MSI Laptops Overheating: Why They Do It And How To Fix

Gaming laptops and other high-end PC hardware can get got. Do laptops from top brands like MSI overheat?

We’ll go into more detail about what you can do to keep your MSI laptop cooler, both with software and a couple of things you can do on your desk.

MSI Laptop Overheating

There are two ways to answer this question: An MSI laptop can overheat, but we also have to be careful about defining what overheating means. 

A computer being warm to the touch is fairly normal. A computer that has the fans going full speed while playing a demanding game is also normal. 

Most laptops from MSI can reach a temperature of 80 degrees celsius, which is nearly 180 degrees, without an issue.

You’ll know the temperature barrier when your laptop actually shuts off! Some MSI laptops have different thresholds for that than others.

Is overheating bad for my MSI  laptop?

An MSI gaming laptop is often loaded up with a high end processor, as well as high end RAM, and a higher end graphics card to enable games to have a solid frame rate at all times, even with intense computer games.

While these laptops are literally designed for the purpose, having them get too hot on a regular basis can lead to unnecessary wear and tear on the metals within, and result in what were once fast onboard hardware pieces slowing down, or potentially failing.

What can I do about an overheating MSI laptop?

There are a few things you can do to help your MSI laptop stay cool while performing. We’ll discuss a few of them, starting with the easiest.

Ventilation

This is the most obvious and by far the easiest. If you have a busy, packed in desk for your laptop, you’ll want to give the laptop some more room to let air flow out of your MSI laptop’s fans. 

You could go as far as getting a stand for your laptop so that any fans on the bottom part of the laptop are blowing into open air instead of a desk.

You’ll also be able to tell if fans are plugged up or blocked – give those a good cleaning.

Undervolting and adjusting with software

If there is an issue that is not solved by increasing the airflow to the laptop, you should be able to do the next easiest thing by adjusting the software that came with the laptop. 

Many MSI laptops come with Dragon Center, which allows you to change a variety of settings, including when fans should kick on, and to also slow down the graphics card in certain scenarios. 

You’ll want to do some tests to verify a couple of things: Is your graphics card overheating, or is it your processor? Or both? Get temperature software for the purpose and read about the specs for your computer to see how hot they should get.

Once you’ve solved the source of your heat problem, you can start to  make sure you aren’t impacting your overall computer performance too much by using Dragon Center to start making tweaks. You can adjust many variables within Dragon Center and experiment until you find a combination that best fits how you use your MSI laptop.

Adjusting your processor down just a little bit can help here – you can start by changing the maximum usage from 100% to 99% and make small changes until you feel like you have the right combination.

You are also unlikely to notice these changes within actual performance.

The only issue you might find is that asking the fan to turn on earlier and more often might result in more noise, but the solution could be worthwhile.

Thermal paste

Thermal paste is a substance that acts like glue, and is meant to insulate the computer from heat while drawing it away. 

One issue that can happen with an MSI laptop – or any laptop, is worn thermal paste. 

We list this potential fix last mostly because it involves opening up your MSI laptop and disassembling at least part of the chassis to access the processor. 

There aren’t really risks involved with this process, just more work than simply changing software or getting a stand.

While thermal paste typically comes with instructions, our advice is to remove any existing thermal paste and apply a good coating of a good, well reviewed brand for the purpose.

Gaming laptops are hot

Generally speaking, gaming laptops do run hot.

 Since the laptop is using a good amount of electricity to power a higher end graphics card, a processor, and RAM, your MSI laptop will likely make some sound, and potentially heat when playing games on higher settings.

Also note that the temperatures measured by the software we suggested are looking at internal heat – you aren’t likely to burn your skin touching an MSI laptop.

Key Takeaways

• MSI laptops, like any other laptop or  computer, can overheat while under load
• Some of the best solutions include ensuring positive airflow, cleaning out fans, and potentially getting a stand for the laptop
• Other corrections include using built in software, as well as other software to tweak the graphics card and processor while monitoring temperatures
• A final attempt to fix overheating problems involves applying new and more thermal paste to the processor
• Note that getting hot and overheating are two different things: Check the manufacturers specs on how hot a laptop from MSI is supposed to get.