# Laptop is suddenly chill no matter what **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774 "2019-07-09T15:04:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/1 "2019-07-09T15:04:56Z")
All the way until yesterday, my laptop would consistently hit 60-80 degrees Celsius whenever I was running intense tasks, such as gaming or surfing multiple browser tabs. Fans would whirr loudly. Now, after a lightning storm, my laptop suddenly shows heat readings of always below 45 C, even when its processor is being worked at 100%. No matter how intense the laptop is being run, it’s always 30-45 C. Fan never sounds. Not sure whether to feel pleased, or alarmed, at this… ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/2 "2019-07-09T15:12:52Z")
Is the laptop itself actually not getting hot? i.e. is 30-45C just a sensor reading, or is the laptop physically not hot under load? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/3 "2019-07-09T15:52:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Is the laptop itself actually not getting hot? i.e. is 30-45C just a sensor reading, or is the laptop physically not hot under load? Hard to tell. I suspect a faulty sensor reading, but the laptop feels cool - but it has usually felt cool to the touch no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/4 "2019-07-10T01:47:35Z")
Modern laptops have different operating modes like “max performance” (run the CPU and GPU and screen at full power, never mind the heat) and “max battery life” (slow down the CPU and dim the screen). Often, the computer will switch betwixt the two modes depending on whether it’s plugged in. Is it possible that the wall outlet’s fuse/breaker tripped during the storm, and that the laptop is now running on the battery, unbeknownst to you ? ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/5 "2019-07-10T02:12:46Z")
You may have [this](https://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/03/10/us_preacher_finds_demonpossessed_pcs/). ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/6 "2019-07-10T03:15:14Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > You may have [this](https://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/03/10/us_preacher_finds_demonpossessed_pcs/). That is awesome! Who knew a demon only needed 10 Mb for storage? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/7 "2019-07-10T03:56:02Z")
Check the task manager and see what the CPU and memory usage are at. If they’re below, say, 50%, all is probably well. But, I’m guessing you didn’t take note of those numbers before the lightening storm. I’m going to guess a coincidence. If a program that was running in the background now isn’t, a OS or browser (I’m looking at you, Firefox) updated that’d do it. Or, perhaps your fan wasn’t working properly and now it is (or you blew out the vents and didn’t mention it) Even if it’s a bad temp sensor, I’d think it’s unrelated to a lightening storm. It could even be something as simple as holding it differently. If you previously had it on your lap (and blocking vents) but now have it on a hard surface, that’ll slow down the fan as well. In any case, broken temp sensor or not, if it seems cool to the touch, in places it was hot before. I wouldn’t worry about it. It wouldn’t surprise me if it went back to how it was in the next few days. BTW, if you normally keep it on, did you happen to reset it during the storm? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/8 "2019-07-10T04:17:19Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Modern laptops have different operating modes like “max performance” (run the CPU and GPU and screen at full power, never mind the heat) and “max battery life” (slow down the CPU and dim the screen). Often, the computer will switch betwixt the two modes depending on whether it’s plugged in. > > Is it possible that the wall outlet’s fuse/breaker tripped during the storm, and that the laptop is now running on the battery, unbeknownst to you ? This is a good point that i didn’t think about in your other thread. In addition to the outlet’s breaker, make sure your power strip and power supply are both working fine. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/9 "2019-07-10T14:22:03Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Is it possible that the wall outlet’s fuse/breaker tripped during the storm, and that the laptop is now running on the battery, unbeknownst to you ? The battery was removed last year; it’s been operating off of cable power alone. And the breaker did seem to trip multiple times; the apartment kept going dark. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/10 "2019-07-10T14:47:06Z")
> [@FordPrefect](#): > > That is awesome! Who knew a demon only needed 10 Mb for storage? That was the old version. Demon 2.0 requires at least 25 MB. And … It’s a forced upgrade! Mwah ha ha ha! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-is-suddenly-chill-no-matter-what/836774/11 "2019-07-10T15:06:48Z")
I thought it was spelled “[Daemon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(computing))”.