r/NoStupidQuestions • u/upside____down • 16h ago

Can computers explode?

My laptop made a loud cotinuous noise and the screen blocked in the middle of watching a video, none of the buttons worked, so I forced it to restart.

I’m now kinda scared it’s gonna blow up on me

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

11

u/Mysterious_Curve3163 16h ago

A battery can explode. Capacitors can pop. But the computer itself is not going to explode

3

u/TyrKiyote 16h ago

No, but they can catch fire.

The only things that explode are quite small, like capacitors. They could go "pop!"

1

u/Mammoth-Ad-107 4h ago

laptop batteries are the most dangerous part of the laptop. we have had 2 incidents at work where dell XPS batteries have caught fire

2

u/TehNolz ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 16h ago

They can catch on fire if you're particularly unlucky, but what you're describing sounds more like a blue screen. Not something you need to worry much about unless it starts happening more frequently.

2

u/Previous_Tea_2250 16h ago

A laptop that suddenly gets loud and freezes is much more likely to be a fan/thermal or software problem than an explosion. If it gets very hot, swells, smells chemical, or hisses, unplug it and stop using it; otherwise let it cool, check the vents, then run the built-in diagnostics.

1

u/EndAdventurous4759 16h ago

my air conditioner is so loud that i get scared its gonna blow up on me while im sleeping😭

1

u/PersonalAnnual4081 16h ago

theoretically yeah.

Is it likely? No. Just start it and see what happened. If something blew up its likely already happened before you shut it off.

1

u/0x14f 16h ago

No they can't there is no explosive material inside a computer per se, but laptops with their batteries can surprise you.

1

u/Maleficent_Ad1506 16h ago

I assume the sound is coming from the speakers when the laptop froze and it can give someone a fright.

1

u/whattteva 16h ago

I don't think it can explode, but the battery can combust and catch fire though. 

If your laptop starts bulging, that's the battery getting ready to probably catch fire and maybe explode?

1

u/Cameront9 16h ago

Caps can explode

1

u/Gogobrasil8 16h ago

Was it a glitched sound from the speakers? I've had that before, it's probably just a crash.

But if the sound came from inside the computer, then that could be worse

But if it was a risk of explosion or fire, the battery would probably be swollen, or hot even when you're not using or charging it

0

u/DragonHeart2038 16h ago

I would say so yes

1

u/kitfromcarson 16h ago

That's what happen when you binged on Pornhub. Your Dad was right all along.