Recently my laptop fan has been staying on longer and longer. It was making the laptop sound like a plane almost constantly. As well as the noise my laptop has been getting very hot. And it has been experiencing sudden shutdowns. I could be typing something and then it would shut off with no warning.
If this sounds familiar to you, then like me you probably have an overheating laptop. The sudden shutdowns prevent the laptop heating to dangerous levels.
The most common reason for an overheating laptop is a blocked heat sink. I decided to open the back of mine up to see if the heat sinks were blocked.
After removing the back I was able to see the two fans. Each of them looked dusty but there wasn’t a critical amount of dust in there.
I then removed the fan cover and the cause of the overheating became apparent. The heatsink was completely blocked with dust. This makes it very hard for the fan to blow the heat out of the laptop, leading to it getting hotter and hotter.
Some people clean heatsinks with a can of compressed air or a small vacuum cleaner attachment. I didn’t have either so I got a paint brush to brush the dust away.
A few minutes later and this is the result.
The air vents in the heat sink are clear! After turning my laptop back on I was amazed at how quiet it was. I’d forgotten what it was like to use it without the fans constantly spinning around.
What make and model of laptop is that? That heat sink is a beast!
These are some of the major ways you can reduce computer noise. What it comes down to is reducing heat so that fans aren’t working as hard or purchasing fans with a lower dBA rating. But, if you really want to dive into making things cooler and quieter, going for liquid cooling can be a great option.