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    question about adding a monitor

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Pina Slicker, Jul 27, 2009.

  1. Pina Slicker

    Pina Slicker Notebook Enthusiast

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    Id like to add an external monitor and keyboard to my laptop and use it as a desktop so to speak but when I close the laptop nothing stayson. Does it have to stay open to do this?
     
    Pina Slicker, Jul 27, 2009
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  2. Pina Slicker

    Pina Slicker Notebook Enthusiast

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    never mind i figured it out. control panel, power option, system settings if anyones interested
     
    Pina Slicker, Jul 27, 2009
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  3. Ole man

    Ole man Notebook Evangelist

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    Umm, that's not a great plan, quite frankly. A laptop releases a lot of heat from the keyboard, and closing the lid will likely bring it to dangerously high temperatures. You're much better off leaving it open on the side of your desk or wherever and configure it have the monitor as primary so your laptopt's screen stays off.
     
    Ole man, Jul 28, 2009
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  4. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    no heat is being "released" from the keyboard.

    What the op is doing is fine.
     
    moral hazard, Jul 28, 2009
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  5. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    No he is right, a lot of laptops use the keyboard to release heat. Hot air goes up and the keyboard is right above everything with open space between the keys for ventilation.

    Its not an exhaust port with a fan blowing out of it but still hot air comes out of there in many systems. Closing your lid will most probably increase temps some.

    I would at the very least monitor it with a temp monitor over an extended amount of time to make sure nothing is getting uncomfortable.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Jul 28, 2009
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  6. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    most new notebooks do not have air flow through the keyboard.
    I think it's to prevent damage when a liquid is spilled onto the keyboard.

    Anyway, it's easy to check if that is the case.
    I have done it with my notebooks ( toshiba tecra a9) and there was no difference.
     
    moral hazard, Jul 28, 2009
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  7. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    Yes some have anti spill trays, but often even still they use a metal tray that acts as a heat sink to let heat be shed from the system inside to the cool air outside.

    A high performance notebook like mine releases almost no heat via keyboard it has dedicated heat pipes and fan intakes but more of the lower end quite type laptops do make liberal use of the passive cooling the keyboard area has, also almost all laptops use that area to cool the hard drives, they are not usually actively cooled.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Jul 28, 2009
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  8. LPTP-LVR

    LPTP-LVR Notebook Deity

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    You don't need airflow in order to release heat. Compare it to having just one blanket (the keyboard) or two (keyboard + screen)....in which situation would heat escape more easily?
     
    LPTP-LVR, Jul 28, 2009
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  9. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    But the difference is not noticible.
    I have tried it with my laptop and the max temp stayed the same.

    most notebooks have fan intakes and a vent to let all the air out.
    That is enough.

    If you don't believe me, just try it yourself ;)
     
    moral hazard, Jul 28, 2009
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  10. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    People have tried it, and its like I have saying all along it matters but more so on some notebooks than others.

    You may have a notebook that doesn't make much use of the keyboard for releasing heat. Also you may have not had the notebook under adequate load or let it sit long enough.

    There is no wrong/right or yes/no to this question. It will vary between users based on there systems and what they are doing with those systems.

    Thus back to my first post where I said it CAN effect temps and you should test yourself too see if it effects you.

    So with that can we stop going back and forth about it now?
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Jul 28, 2009
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  11. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    sure :D 10 char
     
    moral hazard, Jul 28, 2009
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