Laptop overheating while gaming and charging

Gaming laptops develop heat during gaming or charging or doing both gaming while charger plugged in. And it is totally a natural process you dont need to worry about that.

But if your laptop gets overheated means the temperature goes above a certain limit (which we will talk about later in this article) it is the point where you should worry about it.

There must be some reasons which you have to locate and fix. I have provided reasons and solutions for laptop overheating in this article.

Table of Contents

  • What happens when a laptop gets overheated?
  • Laptop Overheating Reasons
  • Symptoms of Laptop Overheating
  • How hot is good for CPU and GPU during Gaming?
  • How to solve Laptop Overheating Issues?
  • Related Questions
  • Related Articles

What happens when a laptop gets overheated?

# CPU Throttling

The companies know very well that a gaming laptop will get overheated during gaming. Thats why they have added a CPU Throttling feature in most gaming laptops.

It is a type of safety measure that is somewhere necessary so that we can know about the overheat.

When your laptop reaches a certain temperature, this feature will play its role by throttling the performance of the games.

You will not be able to play games with full capabilities once your laptop throttles down so that you can take some action.

But if you have a cooling pad which you should definitely have then there is nothing to worry about because it can cool down the temperature of your laptop and reduce the throttling process.

If you have any doubt regarding cooling pad performance and effectiveness you can see our test results.

# GPU Throttling

Let me tell you that only some brands come with a GPU Throttling feature. Generally, GPU doesnt get overheat like CPU and thats why very few companies provide a GPU Throttling feature.

GPU Throttling will also ruin your gaming experience and will let you know that GPU is getting overheated.

But for that, you should visit the companys website and check whether you will get this feature on your laptop or not.

# Processor

The processor of the laptop starts overheating and the performance will be compromised. When the processor gets overheated the fan will start to run automatically to cool down the laptop.

In this situation, it will be the best option to turn off your system and use compressed air to blow out all the dust that is restricting the performance. Once the processor is clean and cool, the performance will automatically improve again.

# Battery

The laptops battery will be damaged after some time if your laptop is getting overheated again and again.

Most batteries are made up of Lithium-ion and they can get damaged. When the laptop starts to heat, the ions start moving swiftly.

The added heat and chemical reaction is not good for your battery and will reduce its durability. Even, the charging limit will also worsen if it is getting too much heat and after some time, the battery will become unusable.

Laptop Overheating Reasons

If you are playing high-end games then you know very well why a laptop overheats. The high-end games add more load to the processor and thats why the laptop started heating.

The graphic also adds too much load to the performance and it restricts the airflow of the laptop, which causes heating. Let us know some more reasons for overheating.

  • There are already some programs running in the background that provide irrelevant stress on the CPU. It doesnt matter whether those programs are in use or not, if they are running in the background then it will add unnecessary load to the CPU that can cause overheating.
  • Another reason is that your room may be too hot and it will make it a bit tougher for the laptop cooling mechanism. The laptop should be placed in a decent temperature place so that it can be an effective solution for your laptop.
  • The overheating issue also arises if your laptop hardware doesnt meet your gaming requirements. Some games require more effective hardware and if your hardware is not good enough then it can add heat and the game will not run with full of effectiveness.
  • If you are using your laptop on a soft surface then this overheat issue can arise because the CPU will not get a proper amount of airflow from the vents.
  • There is always a cooling system in every laptop and if the cooling system is not well designed then you have to face this issue.
  • If the laptop fans are not working properly and become faulty then it can create overheating issues for you.
  • Proper cleaning of your laptop is quite necessary, if there is too much dust inside the CPU then it can block the air from vents, which can also be a reason for heating the laptop.

Symptoms of Laptop Overheating

Various signs will help in letting you know about the symptoms of Laptop Overheating. So these are the main symptoms of Laptop Overheating

  • When the fan is running continuously and makes some whirring noise that can also irritate you. If the fan is making noises then it means your laptop is Overheating.
  • Your laptop will not perform the basic tasks like opening a new window or any other task, so you can get assured about it.
  • Sometimes your laptop will get shutdown automatically without showing any type of error. Some lines will also appear on the screen when your laptop gets overheated.
  • There will be some unexpected errors that will appear on the screen.

How hot is good for CPU and GPU during Gaming?

We know that the CPU gets overheated during gaming and it is necessary to know how hot the CPU will be Ok for you.

We cannot take any type of risk because if the CPU is getting overheated then the other hardware components can get damaged. The temperature should not exceed 85 to 90 degrees so that you dont have to face any issues.

Playing Games, not for long hours is Ok for you but if you are playing for long hours then CPU and GPU will get hotter.

If the temperature is getting increased then the other plastic hardware parts will start melting, which is not a good thing.

How to solve Laptop Overheating Issues?

It is not mandatory to apply all steps maybe a few steps solve your problem. But we recommend you to definitely apply steps marked with very important as they are very crucial and effective.

# Connect Charger while gaming Very Important

As we have seen, many people are complaining that their laptop is Overheating while playing games.

This problem arises because some games require more hardware power and our laptop is not able to provide that sufficient power. Thats why the overheating issue arises.

To fix this issue, we suggest you connect the charger while playing games on your laptop so that your laptop can provide sufficient power.

Then you will not face any type of overheating issues but this is a normal solution that you can try until you find the permanent solution.

# Instead of using Dedicated Graphic Card, use Integrated Graphics

The laptops have integrated and dedicated graphics. If your laptop is facing overheating issues then Dedicated Graphics might be a big problem because it uses more power as compared to integrated graphics.

So it is always recommended to go with integrated graphics instead of Dedicated Graphics. It will use less amount of power and thats why product less heat.

But you need to make sure that the integrated graphics will not have the same performance as dedicated graphics so users have to somewhere compromise in this situation.

Cooling pad

# Use a Cooling Pad Very Important

The laptop gets overheated also because it doesnt get proper cooling and there are some devices like a cooling pad that will be very helpful in this situation.

A cooling pad will be very helpful to cool down the temperature of your laptop. Many people are using this device to cool down their laptops while playing games.

Still, if you dont want to buy a cooling pad then it is recommended to place your laptop on a hard and flat surface.

Keeping it on a bed and sofas is a bad practice because the airflow will not be done properly. Thats why always keep your laptop on a flat surface.

Recommended Article: Is Cooling Pad Really Important For Gaming Laptops (Here Are My Test Results)

# Limit your FPS

We always want to have the best gaming experience and thats why we always want to have more FPS on our laptops.

But you should know that high FPS used more hardware load and it causes heating your laptop. Thats why users need to make sure that they are going with low FPS while playing games.

If your Laptop Frames Per second is 100 then you will have an amazing gaming experience but it can cause your laptop to start heating. So you should try adjusting the FPS to 60 so that no heating issues arise while playing games.

# Underclock Graphic Card Very Important

For the best gaming experience, many people go with overclocking the graphic settings so that they can enjoy more.

But it adds more stress to the hardware and causes overheating. Thats why users should go with the normal settings or they can go with default settings to reduce the hardware load.

If the default settings are not working then you have to Underclock the graphic card, it will remove almost all the load from the hardware and there will be no heating issues further.

All the settings can be changed but make sure that underclocking will reduce the gaming performance.

# Change the Power Settings

If your laptop is Overheating then it can also be solved by just changing the power settings. Many people have commented that their overheating issue is solved by just changing the power settings of their laptops.

Changing the power settings is an easy task, let us know how to do it.

  • First of all, users need to press Windows Key with S and just tap on the Power button and then click on the Power and Sleep Settings in the search bar.
  • Now just scroll down the page and you will be able to see an option of Additional Power Settings under the Related Settings option.
  • The power settings page will appear where you have to click on the Change Power Settings beside the High-performance section.
  • Now just click on the Change Power Settings option and then you have to change the value to a lower value.
  • Then just tap on the Apply button and click on Ok to complete the settings.

These Settings will be very helpful to lower down the performance that will not overheat your laptop during gaming sessions.

# Elevate your Laptop Very Important

Users should know that a laptop also gets overheated when it doesnt get the proper space for airflow. As it happens when your laptop will suck the outside air and will try to cool down the components of your laptop.

Thats why it is always recommended to use your laptop after elevating it or they can use their laptop on a flat surface so that the blockage of air cannot disturb you.

You just need to elevate your laptop as they dont block the airflow. It will be the best option to use your laptop on a 1-1.5-inch surface.

# Keep your Laptop Clean Very Important

This is the basic idea that every user should implement so to clean their laptop. As it happens when we dont take care of the cleaning of our laptop and the dust particles can completely block the airflow. So it is always necessary to keep your laptop clean.

The fans are covered with dust and that is the main reason why your laptop is Overheating. You can also open your laptop from the bottom side and clean the fans properly.

But you need to make sure that your warranty will get expire if you have opened your laptop on your way. So always take care of this thing or directly take it to the repair center for the best solution.

# Replace your Charger

It might be a bit confusing or surprising but it is true that if you are using a faulty charger then it will cause overheating issues.

Some people have already complained that the overheating issues were arising because of their faulty charger and they get the permanent solution after replacing it.

So users need to make sure that the overheating of the laptop also happens because of the faulty charger and replacing it in time is the best solution.

# End Unnecessary Programs via Task Manager

This is the main thing that a user can do to remove the Overheating issue of the laptop. They should end the task that are consuming more resources so that no issues can arise. It can be done via Task Manager where users have to end the irrelevant programs.

Users need to press Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys together to open Task Manager. There you have to click on the Processes option so that you can get all the information.

Then just look at details carefully and tap on the program that is consuming more resources and end that particular task to get rid of overheating issue.

# Restart your Laptop

This is also an effective solution to get rid of overheating issue. Users just need to restart their laptops so that all the conflicts can get removed from their laptops.

Restarting the laptop can help you to fix this issue. Users just need to shut down their laptop, unplug the power cable, and remove the battery if possible.

Now just press the power button for at least 15 to 20 seconds and start your Laptop again. Now just plug the cable again and start your gaming to know whether the problem of your laptop is solved or not.

# Update the Device Drivers Very Important

The device drivers should be updated timely so that you dont have to face any type of issue. This is one of the main reasons why your laptop is Overheating.

So you should update your drivers timely so that no issues can arise. Basically, you can update the drivers manually, and automatically.

If you are doing it manually then you should have some computer skills and some knowledge because you have to find the best driver online and have to install it with proper steps.

Automatically is the easiest way to update drivers, users just need to tap some mouse clicks to update it automatically.

# Room Temperature Cooling

Apart from all the other things, users should also look at the temperature of the room where they use their laptops.

A laptop sucks the environment air and tries to cool down the components only with that air but if the room temperature is hot then it will only overheat the components.

So users need to make sure that they have to use the laptop in a cool or AC room if the issue persists again and again.

You should also sit in a room where no dust appears because if the vents are blocked then the proper airflow will not happen and Overheating will again raise issues.

# Set Fan Speed Properly

Generally, the fan speed of a laptop runs as per the CPU and GPU temperature. But if the temperature is very hot and cooling is not happening properly then you should work on it and change the BIOS settings. The BIOS Settings may be different as per the brand of a laptop so you need to find that accordingly.

Then you have to go to the Advanced Settings and then click on Hardware Monitor. There, you will be able to find the configuration settings and can change them as per the requirements.

Users can also do it by downloading software but it needs some knowledge, which can be gained by watching some tutorial videos.

# Change your GPU and CPU Thermal Paste Very Important

To enhance heat dissipation thermal compound or thermal grease commonly known as the thermal paste is used between the heat spreader and the processor and graphics card cooler.

Naturally, they are required to replace as they lose their effectiveness over time. But many times it was found that they are poorly applied in a new gaming laptop from the end of the manufacture. And thats why new laptops heat up unnaturally due to lack of proper cooling.

So, it is good to check and reapply if required. It is good to use liquid metal instead of thermal paste they give better results.

But you have to make sure if you use liquid metal it should not come in contact with other components on the motherboard.

# Reduce Load on GPU by lowering the settings

We all want to play the games without compromising the quality and thats why we make the settings to their maximum value.

But you should know that maximizing value can dispatch more heat. It adds more stress to the processor and images take some time to load properly and thats why it generates more heat.

So it is recommended to lower down the settings, reduce the frame rate, and some more changes to reduce the headache of Overheating on your laptop.

Q. Is it Ok if your laptop is getting hot while playing games?

Ans. Well, almost all the laptops get overheated while gaming because it adds much load to the CPU and thats the reason for overheating.

But it is necessary to check how hot your laptop is getting because if the temperature is going above 90 degrees then it can cause big problems.

The components will start melting down and it is not a good thing for you. So if your laptop is getting hot then it is Ok but if it is getting overheated then you should do some things to get the best solution.

Q. Is it Ok to use the laptop in the sun?

Ans. The laptop can be used in the contact with the sun but only for short period. It is highly recommended to avoid long periods because it adds glare on the screen and it will not be a good option for your eyes.

Thats why users should sit in a shade if they want to have fresh air while working. Users should also wear black glasses so that no harm can be made. Overall, the laptop will get damaged only if you are using it in the sunlight for long periods.

Q. Does always charging a laptop causes overheating issues?

Ans. Well, it is a normal thing that your laptop gets heat while using. It is also a common thing that your laptop will generate some heat when you are charging it and it will generate more heat when you are charging and using it at the same time. So it is a clear answer that charging a laptop can cause overheating issues.

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