If you use your laptop with an external display that is placed on the table, you can do it with its cover to save space. However, your laptop is designed to run perfectly with the lid closed, right?
It depends on the laptop
The main concern when using a laptop with its lid closed is not getting enough cooling. However, whether this is true depends on the specific type of computer. If we are talking about the computer MacBook Air M1 or M2 without power, it is possible to make them that way. You can purchase special mounts designed for this use case. Twelve South BookArc for MacBook
When you don’t want your MacBook screen on your desk and want to save as much space as possible, BookArc is a great solution for your hot Macbook life.
On the other hand, if you have a workstation or a gaming laptop, chances are the top of the laptop is participating in the ventilation. If you close the lid, it can affect the air. Some laptops are designed to lift the bottom of the laptop off your desk when the screen is open. With this type of arrangement, the process and coverage is not good.
Close the back corner of the gaming laptop so the air vents are visible. Breathe in gaming laptops. KanishK Gupta/Shutterstock.com
If you don’t know, check with the manufacturer if they don’t allow powering the system under load with insulation.
Heat can (in theory) damage the LCD screen
Although your laptop can keep the CPU and GPU cool enough with the cover, another thing to consider is whether the LCD panel can be damaged by being close to the heat of the laptop during operation.
Like any electronic device, LCD panels have high operating temperatures. Those numbers vary from device to device but are usually between 40C and 60C, depending on the specifications we read. Since the closed laptop screen holds a layer between itself and the laptop body, it is possible that the temperature in this space can reach a point where it affects life. liquid crystal or screen coating. Of course, it is difficult to say in detail that the heat from your high laptop will damage the LCD screen of the laptop in the short or long term. However, it is conceivable that keeping the LCD display at a temperature other than the temperature it was designed for is a bad idea.
What about cooling pads?
A popular cooler is a laptop stand that has built-in cooling and ventilation. The idea is that they draw heat away from the laptop through its air and its body so that the internal actors do not have to work hard.
In theory, this is not a bad idea, but a lot depends on the configuration of your laptop and cooling pad. Even then, the cooling pads provide little heat loss, and they don’t help to close the gap between your screen and the laptop body.
Run your laptop overnight or as a server
Some users don’t want to use a laptop with its lid closed to be attached to an external display. For example, maybe you use your old laptop as a home server or leave a translation or download job running overnight.
Assuming that you have made sure that the ventilation is not blocked (and you have helped it when the lid is closed), you can leave the laptop running with the lid closed if it is working at medium or low power which will not heat up. . many. However, you can go to the middle and close the lid just to turn off the screen, but not to close the laptop completely. As long as the hot air doesn’t blow directly off the screen, it should work forever. However, this won’t do much to prevent dust, so be prepared to wash your laptop regularly.
Is this really a problem?
If your laptop gets too hot or doesn’t work properly when the lid is closed, that’s an obvious problem and you should seriously consider opening the lid to prevent this from happening. If your main concern is that exposure to light will damage your laptop screen, there is no clear evidence that this is the case. To clarify, we have used laptops with their lids closed for years and have never had a display failure that could be directly related to the fire.
That said, it is impossible to eliminate it completely. Finally, the only good option is to open your laptop with a cover. In addition, it provides a second screen if you use an external monitor, which is often more useful than having only one screen. Again, covering your laptop with a cover has a great aesthetic and space saving effect, so the trade-off comes down to how much you use it for work rather than work, or what kind of work you want for your laptop.
