As a general guideline, these temperatures are really the maximum I would consider safe for a laptop…
- 0-104F (40C) = Cold.
- 122F – 158F [50-70C] = Typical-ish use, still safe.
- 159F – 185F [70-85C] = Heavy use, consider moving to flat surface, elevating, or cooling it.
- 185F+ [85]+ = Hot! Go take a break.
If you laptop (or desktop) is running hotter than that, then double check to see if there is dust buildup in the cooling system. Â Is there anything around the air inlet’s that would be blocking them? Â Shag carpet? Â Fluffy lap blanket? etc…
Long answer: the highest temperature the internals can handle depends on the manufacturer and model. Unless you feel like opening the laptop up, your best bet is to do the following:
- Find the CPU model by looking at the System Information screen or via System Information.
- Google for the datasheet. For instance, if it’s a P8700, you would google for {P8700 datasheet}.
- Download and open the datasheet. Look for a section named something like “Maximum Ratings”; this section will have either a maximum storage temperature or a maximum running temperature.
Alternately, you can try finding it in this list, but it’s a bit out of date.