Laptop Heat Problems (also see how
Laptraxx improves
Ventilation)
Heat can crash your laptop processor
Modern laptops run fast microprocessors
that can generate a lot of heat. The heat is mainly vented out
of the bottom of the laptop but ventilation effectiveness is
reduced when the laptop is placed on a solid surface or on your
lap. A hot laptop can suffer from reliability problems and a
system that overheats can fail. [1]
Heat can crash your laptop hard drive
Hard disk drives can overheat and crash,
causing you to lose valuable data! Manufacturers recommend
normal working temperature of 95-104°F (35-40°С). At
temperatures from 104-122°F (40-50°С) you double the chance of
a hard drive crash!
Laptop heat can cause skin burns
A hot laptop can be uncomfortable to use
in your lap. The heat from some laptops can be enough to cause
superficial skin burns, even through clothing!
The Lancet medical journal reports the
case of a healthy 50-year old scientist, fully dressed in
trousers and underpants, who burned his genital area after
placing his laptop on his lap for an hour. While using the
laptop he did occasionally feel the heat and a burning feeling
on his lap and proximal thigh. Two days later he had blisters
that burst and developed into infected wounds. [2]
Laptop heat can reduce fertility
In addition to a hot laptop being
uncomfortable to use, if you are a man, it may reduce your
fertility. [3]
A recent research study of 29 healthy male
volunteers measured right and left scrotal temperature in every
3 minutes in two separate 60 min sessions: sitting and working
with and without the laptop on the thighs. With the laptop in
the lap, skin temperature was significantly higher (P<0.0001).
The researchers concluded that working
with a laptop positioned on the thighs causes significant
elevation of skin temperature in the groin as a result of heat
exposure and posture-related effects. Long-term exposure to
repetitive hot laptop use in the lap may have a negative impact
upon fertility, specifically in teenage boys and young men.
- Consumer Reports, March 2003
, Laptop Computer Test- "Portable power" pp 44-47
- Ostenson, C. G. (2002). "Lap
burn due to laptop computer." Lancet 360(9346):
1704.
- Sheynkin ,Y., Jung, M., Yoo,
P., Schulsinger, D. and Komaroff, E. (2005) Increase in
scrotal temperature in laptop computer users, Hum Reprod.,
20 (2) 452-5.
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