The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Should I worry about gaming (and heat) shortening the lifespan of my laptop?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by devaskygordon123, Jul 7, 2013.

  1. devaskygordon123

    devaskygordon123 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I have a Alienware M14x r2 and i game on it pretty heavily. I play games like Battlefield 3, Far Cry 3, and Batman Arkham City. I have a Belkin laptop cooling pad, but im still very paranoid of gaming shortening my laptop's lifespan, since i need this laptop for college and i cant afford to buy a new one if it breaks. Should i be worried??
     
    devaskygordon123, Jul 7, 2013
    #1
  2. bubzers

    bubzers Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    432
    Messages:
    345
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Do you monitor the temps of your CPU, GPU and HDD/SSD? If the temps are within specs, you should have little to worry about.

    I game pretty hard on my Envy, and I'm not worried as my temps remain well under their respective limits.

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
     
    bubzers, Jul 7, 2013
    #2
  3. Qing Dao

    Qing Dao Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,600
    Messages:
    1,771
    Likes Received:
    305
    Trophy Points:
    101
    You shouldn't be worried at all. You gaming on your laptop is not shortening the lifespan of anything.
     
    Qing Dao, Jul 7, 2013
    #3
  4. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

    Reputations:
    21,580
    Messages:
    35,370
    Likes Received:
    9,878
    Trophy Points:
    931
    NO!

    (ten chars)
     
    HTWingNut, Jul 7, 2013
    #4
  5. devaskygordon123

    devaskygordon123 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    No i haven't checked out any temps yet... i'll be sure to check that out
     
    devaskygordon123, Jul 7, 2013
    #5
  6. Nexuz

    Nexuz Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Get hardware monitor from CPUID. It shows CPU, GPU and other essential hardware temps all on one screen.
     
    Nexuz, Jul 7, 2013
    #6
  7. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    3,700
    Messages:
    8,323
    Likes Received:
    3,820
    Trophy Points:
    431
    Keep it clean. If the temps start to rise and you've kept it clean, it might be time for a repaste. They key is temperature and performance. As long as those two things are consistent, you're good.

    Just remember that everything wears out in time, even us. Good maintenance; good health.
     
    J.Dre, Jul 8, 2013
    #7
  8. Wormwood

    Wormwood Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    57
    Messages:
    500
    Likes Received:
    256
    Trophy Points:
    76
    Technically, yes. But, in practical terms, as long as you're not running dangerously hot then you should be fine.
     
    Wormwood, Jul 8, 2013
    #8
  9. moviemarketing

    moviemarketing Milk Drinker

    Reputations:
    1,036
    Messages:
    4,247
    Likes Received:
    881
    Trophy Points:
    181
    You might want to consider upgrading to a better laptop cooler. I used the Belkin for a few months with my envy 15 and then I tried the Zalman NC3000, which seemed to do a much better job. It has lasted nearly 4 years and I run some demanding applications as well as games.
     
    moviemarketing, Jul 8, 2013
    #9
  10. TR2N

    TR2N Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    301
    Messages:
    1,347
    Likes Received:
    255
    Trophy Points:
    101
    If you paste accordingly with good quality paste (ICD7 is my recommendation) then you have nothing to worry about.
    Enjoy.
     
    TR2N, Jul 8, 2013
    #10
  11. Undyingghost

    Undyingghost Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    78
    Messages:
    437
    Likes Received:
    33
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Should not be a problem, nothing to worry about.

    Even laptop can handle the heat and OC.
     
    Undyingghost, Jul 8, 2013
    #11
  12. Robbo99999

    Robbo99999 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    4,346
    Messages:
    6,824
    Likes Received:
    6,112
    Trophy Points:
    681
    The Zalman NC2000 is a good one that I'd recommend. I find it provides a good even, non-turbulent air flow (so doesn't upset laptop cooling fan efficiency) to the whole of the underside of the laptop, so keeps everything cool. I've also found that the dust gets trapped in my notebook cooler & not in my laptop now, kind of works like a dust filter somewhat, and the notebook cooler is easier to clean out than the laptop!
     
    Robbo99999, Jul 8, 2013
    #12