Don't be "tech basic:" What you need to know about electronics and temperature control

Device temperature control may not be something you've spent much time thinking about, but it's one of the key considerations that the engineers who design your electronics must take into account. In the video above, Lenovo Senior Competitive Analyst and "Explainer of Things" Kevin Beck details the process of optimizing thermal performance and why it matters — and he does so while sampling a series of increasingly spicy hot sauces.

As Beck progresses from mild to mouth-scorching hot sauces, you may notice that he's not exactly functioning at peak eloquence. (In fact, he's pretty much choking his way through the final sentences, peppering the interview with some... let's call it "colorful" language.) In a way, the same thing happens to your electronic devices: When they get too hot, performance suffers. This is why you may have noticed your old PC getting glitchy when you've got 16 browser tabs open or when you're six hours into an intense binge-watching session. It’s essentially your device’s way of saying, “$*#@, that’s hot!”

We spoke directly with Beck (sans habaneros) to re-cap the basics about this interesting topic. Whether you've always been curious about the vents on the bottom of your laptop or simply want to impress friends at tech trivia night, here's a primer on device temp control and what goes into it from an engineering perspective.

Beating the heat: Your PC and temperature control

So, why exactly is heat "the enemy" when it comes to your beloved electronics? And why do some devices get hotter than others? "It’s directly related to processing power," says Beck, breaking down the technicalities: "The power consumption and heat generation of processors is measured in Watts (W) of Thermal Design Power (TDP). Modern notebook processors are generally anywhere from 15-25W for thin notebooks and 45W-plus for thicker notebooks, compared to mobile phone processors, which are less than 5W."

Beck explains that all electronic components generate heat to some extent. Though some parts produce very little heat on their own, when they combine with elements like processors and graphics chips, the total amount of heat can be "considerable." Background processes, too — another source of heat — are constantly running behind the scenes when you use your computer.

To find the optimal balance of performance and heat, engineers at Lenovo use modeling software, which suggests how cooling solutions can be optimized in terms of layout and design. It's not an easy or quick process, though: "It requires lots of engineering experience and time to get it right," Beck explains.

Aesthetics are another consideration when it comes to thermal performance and design. In notebook computers, for instance, susceptibility to heat is compounded by the fact that devices are getting ever thinner — which presents engineers and designers with a conundrum. Not only is there less room for airflow to cool the device, but the components are closer together, which means heat transfers among them more quickly. Creating a design that looks sleek and won't easily overheat is a team effort that requires input from multiple design departments, including the industrial design and thermal engineering teams.

"These teams must work closely together to achieve the right balance," explains Beck. "I think most non-thermal engineers would be surprised by the sheer number of factors and variables that have to be accounted for."

Among those elements for a notebook PC, for example, are temperature sensors in all the internal components as well as in the external casing, in addition to the CPU/GPU's workload, the speed and noise of the fan, and elements like battery life. "All of these factors have to be monitored and balanced every second of every hour the notebook is in use," says Beck.

Intelligent Cooling

Lenovo uses its own system for designing and programming optimal thermal performance. The system combines hardware (fans and temperature sensors) and software (power control of processors and other components) to balance heat and performance.

"Our Intelligent Cooling systems are designed and programmed to take into account all of the contributing factors like the intrinsic heat production characteristics of the components, the behavior of the system when being used (software processing loads as well as physical factors like being on a lap versus on a desk), and the thermal characteristics of the materials used in the casing of the notebook (metals, plastics, carbon fiber, etc.)," says Beck. He also explains that Lenovo's ThinkPad notebooks use an anti-static circuit in their fans, which discharges static electricity from the cooling vents so they don't get clogged with dust as easily.

Beck believes three things will improve thermal performance in the future: Advanced heat-spreading materials like carbon/graphite, lower TDP processors, and improvements in software-based power management like the Intelligent Cooling systems used by Lenovo.

All these efforts are meant to keep your computer calm, cool, and collected when its feeling the heat — and prevent performance from suffering.

After all, as Beck puts it at the end of his video, "You do not want the inside of your computer to be going through what the inside of my mouth is going through right now."

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