is it bad to use a laptop "on your lap"

[stangeroo]

I have a small notebook computer. I use it alot in bed and on my lap. THe fans are all on the bottom of it. It seems like if its on something soft like cloth, the fans would suck it on them and potentially vacuum up lint and dust into the case. I usually put it ona binder or something else thats hard so the bottom can be lifted alittle by its "feet". Should I continue doing this or is it fine to let it chill on the bed with the fan on

 

[FireFox]

Hmm, the fans are on the bottom? that's odd.....what kind of labtop is it? It would be wise just to let it stay on something hard just so that the fans can suck the air in.

 

[stangeroo]

avaratec. its only about an inch thick. one fan is about in the center, and one is kinda on the corner. the one on the corner does have some side vents, but the center fan is just through the bottom

 

[chrönik04]

i used to have an ultraportable avartec/sotec notebook about a yr ago, always ran whisper quiet. like with any laptop; as long as you dont cover the vents completely and the hot air can escape, you'll be fine. the vents were tiny on the sotec i used to have, so i used to just put a hardcover book underneath it.

 

[mrdinkel]

My Gateway has that same design. I just put it on the lids from my mountain dew bottles. But that's my preference.

 

[Win2kpatcher]

ohh brother my private area used to get far too hot then I'm fond of when I would chill with it in bed ;-)

 

[CableModem]

No, I don't think it is bad to use on your lap as long as you don't let it get really hot, I use them at school on my lap and I still have 2 legs

 

[ekÆsine]

i think you guys are misunderstanding what stangeroo is asking. he is saying is it bad that the laptop is sucking lint and dust like a vacuum. stangeroo it shouldn't be a huge problem. you can use compressed air can to blow the dust out.

 

[stangeroo]

do people ever take the case partially off to blow all the lint and stuff out. Also, the computer is smart enough taht if it started to overheat, it would shut itself off before cooking itself. I had an HP desktop that was upstairs in the summer and it eventually fried the motherboard, but never shut off by itself

 

[digitaloracle]

Are the fans even powerful enough to suck up lint? My laptop has a fan in the upper right corner and I generally try to keep it on a hard surface. On your lap would almost be be better for it as long as you keep it centered, wouldn't it?