Mixing heat and a laptop can be a detriment to the survivability of the laptop. With desk tops, there are many fans to handle the excess heat that builds up. However, with laptops, this is not the case because the space is restricted. In other words, there are fewer fans and less space for the heat to go, so it sits and begins to heat up the different components of the laptop such as the hard drive, memory and mother board. Monitoring the temperature of the laptop ensures that it doesn't ever get too hot that damage is brought to the hardware within the machine.

Causes of Heat in Laptop

Before monitoring even begins, it is important to know what causes heat to increase in a laptop. Because of many different advanced features that modern day computers have, it is not uncommon for the processor to have to run at full speed, especially when playing large games. As time goes on, the processor generates heat, especially with it running at full speed.how to monitor laptop temperature

Another cause is general use. When the computer is first turned on, it is at room temperature. However, as the processor runs as well as other components, it begins to generate heat. After about an hour or two, the laptop has reached the maximum temperature. When this happens, the laptop slows the processor down.

To ensure that the laptop doesn't heat up too much, it is important to keep the fans completely free from obstructions. With a high pressurized air can, clean the blades of the fan to get any dust and dirt off. The cleaner the fans are, the more cool air that can be circulated.

Monitoring Laptop Temperature

Most modern laptops come equipped with temperature sensors on both the CPU and the hard drive. However, should that not be the case, there is free software online that can monitor the temperature. Core Temp is a small program that can precisely tell the temperature of each core. The other is called MobileMeter. This one monitors the temperature, but also the CPU clock, battery charge/discharge rate and the HDD temperature. Both programs are great to have and provide up to the minute analysis on the temperature of the drives.

In the end, keeping an eye on the laptop temperature and then taking action should it be getting hot–whether that means cleaning the fans or getting off the laptop for a short while–can really save the machine. Otherwise, the laptop will begin shutting down without notice as the computer tries to do things to keep itself cool.