Is Gaming Dangerous on a Laptop?

codyw · 22 Aug 2012

I was talking to someone today and was telling them how I do a lot of gaming on my laptop PC. They said that a lot of gaming can in time do damage to a normal laptop if it's not equipped with the right kind of hardware. They also said that the inside of the PC can get too hot during game play and either melt components inside or potentially catch on fire.

Since I am very addicted to playing The Sims 3 and all available expansion packs currently out, is gaming a really good idea on a laptop? I don't really have $800-$1,000 to go and buy an actual gaming PC right now.

Layback Bear · 22 Aug 2012

IMO laptops are not made for high end gaming for just that reason, HEAT. Heavy working of any computer creates heat. Laptops are not very poor at removing heat. When you constantly get electronic components very hot it shortens their life. It designed to shut down before melting or a fire accures. I would suggest Googling for cool pads for laptops and other cooling devices. They help some. Always make sure the intake/outtake ports are clean and not obstructed in any way.

bassfisher6522 · 22 Aug 2012

Along with layback bear excellent advice and if you're still keen on using a laptop. They do make gaming laptops but at a premium...usually around $1200 to start. Some a little more and others a little less.

If your laptops warranty is expired, you have the option to mod the laptop. You can cut out the factory small vent port and expand it and then install a fan. There are some nice videos on the subject on youtube.

codyw · 22 Aug 2012

Thanks for the info. My laptop's not even a year old. It's an ASUS, which I really like, so the warranty is still good. I was thinking about upgrading the RAM because I have been having an issue with playing the Sims 3 and expansion packs. I have noticed the physical memory during game play range from 40%-90%. Any where in between these figures, sometimes the game will just stop working and quit. It's usually unexpectedly and when you're playing, you're usually focusing on the game, not on the memory usage. However, hot air does blow out the left side vent. I have ordered a cooling fan which hasn't gotten here yet (Amazon.com: Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooling Pad with 140mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-4WAK-GP): Electronics)

I also have a medium sized desk fan that sits near my PC when I play so it does get plenty of air intake.

billytale13 · 22 Aug 2012

If you are concerned about overheating, what I did (because my laptop would overheat often), is in the power options i limited the cpu to run maximum to 60%. That reduced my heat by 20C, but didn't affect my gaming at all. The sims 3 is not a very pc intensive game, so I don't think you will have much of an overheating issue.

Anthony · 22 Aug 2012

Best thing you can do to a laptop at the moment is throw an SSD into it, as well as a noticeable performance increase you also reduce the heat, better battery life and if your ram does get used up and has to use the swap file the SSD would help with that too.

Best thing I ever did to my laptop!!

codyw · 22 Aug 2012

I'm glad to hear the sims 3 isn't a big intensive game on a system. I would play it on my MacBook but it's almost 6 years old, and the performance during game play is kind of choppy and jerky. It takes away from all the fun.

logicearth · 22 Aug 2012

Pffft I swear people are fools. Playing high-end games on a laptop not designed for gaming will not damage it. Because the game will barely run for pete-sake. I have had my laptop since 2007, a Dell Insprion e1705 (17" 1920x1200), defiently not made for gaming. came with an Intel Dual Core Processor (2 GHz), 2 GBs of the slowest RAM available, puny ATI Mobility Radeon x1400 (128 MB dedicated VRAM). I played Crysis on this thing. No heating issue, no melting explosions, nothing. I even play newer gen games like Mass Effect 1 though 3. And yes, I have played the Sims 3 on this computer as well.

codyw · 22 Aug 2012

Well now I feel better. As long as I keep it cool during game play and overall take care of the PC (like I have been doing), there shouldn't be any worries. It has a CORE i5 processor by Intel and 6 GB of RAM. That should be suitable for the sims. That's pretty much the only games I play on it.

Layback Bear · 22 Aug 2012

I'm sorry if I led people the wrong way. Let me try again.
The harder you work a computer, any computer, laptop, desktop or the ones in that buggy on Mars will create more heat. Laptop dissipate heat poorly compared to a desktop. Any computer works better and last longer if it is cooled. The computer that is kept cooler will work better than one that is hot. That's the reason computer are cooled. How hard one wants to work a computer or how much money and time one wants to spend keeping the computer cooler is up to that person. Can you play games on a laptop without extra cooling, absolutely. If one doesn't mind the game slowing down because of heat, that's also fine. My desktop has 10 fans and as of now has never give a problem because it has too much air blowing through it.