The constrained internal space of gaming laptops leaves little room for these machines to showcase impressive thermals, leaving users to research different mods while also experimenting with repasting and undervolting. However, an extremely useful tip was discovered by one user, claiming that he managed to reduce CPU temperatures by 15°C just by switching the desk surface on which the gaming laptop was being used.
Changing the desk surface from wood to metal brings drastic changes in CPU temperatures for a gaming laptop
Playing Cyberpunk 2077, which stresses both the CPU and GPU, Redditor “MentalReserve235” noticed that his gaming laptop’s CPU temperatures were hovering in the 80°C to 90°C range, which isn’t alarming, but the chip isn’t exactly running cool either. Such machines can always benefit from improved airflow, and placing gaming laptops flat on a desk invites increased temperatures.
Thankfully, the Redditor found that switching from a wooden desk to a metal one reduced CPU temperatures from 75°C to 83°C. Switching to a different game that’s less taxing on the CPU and GPU than Cyberpunk 2077 should result in even lower temperatures. What’s strange is that the graphics chip’s thermals weren’t mentioned, but that could be due to the fact that it was already running much cooler than the CPU, so there was little need to mention it.
“Have been putting my laptop ontop of a metal surface – plate like (in an AC room) and it’s doing wonders for the temperature. Cyberpunk goes from 80-90 degrees to 75-83 degrees. The metal surface is always cooler than the wood table surface and never get hot enough to burn your hands (which was my initial concern). Basically the underside is actually intake so it takes the cooled air from the metal directly into your system before exhaust to the side vents (I don’t know about other models but mine is like this). So if the exhausts from the side don’t get hot enough to burn your hand then the metal won’t. There’s one concern is that you shouldn’t try to ice-cooled the metal surface because vapor can actually kill your system.”
While it’s not a scientific discovery that metal offers better heat transfer than wood, most gaming laptop owners would likely have to make do with non-metallic surfaces and would probably run into those aforementioned uncomfortable temperatures. In this scenario, always remember that gaming laptops will benefit from elevation, so you can lift these machines from their backsides and attach feet or a stand with pre-applied adhesive for the best results.
We personally recommend grabbing this accessory from Amazon for $17.99, but if you want even better thermals, try your hand at CPU undervolting using ThrottleStop (only for Intel CPUs) and MSI Afterburner for GPU undervolting. Alternatively, if you’re daring enough to do a little repasting, PTM7950 will be your best friend in this regard, offering superior temperature reduction while performing almost similarly to liquid metal, but without the risks.
You can get a pad in the 80 x 80 x 0.25mm measurements for only $23.99 and get several applications out of this purchase. To keep VRMs, MOSFETs, and GPU memory cool, we recommend getting UPSIREN’s UTP-X thermal putty, with the 50g pack available for $49.99.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech’s mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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