Maintenance
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Place your laptop on a hard, flat surface like a desk or lapdesk rather than soft surfaces such as beds or your lap to prevent air intake and exhaust from being blocked.
Soft surfaces can suffocate the laptop by blocking ventilation gaps needed for effective cooling.
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- Place a sushi rolling mat under your laptop on a desk.1
Clean dust from the GPU and internal components if the computer is crashing or overheating.
Accumulated dust, such as from pet fur, can cause crashes during games or idle times.
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Use four white gum erasers instead of Lego blocks to elevate your laptop.
They provide better grip and avoid scratches.
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- Prop up the back of your laptop with an eraser to improve airflow and provide grip on slippery tables.1
Flip the laptop upside down and clean the vents out.
It works better.
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Place a micro suede cover over the keyboard area before closing the laptop to keep the screen clean.
It keeps the screen clean.
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Repurpose a basket to hold the laptop while using it on a bed to help keep it cool.
It helps prevent overheating without buying unnecessary products.
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Carry the laptop by its base rather than holding the screen side to prevent finger pressure from digging into the screen.
Holding the screen side causes finger pressure to dig into the screen.
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Do not apply pressure to close the laptop lid if it feels resistant.
Shutting it excessively hard can cause damage.
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Avoid eating or drinking directly over your laptop to prevent liquids from leaking through the keyboard.
Spills can leak through the keyboard.
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Check for objects on the keyboard before closing the laptop, particularly in dark rooms where they may be unnoticed.
Objects are often not noticed when the room is dark.
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Place your laptop in a protective sleeve and sandwich it between two books to shield the screen from sharp edges.
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Get a single more powerful GPU rather than an SLI configuration.
VRAM does not add up and most games aren't optimized for it.
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Manually adjust the time on cameras and video recorders when Daylight Saving Time begins, as these devices often do not auto-update.
It is annoying to realize later that photo timestamps have been wrong for weeks.
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Avoid placing consoles inside enclosed cabinets to prevent heat buildup.
Enclosures cause more heat than ventilation tips can relieve.
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Restart your smartphone to fix connection issues with wifi, data, or cell service.
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Go to Computer Properties to change graphical settings.
This improves performance.
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