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A summer heat wave is a dangerous time to have a computer, game console, smartphone or gadget that generates heat. Here are seven tips to help your electronics survive the hottest weather.
Why do electronics generate heat?
Before we get to the tips, let’s take a moment to think about why gadgets generate heat in the first place and why it’s bad for them. Computers and other electronics generate heat because when electricity flows through any conductor — including the semiconductors found in computer chips — some electrons collide with atoms or impurities in the material, creating resistance.
Because energy is stored (transformed but never lost), these electron collisions create kinetic energy in the conducting molecules, which is heat. Electronic devices with computer chips must be specially designed to remove waste heat from the chips and conductors. If they don’t, the transistors in the chips won’t work properly. With that in mind, here are some things you can do to keep your gadgets from overheating.
Related: How much is your computer heating up your home?
Avoid direct sunlight, hot cars and high temperatures
This may seem obvious, but don’t use your electronic device when it’s too hot outside. Hot air flowing through the device cannot cool your gadget properly. Also, do not expose the device to direct sunlight, which will heat it up significantly. And if your car is baking in the sun, don’t leave your gadgets to bake in the heat, which can damage even the unlit gadget. Once you’re in the car, leave your technology off until you vent or turn on the AC.
For this extension, use only heat sensitive gadgets when you have air conditioning as much as possible. The cool air from the AC helps to remove heat while your device is working. If that’s not available, point the fan directly at your device and place it in the shade as much as possible.
Use a cooling pad or laptop stand
If you’re using your laptop in a hot environment for long periods of time, using a cooler might be a good idea. These devices often include additional fans or heat sinks to help keep your device from overheating.
If you don’t want to spend money on a cooling pad, simply place your laptop on a raised platform. Or you can buy a laptop stand. The larger the distance between your laptop and the table, the better the air circulation.
Related: The best laptop stands in the office and on the go
Give it room to breathe.
Fans and heat sinks can only remove waste heat from a device if the temperature outside the device is cooler than the air coming out of the device. That heat transfer process works on a cold air supply, and you won’t get it if your device (like a game console, gaming PC, or something else) is slightly enclosed in an entertainment center or cabinet. To-no airflow. To fix this, open the doors of your TV stand or place the device on the top shelf behind the TV where it can get fresh air.
Related: How to automatically cool your entertainment center when it gets too hot
Keep it clean and don’t block the vents
Dust accumulation is one of the main causes of overheating of computers and game consoles. Be sure to clean your tech regularly to prevent dust from clogging vents, heat sinks, or fans. Dust blocks air flow, causing your device to overheat.
Also, make sure the vents on your device aren’t blocked by your hands, lap, desk, or anything else. If they are, this will limit the air flow intended to cool the device, which will cause it to heat up quickly.
Related: How to clean the dust from your laptop
Turn off overclocking or use low power mode
Overclocking is a term used to describe the practice of forcing a gadget (such as a PC) to run faster than the manufacturer intended. It can be used to increase the speed of the computer, but it causes your device to generate more heat, which is bad when the area around the PC is hot. To cope, turn off overclocking or try to find a low-power mode, the CPU of the device will use less power later, which will generate less heat.
Related: 5 cooling solutions to prevent your PC from overheating
Turn off unused or background features
If you are not using certain features on your device, turn them off. For example, if you’re not using Bluetooth, turn it off, which can both save battery life and reduce the device’s thermal load.
Also, some apps on PCs and smartphones stay running in the background, constantly checking for updates and heating up your device. Close those background tasks on a PC or Mac — or turn off background app refresh on an iPhone, for example.
And while you’re in the heat, you can choose to use less processor-intensive apps or games. In general, games with detailed graphics can generate more heat than simple games that don’t tax your device’s graphics capabilities.
Related: How to stop your Mac from overheating
Take a break
If you’re using your technology in extreme heat for long periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks. The best way to do this is to close the device completely and let it sit for a few minutes. But if you can’t do that, close all applications or pause a movie and let it sit unused for a while. This will give your device a chance to cool down before you start using it again.
Good luck, and good luck out there!
Related: Why should you take a break during play?
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