How Do You Troubleshoot An Overheating Laptop CPU?
Laptops contain a central processor with a fan dedicated to cooling the processor. Unlike desktops, space requirements limit the size and power of laptop fans, as well as the amount of ventilation. This can cause a laptop to become clogged with dust, trapping heat and overheating the CPU. If you think your laptop’s CPU is overheating, there are several steps you can take to attack the problem. Feel the bottom of the laptop and sides to see if it is warm or hot to the touch. Most CPU’s can operate safely up to 65 or 70 degrees Celsius, but may overheat above that. If your laptop feels hot to the touch, there’s a chance the CPU is running too hot. If it is just mildly warm, your CPU is probably fine. Use a CPU temperature monitor to determine the exact temperature. Motherboards are installed with a CPU monitor which can be accessed during start up by entering the BIOS setup utility. (This usually requires pressing a certain key, such as delete, F1 or F2 during start up.) While checking t
