Laptop question

Legacy_user

I use a PC . The times my wife has said "if only we didn't have that computer workstation in the lounge, we could move the furniture round, why don't you have a laptop instead ?". Can you believe it?, if I'd made the suggestion you'd have heard her from miles away!. Anyway, with this in mind and not much knowledge about laptops, I sat watching QVC whilst they were doing the techie things, and I noted that laptops can get hot, and one guy was advocating raised stands, to allow air to circulate and keep 'em cool.

Because many of you use them, I wondered if you might like to add your fourpennorth regarding laptops and the heat they generate. In fact you can add anything else you might think I should know. Thanks.

BillScarab

Advantages of a Laptop

Small and inconspicuos, portable

Disadvantages

Tend to cost more, difficult to upgrade, awkward keyboard & small screen (unless you use external ones which sort of defeats the object).

You can use a stand to help coolign but I've never bothered, just blow any dust out occasionally.

QQuaver

I have hot laptop on my lap right now:D
The living room is occupied, so am banished upstairs for an hour with a laptop. I have cushion under the laptop to keep me from being cooked;)

We have a wireless router, so we can use the internet anywhere which is great.
Some laptops are cooler, lighter and smaller(portable). Some have large screens and are faster. So decide what you want and go for it:p

I took the safe route, and went for mid range, 14.1 wide screen, 2.4kg with DVD writer. I rarely take this out, but if I do, it is not that heavy, and lasts 4hrs on battery.

By the way, if it gets really hot, I usually unplug the power and run on batteries for a while until it cools down a bit. I don't do anything if it is on a table though.

spud17

I have cushion under the laptop to keep me from being cooked;)

Check that the cushion is not covering any cooling vents, also it acts as insulation, best to keep air all around laptop.

Donnie

My laptop doesn't get hot at all. Maybe I should check to see if it's broken.

How about one of the those USB laptop cooling pads.

e.g. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1879782&Sku=M501-1192

Amalea

Mine is a gaming laptop so not surprisingly gets very hot-I had tried propping it up on two dvd cases intially but it was still really hot. Considering I'd paid £1300 for it I decided extra £20 or so for a cooler was a sound investment to keep it going! I use this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/aluminium-notebook-notebooks-featuring-lo-noise/dp/B000OGVDJM/ref=sr_1_2/203-1886419-5618347?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1194177867&sr=1-2

It comes in a 17 inch version too. My laptop is actually a 15.4 inch model so overhangs the edges slightly but the underside now never gets hot.
Just think of it the same way I did, if you are going to spend quite a bit on a laptop, isnt it worth the extra £20 or so to help it live longer?

QQuaver

spud17 wrote: »

Check that the cushion is not covering any cooling vents, also it acts as insulation, best to keep air all around laptop.

That's probably why it get's hot when I use it on my lap, and not on the table:o
Why is it called a laptop anyway, when it can't be used on the lap?:rolleyes: