How to Maintain Gaming Laptop

Offering gaming laptops regular treatment is an excellent method to ensure they are healthy and prolong their lifespan. Their portability makes it easy to carry them to work, school or on vacations. and play from any location.

With a little equipment and regular routine maintenance, it’s possible to extend the lifespan of these expensive computers.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the tips that can be used to care for your gaming laptop to keep it in good health.

Let’s get started!

1. Maintain Good Airflow By Cleaning Your Laptop Every 6 Months

Gaming laptops are equipped with high-performance components , such as the CPU and GPU packed inside a tiny chassis.

While this can be beneficial in terms of portability but it hinders the flow of air, and when dust blocks air intake and outlets, flow gets decreased. Lint and dust also tend to gather on the outside of fans, which hinders their ability to draw air efficiently.

Air circulation is essential to keep interior temperatures at an optimal level and helps prevent overheating. Overheating is one of the major causes of thermal throttling, which results in the performance to decrease.

One way to improve airflow is to rid it from dust, lint and other particles which block air vents and builds up in the vicinity of fans. To get rid of this dust, you’ll need to take apart your computer. If you’re unable to complete the task yourself, take it to a repair shop and let an expert handle the job for you.

How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? (Plus Tips To Increase Lifespan)

Before you begin to dismantle the laptop off, go through the instructions to make sure you do not perform any actions that could void the warranty. Be sure to avoid placing your laptop on hard surfaces like the bed with a duvet or cushions, which are known for hiding air vents.

2. Keep Your Laptop Healthy Using Windows Defender And A VPN

Windows 10 comes with its own free antivirus program, called Windows Defender. It safeguards your PC from security threats from software like malware, spyware and suspicious applications.

Keep Windows Defender up to date gives you the latest features and most recent security updates when they’re launched. This gives your laptop continuous protection in real-time against harmful software-related threats.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots like hotels, coffee shops, and airports are hackers’ wish because they offer many data points which can be used to attack your system. This is the reason why incidents of cyber-attacks have increased over the last few years.

If you intend to connect to public Wi-Fi, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or IPVanish is a good way to protect your laptop from hackers. VPN services safeguard your data by encryption and sending it to servers that are outside the local network.

3. Keep The Screen Clean And Install A Screen Protector

Installing screen protectors or cleaning it is a fantastic option to ensure that your gaming laptop’s screen is free of smudges, scratches and keyboard marks (created by the lid shut).

Plastic screen protectors and Tempered Glass Screens are two of the most popular. Screen protectors made of tempered glass prefer over the plastic screen protectors due to their less prone to scratches and can cover the entire screen. However, they’re more costly.

If you are cleaning your screen, you should always consult the instruction manual of your laptop to ensure that you’re using recommended cleaning products and materials that won’t harm the screen.

4. Use An External Keyboard And Mouse When Gaming

Gaming requires repeated pressing of specific keys, which over time, could harm the laptop’s built-in components, like the keyboard and touchpad. Utilizing an external gaming keyboard and mouse while you’re not in a hurry will help ensure that the buttons on your keyboard and touchpad last longer. This not only increases the life span of your laptop but it also enhances your gaming efficiency and ergonomics. Shooting, aiming and moving game characters in games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Far Cry is much easier using an external mouse rather than the touchpad.

Are Laptop Keyboards Good For Gaming?

In comparison to keyboards built into the laptop External gaming keyboards are much less expensive and easier to replace when they become damaged. Additionally, you don’t need to fret about finding the right part that is compatible with your model, which for older gaming laptops can be difficult to locate.

5. Delete Clutter And Organize Files On Your Laptop

As time passes your laptop will accumulate many files that you don’t require. This includes temporary files created through your laptop, deleted files from recycling bins, browsing cookies and programs you have installed, but never utilize, for example.

This clutter slows down your PC, takes your storage space and makes it difficult to locate what you’re trying to find. By emptying your recycle bin, eliminating unneeded programs, and clearing browsing cookies you’ll help enhance the performance of your laptop.

Maintain important information such as video, photos, game downloads and other documents into folders that make it easier to locate files later. It is also helpful to defragment your computer’s storage device frequently and clean your registry. This can be done by following the instructions shown in this video.

6. Perform Regular Software And Driver Updates

In addition to making sure your antivirus software is up to date, it is also necessary to upgrade all third-party and system software running in your computer. Third-party software refers to software that isn’t included in your operating system (OS).

Updates to driver and software are required to fix bugs and glitches to ensure that your PC runs smoothly. Sometimes, helpful new features are also added when you update.

Windows Update feature automatically updates all of the driver and software that are that are installed on the computer. To manage software updates and driver updates in Windows 10, click on the Start button, then navigate to Settings > Update and Security Windows Update.

Third-party drivers and software can be automatically updated or manually, depending on the program. If you choose to update manually it is common to receive an email while you’re online to inform you that the latest version of a software is available to update.

7. Uninstall Software Bloatware And Stop Unnecessary Startup Programs

Laptops that are new often come with other applications that are installed by the manufacturers. While some of these programs are useful, like Microsoft Office 365, others like adware software aren’t needed.

Deleting these unwanted programs (bloatware) helps free space on disks along with memory and other resources available on the laptop increasing performance. Bloatware can be eliminated by removing it from Windows 10 Control panel.

To open the Control Panel to access the Control Panel, simply click the Window Search Bar, type in “Control Panel” and press Enter.

In addition to uninstalling bloatware, need to block programs that which you don’t regularly use from running at Startup. These programs will consume lots of memory and CPU resources since they often run automated scans that run in the background.

This could not just slow down your computer, but it can cause overheating while playing or doing tasks that require a lot of hardware like video editing. As we’ve mentioned the risk of overheating is premature failure of the hardware.

You can shut down start-up programs, applications and processes through within the Windows Task Manager. To launch the task manager you can use your keys shortcut “Ctrl + Shift+ Esc”.

Under the Startup tab, you’ll see an overview of the startup programs.

Right-click the program you wish to shut down to display a popup menu, then click to turn off.

8. Backup Files In The Cloud Or An External Storage Device

You may lose all your data on your laptop due to an issue with your hardware or software issue or even if a hacker is holding your information hostage (ransomware). It could make it impossible to retrieve important data like your game progress photographs that are irreplaceable, an entire semester’s worth homework.

Making backups of your data regularly is a great way to ensure that you do not lose important data in the event that an unexpected event occurs on your PC.

A backup of the laptop’s drivers as well as important bookmarks for your browser and favorites allows you to move easily if you choose to perform an entirely new Windows installation later.

It is possible to backup your data to physical devices, such as external hard drives or USB flash drives. Cloud backup can be accomplished by using cloud storage services like Backblaze, iDrive, and Carbonite.

9. Keep The Lid Closed To Protect Your Gaming Laptop From Spills, Food Crumbs, And Dust

When dust, crumbs and liquids are able to get into the keyboard’s spaces and cause keys to become sticky upon pressing or not register.

In addition, spilling beverages like coffee could cause a short-circuit if they get in contact with the motherboard, rendering your gaming laptop inoperable.

Keep the lid of your gaming laptop shut when you’re not using it prevents dust from collecting on the keyboard or touchpad and outlets. It also stops food particles as well as spills accidentally spilled from entering the laptop and damaging it.

10. Avoid Using Your Laptop In Extreme Hot Or Cold Temperatures

Care for your gaming laptop is making sure that it is not exposed to extremely frigid or extremely cold temperatures. 10-35 degrees Celsius, or 50-95 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for your laptop.

Temperatures that are hot, like those that are experienced in summer months, can make laptops more prone to overheating. The effects of heat are not only in terms of performance, but also the hardware. Indeed, overheating is one of the main causes of hardware failure that is prematurely triggered.

The extreme cold temperature, on contrary, creates the ideal conditions for condensation to develop. The condensation process causes tiny droplets to develop inside and on the outside of your laptop, which can result in short-circuiting.

As an example, you don’t want to put your computer in the cold damp basement. Setting the thermostat of your workplace or home is one way you can ensure that temperatures are in check.

11. Avoid Dropping Your Laptop

The majority of laptop chassis are constructed using either metal or plastic and are built to withstand the stress of daily life, like minor bends, tension and twists. But, they are not able to take the force of a massive fall.

The force of a large fall can break the display, scratch and break the casing or even cause the internal components to become loose. Based on the part that was damaged, your laptop could not be usable or its design could be altered.

So, it’s important to be careful with your laptop and be sure to avoid placing it on surfaces that are slippery. If you are working or gaming on your laptop, keep it just a few inches from the edge of the desk to decrease the risk of falling and slipping.

12. Carry Your Gaming Laptop In A Padded Laptop Bag

The bag you keep with your laptop plays a crucial part in ensuring it is safe. Laptop bags include padding for the laptop compartment which guards your laptop from damage and scratches.

Many laptop bags come with waterproof nylon which makes it difficult for water and dust to get into your laptop. Laptop bags aren’t expensive and are available in various sizes to fit laptops of any size.

13. Don’t Install Software From Unknown Sources

Some software that you can find on the internet is secure to install. While the majority of software is designed by good intention and can be beneficial, some have dangerous code that can create security issues.

Make sure you download software from reputable sources or on the original website. Reviewing software before installation is one of the ways to distinguish the best from the worst.

14. Switch Off Your Laptop When Not In Use

This is an obvious one. Simply shutting off your computer to allow some time to rest is an excellent method to care for you gaming laptop. The moment you shut down your laptop, it allows the laptop to chill so that components like cooling fans do not have to run continuously regardless of whether you’re using your computer.

The updates that demand you restarting your PC to finish installation are in effect after you restart your laptop.

15. Use A Surge Protector

Power surges are sudden surges in electrical power. They last for less than a second however within the time frame, they could damage appliances powered by outlets for power.

Although a laptop’s power supply can provide some protection against weak surges of power, it’s possible for large-scale surges like those caused by light, to be transmitted to your laptop. Most of the time, it is the power supply is damaged and must be replaced.

It is recommended to install a surge protector. If a power surge occurs you, it’s not just your gaming laptop that’s at risk, but many all electronic devices are also at risk.

Surge protectors function by limiting the electrical voltage that is supplied to devices, and then shorting voltages that go over a certain threshold to ground.

You can purchase an energy strip surge protector which connects directly to the electrical outlet, or a complete surge protector that will take care of every electronic device in your home. Whole-house surge protectors can be somewhat more difficult to set up because they have connection to the meters box.

Conclusion- How To Care For Your Gaming Laptop

Maintaining your gaming laptop is primarily paying attention to how you use your laptop, and also taking care of any software or hardware problems. Utilizing the suggestions below will assist you in maintaining your gaming laptop to ensure it will last longer.