Just like us Brits, technology cannot stand excessive heat.
And you might have already noticed a significant slowdown with your PC or Mac’s performance this week. This is more so with laptops because of the confined space.
I read an article of a laptops’ keys melting in the heat after the owner forgot to turn off the machine before putting his laptop bag away inside the boot of a car on a scorching day. This is extreme, but to ensure you get the best out of your computer in hot conditions, here’s a quick cooling guide.
Computers generate a lot anyway, even on cold days. So the temperatures over the next few days can easily knock them over the edge. Make sure all the air vents are clear of dust and nothing’s obstructing them. If you’re finding a fair amount of dust in this area, it would be worth having a look inside the machine and clean it out. This is very common on older machines or if you’ve had some renovation work done and forgot to cover the machine before-hand.
Computers don’t like a sudden change of temperature; so if you’ve been relaxing and working in the garden, give the laptop some time to adjust its temperature when coming back in-doors by switching the laptop off for a while.
Following on from my previous point, I would strongly advise not to use a laptop in direct sunlight for obvious reasons; especially on a beach. Baking hot temperatures and looking at a screen you can barely see because of the sun glare, mixed in with some blowing sand and a risk of water damage is a recipe for disaster.
Hot weather also increases the risk of hard drive failure resulting in data loss. So remember to backup your data on a more regular basis.
Direct your fan at the computer. Anything that’ll blow colder air in its direction will improve the performance no end.
And lastly, avoid using a laptop on your lap, a blanket or anything that’ll block the vents.
