Monitor Vent Heating/Temperature Concerns...???

TigerByteKid

New Member
I am a newbie to computers and I recently bought a used monitor from Craigslist. After being turned on for a couple of hours the vents get kind of hot and they are warm to the touch.

Is it totally normal for computer monitors to make heat such as this...? How warm or hot should a monitor run/operate at during a 'normal/average' use case scenario...?

The reason I am confused and concerned is because the monitor in question is over 10 years old and is obviously used. I don't know the monitors used history and who knows how many times its been re-sold and/or exchanged hands/owners. Therefore, I don't know the previous use cases for the monitor and it may well have been used to some extremes. I totally forgot to ask the previous owner if he was the original owner or if he bought it from someone else.

Therefore, I am a little concerned on the reliability and the longevity of the monitor, since it makes a lot of heat for being such an old monitor and has probably been used too long and/or to extremes already.

Monitor Specs: Acer V223W _ 22" _ 1680x1050 _ 60hz _ Released in 2009 (I thinks/afaik)
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
They will get hot and I believe I had the same one. November 12 2008 was the actual release date.
 

TigerByteKid

New Member
I did a monitor test for dead pixels and it passed with flying colors. I also played some movies/videos from YouTube and some light gaming and it passed with flying colors also. No streaks, No lines, No color fading. No scratches and no dents. No freezing or glitching. As far as I can tell, I got a pretty good deal given the condition and performance so far. It would probably pass for a Grade B or 8/10 on Mechanics and Cosmetics.

Some general questions...

1. Can a monitor overheat and How can you tell if it is overheating? Can a monitor malfunction or become in a state that is beyond repair if allowed to overheat too long and/or too many times?

2. How long can a monitor last if taken care of really well and is only used within 'normal' operating conditions/use cases...? I mean, there are monitors from the 80's that still work and that people will still hoard and collect for vintage/retro nostalgia purposes.
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
There is no set time for the lifespan of a monitor. I bought nothing but Acers when I first starting years ago and I still have a couple to this day. Even sold one to someone that wanted a bigger monitor. I also have one that died that will just not display any signal after a few seconds of being on. AL2216w and made in 2007, died middle of 2021 so it lasted 14 years. Those cheap Acers aren't the best monitor but I was happy with them. I'm now interesting in getting a 31" or larger and 75 or higher hertz monitor, currently have a 27" Asus.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
I see 10+ year old monitors still in rotation pretty regularly. I just now ditched my ASUS ones that were probably from 2011ish this past year and they were still working.

The heat is to be somewhat expected. As long as it's working and you got it dusted well, just use it till it dies. Some of those earlier flat screens did dump out some heat.
 
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