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Will a laptop heat sync help me?

AlphinaNovaStar

AlphinaNovaStar

Energetic
I am afraid my computer is getting too hot especially during renders and heavy activity. I just got this computer and I know I need a new battery but I want to know if I need a heat sink for it. Would a generic heat sink work with any laptop.

Can a heat sink be used in my lap or any other surface? What else do I need to know about heat sinks?
 
Bonnie2001

Bonnie2001

Extraordinary
A laptop cooling pad should help. If as you say your laptop is in your lap, your clothing will be blocking the flow of air to to the cooling fan. Either get a flat board to place on your lap with the laptop on top of the board, or get one a cooling pad (they start at about $20).
 
Hornet3d

Hornet3d

Wise
Bonnie is correct, anything blocking the airflow will clearly have an impact as the cooling fans on laptops is quite small. The CPU will have an heat sink but for it to work it must have a good, unimpeded air flow. I am not sure how old your laptop is but if it is more than a year it could do with a service as, even though they are small, the fans can drag in a lot of air and more besides. Due to the places a laptop is used dust can be a problem and can actually reduce airflow quite a lot. I have worked on laptops two years old where the CPU heat sink is covered with what looks like thin carpet thanks to the way dust gets compacted, this clearly has a detrimental effect to the heat sinks ability to cool. The same is true of desktop to a lesser extent but it is the reason I always place my computer on a desk and not on the floor and even then I tend to clean the filters on a 4 - 6 month basis.

One other point depending on the laptop and how confident you feel you may be able to check the heat sink yourself (but only if it is outside of warranty). With some laptops it is just a question of removing the base, other need the keyboard and base removed while some need a full strip done as it looks as though the designers started with the heat sink and built the laptop around it. A quick search of the Internet of dismantling followed by your laptop make and model number will quickly tell you if it is a breeze or a right pain in the b**t.
 
carmen indorato

carmen indorato

Extraordinary
My MacBook suddenly one day just shut down. I tried restarting it and nothing. I called Apple and they went through a few scenarios and one of the techs there asked if I had ever disassembled it and blew out the dust on the inside. Said dust coveting the components would not allow the chips and stuff cool down and the computer shuts down to protect its components.
Voila. No more over heating.
Thry seems the least expensive and dangerous thing to try.
Also I picked up what is called an AviiQ. It is a nicely manufactured foldable platform that keeps the laptop ant just the right angle for typing and pad use but it also keeps the laptop base off the desk or lap. I use it with a lap desk and you can also use it with those lap desks that have fans in them to double the cooling function.
 
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