Preserving the life of the heat fan in a laptop

[jujubee08]

How does one keep the heat sink in a laptop from failing?

My old laptop's fan failed me after 3 years.

My concern now is that if I buy a new laptop, the processor will be so fast and generate so much heat that the fan will burn out in no time.

Its seem to be that this would a dilemma...with more processing speed, more heat and less life for the heat fan

Am I wrong to assume this?

[FreewheelinFrank]

I'd imagine manufacturers fit fans with enough puff to cope with the heat output of the various processors and memory cards.

All you can do is to keep the vents clear and as dust-free as possible.

If you use the laptop to do CPU/Graphics card intensive task, you could consider a laptop cooler:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-NOTEBOOK-COOLER-Notebook-Cooler/dp/B0000BVYTV

[bob3160]

On a Laptop, it helps to simply elevate the back of the laptop when it's resting on a flat surface.
I have a piece of wood which is approximately 1/2 inch thick and as long as the computer itself.
This permits the heat to escape and not build up as badly as when the computer simply lays flat.

[Darkmage]

Another thing to do is keep the immediate area around your laptop clean, esp. around the back and sides. This will also allow heat to escape.

And yeah, keep it on a suitable surface while you're using it (no carpets, blankets, etc.), and keep it away from dusty and dirty locations.

One more thing--when you're not using it and you don't want to completely shut it down, close the lid to put it into standby mode. This will keep the fan from working too hard as well.

My laptop is six years old and I've never had a problem with the fan.