In this day and age, where fake news is rampant, we could easily fall for propaganda about the latest tech. You might've believed one of these "myths" — something that wasn't true, or something that used to be true but isn't anymore.
These myths or misconceptions can perpetuate fear and distort our understanding. Even today, these kinds of 'fake news' still shape how we think and act when it comes to gadgets, especially laptops.
Let’s go through common laptop myths and debunk them one by one.
You Should Always Shut Down Your Laptop when You’re Not Using It.
Some people say you should always shut down your laptop, or that leaving it on for a while is bad. This isn’t true, or at least, not anymore.
You can use your device’s sleep mode to keep it on while saving power. You can leave it on for days or even weeks if it's in a cool, well-ventilated place so it doesn't overheat. However, leaving it on for some time without restarting can cause performance issues like slowdowns.
Generally, users restart their gadgets at least once a week.
More RAM Means Faster Performance
RAM affects performance, especially for tasks like video editing, gaming, or programming. More RAM helps your computer load and run programs faster, which means less lag.
However, adding more RAM isn’t always the best solution. If you’re laptop has an HDD, which is an older type of hard drive, then adding more RAM won’t help. Instead, upgrading to an SSD might help you get a better performance than adding more memory. Upgrading your processor might even be better, especially if you’re always multi-processing.
If you’re just using lightweight applications, you might not even notice a difference with more RAM.
Keeping Your Laptop Plugged In Damages the Battery
A more common myth is that a device overcharges when you still keep it plugged when it’s a 100% capacity. Older battery types didn’t have smart charge controls, so many still think that unplugging constantly is better.
Modern laptops use lithium-ion batteries that stop charging when they're full. Nowadays, leaving it plugged in is fine; manufacturers design the batteries to handle it without damage.
It’s okay to keep it plugged in as long as you keep it cool and let the battery discharge occasionally.
You Should Deplete Your Battery Before Charging It Again
No! And we can’t stress that enough for you. Depleting the battery of your gadget and charging it again does more harm than good. Completely depleting the battery frequently can cause its lifespan to shorten over time. It’s even better to keep your battery percentage between 20% to 80%.
With that said, it's a good idea to fully drain the battery about once a month. This helps your laptop track the battery level more accurately. But for daily use, you should avoid completely depleting your laptop for the best.
Most modern laptops have built-in charge controllers, so you don't need to fully drain the battery before charging again.
Closing Your Laptop Lid While It's Running Can Damage the Screen
Closing the lid while you’re laptop’s running isn’t usually a problem. Most modern laptops handle this common problem by turning into sleep mode once you close the lid.
However, there are instances in which this may cause some problems. Issues like overheating may occur if you have a custom setting where your laptop remains active even with the lid closed. Poor ventilation might also be the cause of this issue once you close the lid and store it in a tight space.
To avoid problems, keep your laptop well-ventilated and check your power settings to see what happens when you close the lid
Expensive Laptops are Always Better
Well, that’s just wrong. Although high-end laptops do come with a price, this doesn’t mean that they will be better. The word “better” will be subjective depending on what you need your laptop to do.
Many laptop parts do similar jobs — some are just better at certain tasks than others. Doing a bit of research can help you avoid buying one that’s only great at one thing but weak at another.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for something to do light activities with, a budget laptop will do just that.
You Don’t Need an Antivirus
This is like saying you don’t need vaccines. Which is wrong, by the way. We need vaccines as much as laptops need antivirus software. Antivirus keeps our laptops safe from slowdowns and our files safe.
Modern laptop systems come with free software like Microsoft Defender. But adding another antivirus is a good idea because Defender won’t protect you when you click risky links.
For most users, especially on Windows 10 or 11, you don’t need a paid antivirus if you stay smart online. But if you want peace of mind or additional features, a paid suite might be worth it.
Clearing the Cache Speeds Up Your Laptop
Plenty of people believe that regularly clearing your browser or system cache will improve your overall laptop speed. You can even see tips that claim “clearing cache = faster performance.” This advice is well-known, but it's only partially true.
Caches help speed things up, not slow them down. Your browser cache, for example, stores data like images and scripts from websites so they load faster the next time. Clearing it can help fix bugs or loading issues. But it doesn’t boost overall performance unless the cache is bloated or corrupted.
By all means, clear the cache only when needed, like during troubleshooting. But don’t expect it to magically speed up your entire laptop.
Laptop Overheating is Bad
If a laptop gets hot, people often fear their device is breaking. People often believe that overheating always means hardware failure. This leads people to buy external coolers or stop using demanding apps.
While extreme heat is dangerous, not all heat is a red flag. Laptops warm up by design, especially during heavy tasks like gaming, video editing, or using virtual machines. They handle high heat by using features like thermal throttling to protect themselves from damage. Even temperatures up to 90–95°C (CPU/GPU) can be normal during intense workloads.
So yes, laptops run hot by design. But if the heat is frequent under light use, that’s when it’s worth checking. You can ask for tech support here at GigaHertz if you’re having heat problems.
Cooling Pads Always Improve Laptop Performance
Cooling pads are marketed as a must-have for hot laptops, especially for gamers or power users. Some believe just placing one under a laptop will instantly drop temperatures and improve performance. This sounds great, but it isn’t always the case.
The effectiveness of a cooling pad depends on your laptop’s cooling design. If your laptop’s air intake is on the bottom, a cooling pad can help. But if it vents from the sides or back, airflow might not benefit much (or at all).
So use cooling pads selectively. Cleaning internal fans and vents often has more impact than buying a cooling pad.
Did we bring a little clarity to you? We understand that most are afraid to break their laptops and gadgets, especially if they’re new. So we listen to the first information that we received and follow it blindly without researching.
We must research things about our laptops so we can utilize them to the best of their abilities. Because aimlessly following secondhand information might do us more harm than good. We become truly powerful when we're informed.