Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
| Next revision | Previous revision | ||
| laptopwiki:guides:general:thermalguide [29/06/2024 15:17] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 | laptopwiki:guides:general:thermalguide [01/04/2025 19:03] (current) – [What can I do if my laptop throttles?] m164 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
| Laptops are designed to run a lot hotter than their desktop counterparts. Temperatures that would be unacceptable in a desktop, and likely to cause a shutdown or permanent damage, can be normal operating temperatures in a laptop. It is therefor important to always check the specification sheet of the component released by the manufacturer instead of relying on some estimate based on other devices. | Laptops are designed to run a lot hotter than their desktop counterparts. Temperatures that would be unacceptable in a desktop, and likely to cause a shutdown or permanent damage, can be normal operating temperatures in a laptop. It is therefor important to always check the specification sheet of the component released by the manufacturer instead of relying on some estimate based on other devices. | ||
| - | ==== Best temperatures for Lenovo Legion | + | ==== Best temperatures for your device |
| - | The only temperatures that really matter when you want to find out if your Legion is overheating are the idle ones. Under load the temperatures will vary depending on how demanding or (un)optimazed the software in question is. Unless your device already thermal throttles under load, temperatures while running some software won't tell you much. You can check them using a free app like HWiNFO. Ideal is around 50c for both CPU and GPU. Legions by default, especially models released since 2021 should never throttle unless something went wrong. If the device is new, might be worth checking the warranty. If the device was used for a couple of months, and/or in a dusty environment, | + | Different laptops may run at different idle temperatures and have different fan curves, which manage how fast should the fans spin at what laptop temperature levels. Some laptops have better thermal management than others. There can be differences both between different brands as well as different models. A laptop from one brand released in 2020 might have terrible thermal management and be prone to overheating, |
| - | + | ||
| - | ==== Other laptop brands ==== | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Different laptops may run at different idle temperatures and have different fan curves, which manage how fast should the fans spin at what laptop temperature levels. Some laptops have better thermal management than others. There can be differences both between different brands as well as different models. A laptop from one brand released in 2020 might have terrible thermal management and be prone to overheating, | + | |
| ==== How to find out my temperatures ==== | ==== How to find out my temperatures ==== | ||
| Line 36: | Line 32: | ||
| 3. If the above doesn' | 3. If the above doesn' | ||
| **When cleaning the laptop, follow the cleaning guide to prevent any physical damage. It's not difficult, but there are some tricks and quirks that need to be observed.** \\ | **When cleaning the laptop, follow the cleaning guide to prevent any physical damage. It's not difficult, but there are some tricks and quirks that need to be observed.** \\ | ||
| - | 4. If cleaning didn't help, you can try replacing the thermal paste. **Do it only if you know what you are doing.** We have a guide for that, too. However, while repasting is normal after some time, it should never be needed on a brand new device. Legions should last several years until they need a new paste job.\\ | + | 4. If cleaning didn't help, you can try replacing the thermal paste. **Do it only if you know what you are doing.** We have a guide for that, too. However, while repasting is normal after some time, it should never be needed on a brand new device. |
| - | 5. If nothing above helps, you can turn to warranty. There could be a problem with the heatsink itself, in which case Lenovo | + | 5. If nothing above helps, you can turn to warranty. There could be a problem with the heatsink itself, in which case manufacturer or retailer where you bought it should cover the replacement. |
| + | ==== What if the laptop is not throttling but still feels hot or loud ==== | ||
| + | A good laptop will be able to handle some amount of dust before the throttling occurs. This will manifest by the laptop becoming hotter than usual and/or louder as well and cleaning the dust off the fans and the heatsink can return it back to normal. | ||
| + | 1. Check visually for dust. Keep in mind that modern fans and heatsinks are very delicate and even a relatively minor amount of dust can cause temperature spikes as high as 20 degrees Celsius. | ||
| + | 2. Running a simple test using HWiNFO or similar app, checking the temperatures and comparing them to previous values. The simplest approach is to compare idle temperatures. | ||