How Cooling Fans Work in Your Laptop

Jan 25
08:41

2012

Talha Azeem

Talha Azeem

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Ever wondered how cooling fans work in your laptop? Well here is a story behind this

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A laptop is definitely a shrunk down version of the desktops many of us grew up using. We still use desktops however laptops have replaced desktops in many areas. There is however simply a point up to which you canminiaturize something. Moore's law which defined the number of transistors you may fit on the microchip has thrown a challenge at processor manufacturers. You can find whispers of them having found a solution to it too. We shall probably know of it in the next generation of processors we see in the market.

The processor produces a large amount of heat while running just in case this heat is simply not cared for it may possibly damage the processor. The processors possess a thermal sensor inbuilt which shuts it down as soon as the processor reaches dangerous level of temperature. In the desktop tower there can be described as large amount of space which can help in dispersing off the heat produced by the processor. Generally a desktop could possibly have a couple of cooling fans. A laptop manufacturer does not possess that amount of space to use. Adding two fans would not simply need more space but will also consume more power and that is crucial because laptops are definitely more often used on battery power which contains limited charge.

A standard laptop would either have a fan right on top of the processor or an aluminum heat sink that absorbs heat from the processor this heat is transferred to a multitude of fin like structure with a fan directly behind it. This fan sucks air from under the laptop and channels the cold air from the fins thus cooling it. However together with the air it also sucks in dust which get deposited along with time forms on these fins. The dust buildup blocks the room between the fins thus the air sucked in by the fans is blocked too. This negates the heat dispersion capacity in the heat sink thus leading to heat buildup and power down of the processor.

This is often tackled by blowing compressed air through the side vent on your laptop this will likely dislodge the dust bunnies and unclog the heat sink.
Simplest way to prevent all of this from happening is to use a laptop cooling pad. A laptop cooling pad has a couple of built-in fans at the bottom the force cool air into the vents under your laptop. This not merely assists in keeping the processor cool but also cools down the hard drive that is another source of heat in a laptop. Cooling pads do not cost much and do not need a dedicated power socket for supply. They may be attached to a USB port on your laptop and will run silently. It will likewise protect your lap from the heat of the laptop. Thus a laptop cooling pad is usually a good investment to prolong the life of your laptop.