I got my HP Omen gaming laptop's thermal paste changed and deep cleaned here. The service was super good and quick, done within an hour! 🚀 They even gave me tips on laptop care. The price was reasonable at 1200Rs, and they use quality thermal paste too. Highly recommend! 👍😊💻 …
Hot to touch · loud fan · slows under load · shuts off in games
Why is my laptop overheating?
Laptops are designed to run warm, but a base you cannot rest on, a fan that never stops, or a machine that slows after ten minutes means the cooling path is blocked. The fix is almost always a clean and fresh thermal paste, and it makes the laptop faster too.
Quick answer
Overheating is nearly always a blocked cooling path: dust packed into the heatsink fins, thermal paste that has dried between the chip and the heatsink, or a fan that has slowed or stopped. The laptop protects itself by slowing down (throttling) and finally switching off. A thermal service, cleaning plus re-pasting, fixes most cases; a failed fan is replaced.
Likely causes
- CommonDust in the heatsink fins
- A felt of dust between fan and fins stops airflow. Bengaluru dust does this in a year or two. Thermal service
- CommonDried thermal paste
- The paste that carries heat from the chip to the heatsink hardens after two to three years. Heat stays in the chip.
- SometimesFan slowed or stopped
- Worn bearings rattle; a dead fan is silent while the laptop cooks. Fan noise and failure
- SometimesBlocked vents
- Use on a bed, sofa or lap seals the intake. Free fix: a hard surface or a stand.
- SometimesSoftware pinning the processor
- A stuck update, a runaway browser tab or malware keeps the chip at full speed. Check Task Manager before opening the laptop.
Safe checks you can do first
- Task Manager → Performance → CPU. If it sits near 100% with nothing open, software is the cause.
- Put your hand near the exhaust vent under load. Warm air flowing is good; no airflow means a blocked or stopped fan.
- Listen: rattling means the bearing; silence while hot means the fan has stopped.
- Move to a hard, flat surface for an hour and see whether it improves.
- Note when it started: after an update (software), gradually over months (dust and paste), or suddenly (fan).
What not to do
- Do not spray compressed air into the vents of an assembled laptop; it packs dust deeper and can spin the fan past its rating.
- Do not run games or renders on a laptop that is shutting down from heat; repeated thermal shutdowns age the battery and board.
- Do not rely on a cooling pad to fix a blocked heatsink; it treats the symptom.
When it is a repair, and which one
A thermal service: full disassembly to the heatsink, dust cleared, fresh paste on CPU and GPU, thermal pads checked, fan tested and replaced if worn. We log temperatures before and after so you see the difference in numbers.
Overheating and thermal service
What it usually costs
What decides the price
- Cleaning and paste vs fan replacement vs full heatsink assembly
- Single fan vs dual-fan gaming design
- Ultra-thin designs that take longer to open
We quote after a free diagnosis of your specific model, in writing, before any work starts. There is no charge if you decide not to go ahead.
Real Google reviews
Customers who came in with this
My laptop used to heat up uncontrollably within just 10 minutes of gaming, which severely affected its performance. I consulted Skylab regarding this issue, and they recommended a complete laptop service. Upon inspection, they found that …
Questions people ask
Before you decide
Why is my laptop overheating all of a sudden?
Sudden heat is usually a fan that has stopped or software pinning the processor. Gradual heat over months is dust and paste. Both are fixable.
Why is my laptop overheating when I play games?
Games load the CPU and GPU together, so any weakness in cooling shows up first there. A gaming laptop that throttles after ten minutes almost always needs a clean and re-paste.
Can overheating damage my laptop?
Repeated overheating ages the battery, stresses solder joints and keeps the machine throttled. Thermal shutdowns are the laptop protecting itself, but they are a sign to act.
Why is my laptop overheating and not turning on?
If it shut down hot and now will not start, let it cool fully and try again. If it still will not start, a component may have failed; that is a board diagnosis.
Not sure which one you have?
Describe it in a sentence or send a photo. We tell you what it is before you spend anything.
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Next step
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Free diagnosis at the Whitefield workshop, or free pickup nearby.