Summer heat waves are a dangerous time to be a computer, game console, smartphone, or other heat-producing device. 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 consider 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 semiconductor material in computer chips, some of the electrons collide with atoms or impurities in the material, creating resistance.
Because energy is conserved (transformed but never destroyed), these electron collisions create kinetic energy in the conductor molecules, which is heat. Electronic devices with computer chips especially need to remove waste heat from their chips and drivers. If they don’t, the transistors on the chips won’t work properly. With that in mind, here are some things you can do to prevent your gadgets from overheating.
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Avoid direct sunlight, hot cars and extreme heat
This probably sounds obvious, but don’t use your electronic device outdoors when it’s really hot outside. Hot air flowing through the device will not be able to cool the device properly. Also, avoid direct sunlight hitting the device, which will heat it up dramatically. And if your car has been baking in the sun, don’t leave your appliances roasting in the heat, which can damage even an appliance that isn’t turned on. Once in the car, keep the technology off until you have vented or turned on the AC.
As an extension of this, whenever possible, only use heat-sensitive appliances when you have air conditioning. The cold air from the AC will help remove heat from the device while it is running. If this is not available, aim a fan directly at your device and keep it in the shade as much as possible.
Use a cooling pad or laptop stand
If you use your laptop for long periods of time in a hot environment, it might be a good idea to use a cooling pad. These devices usually include additional fans or heatsinks that help regulate the temperature of the device to prevent it 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 greater the distance between your laptop and the table, the better the potential air circulation.
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Give it room to breathe
Fans and heatsinks can only remove waste heat from a gadget if the temperature of the air outside the device is cooler than the air coming out of the device. This heat transfer process depends on a fresh supply of cool air to work, and you can’t get it if your device (such as a game console, gaming PC, or others) is completely enclosed in a low-resource entertainment center or closet. no air flow. To fix this, open the TV stand doors or place the device on the top shelf behind the TV where it can get fresh air.
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Keep it clean and do not block the vents
Dust build-up is one of the main causes of overheating computers and game consoles. Be sure to clean your technology regularly to prevent dust from clogging the vents, heatsinks, or fans. Dust blocks airflow and causes the device to overheat.
Also, make sure the device vents are not blocked by your hands, lap, table, or anything else. If they are, this will restrict the airflow intended to cool the device, causing it to overheat quickly.
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Disable overclocking or use a low power mode
Overclocking is a term used to describe the practice of forcing a gadget (such as a computer) to run faster than the manufacturer intended. It can be used to increase the speed of a computer, but it also makes your device generate more heat, which is bad when the environment around the computer is hot. To do this, disable overclocking or try to find a low-power mode that lowers the device’s CPU and uses less power, which will also generate less heat.
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Turn off unused or background features
If you don’t use certain features on your device, turn them off. For example, if you don’t use Bluetooth, turn it off, which will save some battery and potentially reduce the heat load on your device.
Also, some PC and smartphone apps keep running in the background, constantly checking for updates and heating up the device. Close these background tasks on a PC or Mac, or turn off background app updating 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 much more heat than simpler games that don’t tax your device’s graphics capabilities.
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take breaks
If you use technology for extended periods of time in extreme heat, be sure to take breaks from time to time. The best way to do this is to turn off the device completely and let it rest for a few minutes. But if you can’t do that, close all apps or pause a movie and let it sit for a while without using it. This will give your device a chance to cool down before you use it again.
Good luck and stay safe out there!
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