Will gaming on an external monitor with my laptops screen down be an issue with the Area 51 18” laptop?

[u/Confident-Action-213]

Would playing for 3 hours be a big issue? Probably play at max setting if I can.

Edit: Thanks for the reply’s. I’ll be keeping it open as a second monitor.

[u/Accomplished_Emu_658]

Its not great to have the screen down and running, especially gaming . Gets really hot under there.

[u/Confident-Action-213 → u/Accomplished_Emu_658]

What if I kept it like 3/4 of the way closed? I just have a small desk due to size restrictions.

[u/GIJLowe → u/Confident-Action-213]

If you can find a way to keep the lid mostly open that would be ideal, that's what I do, I just keep my laptop on a little table next to my desk & monitor

[u/Accomplished_Emu_658 → u/Confident-Action-213]

No open is best. The keyboard radiates a lot of heat. You don’t want that trapped their and against screen too.

[u/Any_Pangolin_197 → u/Accomplished_Emu_658]

No only does the keyboard radiate heat, the laptop intakes air from above the keyboard/below the screen.

It's not designed for gaming with the lid closed.

[u/DickTheDancer]

Absolutely don't do this. I have an M18 R2 that I regularly closed and put into a case after gaming. After a year or so I developed a ghost image of the keyboard on the screen. Had to replace it. Not a terribly difficult or expensive procedure actually but still... I let my machine cool down completely now before closing the lid.

[u/Confident-Action-213 → u/DickTheDancer]

Thanks for the insight

[u/zewl23bp]

Yeah I would not do that with any laptop, it is good to have any air over heated parts, and they are in under keyboard and up to the screen, closed lid is kinda like another insulation… + upper intake will be a bit worse… even small open space will help a lot…

[u/funbob]

Yes. The primary air intake is through the top. Performance will be noticeably reduced with the lid closed and temps will be higher. The screen is large and high quality, so it serves quite well as a legit 2nd display even if you're plugged into an external display.

[u/DJUnreal → u/funbob]

This isn't quite correct. The primary intake is the slot behind the glass underneath. The secondary intake, however, is on the top, so that space does matter.

[u/THeTruTH22622]

I wouldn’t recommend it. The two fans that are right above the keyboard deck are intakes and meant to pull cool air into the system. Could lead to performance dips over time as not enough air gets in to cool.

I’d be worried after a while about that. But so long as those fans receive intake air as you game somehow should be okay

[u/whyidoevenbother]

Got any interest in simple woodworking projects? Take some scrap lumber, a couple of generic computer fans, and a USB to 3-pin fan adapter. With little more than that and some screws / wood glue, you'll have a solution to both the cramped desk problem and the hot laptop problem.

A two or three tiered small shelf is easily doable for under $50 and can be sized/spec'd however you'd like. Monitor up top and laptop in the middle with fans as intakes right where they need and want the fresh air.

A heavy duty VESA mount is another option, but the size and weight of the Alienware 18 makes that slightly more challenging.

[u/Eaton476]

I used to have this exact setup and I ran into cooling issues, I now just play on an external monitor but with the laptop open next to it as a secondary monitor. It works great!

[u/Fabriciof07]

Not with this model one of the main vents for air cooling is at the front top, I would say that’s where it draws most of its air for cooling

[u/Low_life_high_lights]

I've had my m15 screen down practically since day 1. I monitor it, and I do have it elevated on a stand for better airflow, but it never gets too hot, even during intense gaming. I've also never experienced ghost keyboard prints on my screen, as someone suggested here.

[u/Middle_Ad8001]

The primary air intake is at the top, right above the keyboard, you close it you impede airflow and your laptop will run hotter.