Do Gaming Laptops Get Slower Over Time? Surprising Facts Explained!


There are different types of gaming laptops with different specifications. As a gamer, there is a very critical need for you to purchase a durable and long-lasting laptop. A quality gaming laptop will serve you for a long time, and you will spend less on the cost of maintenance and repair. Therefore, it would be best to select a quality product as a recommendation. Do gaming laptops get slower over time? Keep reading as you find out more about that. 

Yes. Gaming laptops get slower over time. However, not all of them might be that slow. Usually, what makes the laptops slow in terms of performance is the result of the cooling fans having too much dust in them. In addition, when the heatsink vanes also capture dust, the laptop’s performance gets even slower.

Usually, gaming is not the reason your laptop gets slower in terms of performance. So, do not blame any game for affecting the performance of your laptop. However, it is said that the general everyday use of your laptop makes it slow in terms of performance. The day-to-day performance will make your hard disk or SSD degrade over time. As a result, the general system performance will decrease.

Here are seven reasons why gaming laptops get slower over time:

1. Overheating

Overheating is one of the reasons why gaming laptops get slower as time goes by. Normally, overheating is caused by lack of proper ventilation if not used on the appropriate surface.

To prevent cases of overheating, there is a crucial need for the laptop to be placed on an even surface where it can ventilate without any difficulties.

2. Accumulation of Dust in the Fan

A fan is among the main cooling components in a laptop. To prevent your gaming laptop from getting slower, there is an important need for you to take care of the fans.

The fans must be cleaned to remove the dust that may have clogged them. With that, there is an assurance that your machine won’t get slower.

3. Outdated or Wrong Drivers

Laptop drivers tend to play a great role in the general running of the laptop. Usually, when the drivers are outdated or wrong, there is a higher possibility that the laptop will be slower than required.

Therefore, the drivers must be replaced if faulty or updated if outdated. With that, your laptop will work efficiently. 

4. Hard Drive Fragmentation 

Usually, when the hard drive is fragmented, the operating system, the programs, and the load of games get even slower. Remember, the hard drive plays a very big role in storage. So, if it fails or is corrupted, your gaming laptop will definitely get slower over time. 

5. Background Programs 

There is a possibility that you may be playing a game, but other programs are running in the background. Yes, that is normal. However, it is not advisable. Usually, when other programs are running in the background, they are likely to consume system resources. When they do so, the gaming laptop will get slower as time goes by. So, ensure that no background apps are running. 

6. Physical Damage 

It is very important that you physically take care of your gaming laptop since physical damage is a reason for your laptop to get slower.

You can take care of it by gently handling it, making updates when required, and repairing the damaged parts of your computer. By doing this, you will be able to increase the lifespan of the laptop. 

7. Moving and Shaking It Around 

Moving or shaking your laptop is not advisable. This is because the movements may cause the nuts or glue to loosen.

Some other parts held by nuts or screws may play a great role in the general running of the system. Hence, when they are loose, they will tend to affect the system’s general performance, making it slower. 

Why is My Gaming Laptop So Slow All of a Sudden?

Your gaming laptop may be slow all of a sudden for various reasons. However, here you will learn how to fix that problem.

Here are five ways of fixing a gaming laptop:

1. Clean your fans.

2. Update drivers.

3. Close background programs.

4. Replace hardware.

5. Allow proper ventilation.

How Do I Speed Up My Laptop for Gaming?

1. Activate Windows game mode.

2. Optimize power settings.

3. Regularly clean your laptop.

4. Overlock the GPU.

5. Optimize the power settings.

Why is My New Gaming Laptop So Slow?

Your laptop may be new, but you feel like it is extremely slow in performance. Usually, that happens due to a variety of reasons. When you experience this slowness, you can try lowering the graphics settings. That will make your laptop run smoothly with the game since they will be compatible.

A laptop running slowly when playing games is sometimes pretty normal. Many programmers develop different games with different graphics abilities. This, in turn, may make the hardware not compatible with the game. As a result, you will experience the computer running games slower than it should. To prevent that, you can always consider updating the hardware.

5 Reasons Why Laptop Slows Down After a Few Minutes

1. When your hard drive is full.

2. When your laptop is too old.

3. When you are out of memory.

4. When your laptop has a virus.

5. When you have an overzealous startup.

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Kevin Roose

If you're looking for someone to write about technology and books, you've come to the right place. I'm a tech lover and love reading books, too. I'll keep you up-to-date on all the information you need to know in the world of technology and books. So, if you're interested in learning more about these topics, be sure to stay tuned!

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