hot, however.

Tip #4: Put the notebook on a table or desk

Many of a notebook’s vents are located on the bottom of its chassis, so when you put the notebook on your lap, you’re partially obstructing those vents.  And if you put the notebook on a on a fabric surface like a bed or couch, you’re really choking its airflow. If the bottom of your notebook is getting really hot, consider putting it on a table or using a lapdesk that sits between you and the notebook.

Tip #5: Using a cooling pad

Some might say that this is the most obvious tip and should appear first, but cooling pads add bulk to your notebook bag and make your system less portable. So while cooling pads like the great Cooler Master Notepal U2 may be the only choice for a burning hot notebook, they shouldn’t always be your first.