On Spot Techs

Keeping your tech gadgets cool during the summer heat

By Eric Geier (Our Founder & Owner)

Originally published by Cox Media Group on 6/8/25

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​Summer is almost here and the heat is coming. It might feel good to soak up a little sun, but your computer and electronics would rather be cool. So here are some tips to consider:

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Don’t place desktop towers inside cabinets: We often see computer desks with a spot to place the computer tower inside a cabinet. Though you might like that for aesthetic reasons, to hide the computer, it’s not good for heat. We recommended placing computer towers in a well ventilated spot, preferably in the open air and up off the ground. If you do insist on putting your tower in a cabinet, try to use one that has a open back and/or front so there’s some airflow.

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Don’t place laptops on beds or couches: If you have a laptop, try to keep it on a hard surface.

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Soft surfaces like a bed, couch, or blankets can block air vents and fans from working properly. Be careful to also not block the vents and fans when the laptop is on your lap.

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Consider a laptop cooling tray: Laptops have everything crammed inside a small space when compared to desktop towers, so laptops are typically more susceptible to overheating. Newer laptops are usually better heat-wise, but for older laptops or if you want to set your laptop on a soft surface consider getting a cooling tray. These trays offer a hard surface to place the laptop on and have cooling fans built in for additional cooling.

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Try to limit direct sunlight to electronics: Direct sunlight, especially in higher heat environments like your car, can cause overheating of gadgets. Keep this in mind for your laptops, smartphones, or tablets. I’m a fan of windshield suction cup phone mounts, so your phone is in your field of view if you use navigation while driving. But unfortunately, in the summer sun this might lead to your phone overheating and you might have to pull your phone down once in a while to get it out of the sun.

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Have a tech perform a yearly physical cleaning: Dirt, hair, dust, and other particles flying through the air builds up on the vents, fans, and other components of computers.

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Keeping these off and out of your computer as much as possible can help reduce overheating issues. Though you may be able to remove buildup from the outside of your computer, I suggest leaving the inside cleaning to a professional.

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Have a tech check your computer’s temperatures: A computer pro can also check the temperature of your processor and other components inside to see how well they’re being cooled.

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Sometimes you may notice the computer fans running more often or louder, which is a sign of possible overheating. Most computers also have an auto shutoff feature that turns off the computer if the heat hits dangerous temperatures.

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Don’t wait until that point before calling a pro. Have a tech reapply thermal paste: If a tech sees your processor running too hot, they can usually reapply thermal paste between the processor and heatsink. The paste is crucial in cooling and the paste from the factory can dry up after several years.

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Having a computer pro reapply the paste is usually a quick and economical fix though.

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If buying a new computer, try to get a traditional tower: When shopping for a computer, try to buy a traditional computer tower because they have much better cooling ability than other options. If you want a laptop so you can move it around your home or travel, that’s understandable.

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But I don’t suggest buying a laptop if you’re just going to keep it in one spot. All-in-one computers with the computer built into the monitor also have similar heat concerns as laptops since all the components are stuffed into a smaller space. So, that’s one reason I don’t usually recommend the all-in-one computers.

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