# The biggest downside to owning a laptop. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 28, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350 "2004-07-28T23:54:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![modro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@modro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/modro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350/21 "2004-07-29T21:14:03Z")
> [@MidnightRadio](#): > > I recently bought an Apple iBook and one thing (among many) that I love about it is how hot it _doesn’t_ get. I mean, it gets warm like all notebooks do, but it doesn’t get so hot I can’t touch it like previous PC notebooks I’ve owned. I can even use it on my bed and it doesn’t get hot. I have one also, and while the left palmrest will get warm (harddrive is under there) the rest of the computer will stay fairly cool. Warm, yes, but not hot. Only time I ever have the cooling fan kick in on mine is when it is plugged in, resting on some sort of insulator, and doing some serious work (like editing stuff in photoshop) ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350/22 "2004-07-30T03:06:03Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Which is why many manufacturers have stopped calling them laptops and started calling them notebooks - to discourage people putting them on their laps and causing burns. > > A ‘laptop’ was never really meant to be stuck upon your lap directly (especially if you are not wearing pants - as one odd story I heard), because it’s just not possible to have enough open space and air flow in them to keep them cool. > > The faster the processors get, and the more transistors packed into their tiny packages, the more heat they generate even with lowering the voltages. They’re still drawing current, they’re still dissipating power, and they have a much worse heat expulsion system because large heat sinks and fans and lack of airflow will plague computers that are designed to be ‘smaller smaller smaller.’ > > I don’t know any way around that. OH my goodness, you mean there are people who actually put them directly on their laps? I always use this special little foldout board I have. It has grooves in it so as to allow circulation under the laptop. But it still blows out hot air and is too warm to hold for long. I wasn’t so much worried about burning myself, but in making sure that the laptop staying safe and didn’t overheat (I’m NOT a geek, I’m not :D), so that’s why I bought the laptop board, not to prevent burns. Though they do get hot to the touch. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350/23 "2004-07-30T14:29:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I wasn’t so much worried about burning myself, but in making sure that the laptop staying safe and didn’t overheat (I’m NOT a geek, I’m not ), so that’s why I bought the laptop board, not to prevent burns. The laptops are pretty well designed to use what they can to remove heat, so as long as you haven’t plugged up the holes that the air comes out of, it should be OK. There also are often CMOS settings to tell the laptop (or any computer) to power down if the CPU temperature goes above a certain point. This helps to be a safeguard against meltdowns. Lot of them are enabled by default at the manufacturer recommended temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350/24 "2004-07-30T16:15:41Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Wireless electrical energy transfer has been invented a long time ago by Nicola Tesla. > But there is a worldwide conspir…OH NO! They found me! I have to go… Nitpick! It’s Ni **k** ola Tesla…my father, the über Tesla-enthusiast, wanted to name me this whether I came out a boy or a girl. Luckily, my mother got her way! 😃 My laptop sucks monkey balls. I need a new desktop! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downside-to-owning-a-laptop/257350.md?page=1)