Why are Gaming Laptops so Loud? | In-Depth Guide

For people who don’t want to leave their favorite gaming titles at home when they are on the go, gaming laptops are a fabulous option. However, with great power, comes even louder noise, if you’ll excuse the pun.

Why are gaming laptops so loud? It’s a question that every gamer asked themselves at some point. Gaming laptops, for all their power with portability, can be pretty loud at times. But why is that?

Well, it’s for the performance gaming laptops offer while maintaining a relatively slender form factor. It’s a drawback you have to put up with. Even so, gaming laptops are not louder than desktops.

But if your gaming laptop is making loud noises all the time, starting from the moment it boots up, there are certain things you can do about it. Let’s begin

Why Your Gaming Laptop is Making so Much Noise?

Keep in mind that it is in fact very typical of gaming laptops of being noisy. Particularly when you are gaming for longer sessions. Because while gaming, you put your CPU and graphics cards under much stress, hence they emit larger chunks of heat waves, which progressively warm up the entire laptop body.

Now gaming laptops, although come with more vents and cooler fans than traditional laptops, are not nearly enough for efficient cooling. So naturally, your gaming laptop fans have to spin at a much faster rate to cool down those warm heat sinks. Cooling fans, being a moving part, make more noise than any other component in a laptop.

Another reason is that the small cooling fans and the heat pipes they are cooling are nowhere as robust as the cooling fans used in traditional computers. Hence, they need to move faster to keep your components from frying. So yes, cramming up a lot of components in a smaller space has its consequences after all.

But that’s not all. Here are the top 5 reasons why your laptop is too noisy and how to fix it.

1. Too Many Applications Running in the Background

No matter how much processing power your gaming laptop possesses, when too many programs are running actively in the background, it’s going to eventually take a toll on your system performance. It’s only natural that electronic components heat up as more current keeps running through them. So, if you want sustained performance without overheating, you should keep your background processes to a minimum. Otherwise, the cooling fans of your gaming laptop will go into overdrive and will cause more noise.

If you notice your laptop fans getting louder even when you are not actively using it, it’s a good indicator that some background application or process is running. You might not know this but every time you install something new, chances are that they are going to start with your system and keep running in the background unless you put an end to it, manually.

So, we recommend disabling anything that you think you don’t need (you can always re-enable them if you want), do this especially after you’ve done installing something new.

2. Your Air Vents are Blocking

While a normal laptop typically has only one air vent, gaming laptops can have up to 3 or more air vents, at least 2. They are typically located on the sides, sometimes on the bottom. So, if you’ve been using your gaming laptop putting it on your lap or on the bed, chances are that those air vents are getting blocked. When that happens, air circulation ceases and that causes your components to overheat, making the coolers go into hyperdrive.

So, try putting your gaming laptop on a stable surface, preferably on a table. If you do have to use it on the bed, make sure no pillow or bedsheet is blocking any of the air vents.

3. Accumulated Dust

If you see your gaming laptop overheating and making overbearing noise for no particular reason, it’s possible that the cooling fans aren’t working efficiently, although they are spinning at full speed. This is generally caused by accumulated dust and other debris that gather near and around the area of your cooling fans over time. If you’ve been using your gaming laptop for months now, it’s possibly due for a cleaning.

Acquire a compressed air kit and regularly blow out dust and other debris from your gaming laptop. That’s how you can make your gaming laptop fan quieter.

4. Demanding Games

With each new release, games are more demanding and resource hungry, which puts immense pressure on your system resources. This is particularly true if you are gaming for long hours. So, it’s no wonder that the newest triple-A title can put your CPU and GPU to hard work, so much so, that your gaming laptop cooler has to work hard all the time.

Always make sure that your gaming laptop meets the minimum requirement before purchasing a new game and avoid gaming for prolonged hours. Take a rest every once in a while, which is good for your own health too.

5. Design and Thermal Flaws

If the weather surrounding you is too hot and humid, it’s natural for your gaming laptop to heat up quite easily and become noisier. A cooler room is always best suited for gaming.

Also, if your gaming laptops have faulty or poorly designed thermals, they will get overheated all the time. So, make sure to buy from reputable manufacturers.

Last but not least, when you take your gaming laptop to the service center for proper cleanup or maintenance, make sure to check if the thermal paste is properly applied over the CPU. applying a healthy dab is always recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions And Answers

Are gaming laptops quiet without gaming?

Resource-hungry software like video editing apps is no less demanding than games. So, no. under heavy usage, a gaming laptop can be just as noisy as it is when gaming.

Why are laptops so loud?

Laptops are so loud because they have less room to fit in bigger-size thermals that are used on desktops.

How to making gaming laptops quieter?

Use a laptop stand with an active cooling solution to keep your laptop from overheating. If it runs cooler, it will be quieter.

Final Words

Keep in mind, your gaming laptop is designed to be loud when gaming. However, too much noise can be a deal breaker. So, if that’s the case with your unit, we recommend performing the solutions we’ve discussed above.

When performing lighter tasks like shorter browsing sessions or watching a movie, it shouldn’t be too loud. But if it is, it’s time for a proper inspection, take your gaming laptop to an authorized service center immediately.