That’s why you shouldn’t place your gaming monitor in direct sunlight

Do you want to take advantage of the nice weather and put your desk in the sun or are you even considering working outside? MeinMMO explains why you shouldn’t expose your monitor or your display to the blazing sun.

It’s warm and many users are taking advantage of the nice weather to work outside or at least in the sun. Such a desk is quickly placed in the sun. But your monitor doesn’t necessarily think it’s great if you expose the device to the blazing sun.

Heat and UV radiation can damage monitors

Can the sun damage my monitor? The light from the sun itself is not the problem, but the UV radiation. Because the UV radiation from direct sunlight quickly makes plastics brittle and weak, thereby accelerating the wear and tear of your hardware.

Windows can filter certain UV rays. But it depends on what is installed in your apartment. Window panes made of laminated safety glass, for example, filter out UVB radiation. This is the radiation that provides you with vitamin D, but also causes sunburn.

Long-wave UVA radiation still comes through the window to a large extent. Experts say UVA radiation in high, long-term concentrations can damage the skin (via Velux magazine)

The display unit itself can also be damaged by direct sunlight. Both LCD, LED and OLED displays can be damaged by the sun or at least malfunction (via thenaturehero.com). It is best to pay attention to the manual that comes with every monitor. With older plasma televisions, there was always a note not to expose the device to direct sunlight.

In addition, direct sunlight provides warmth. This in turn means that the monitor has to work at higher temperatures. And high temperatures are always a disadvantage for electronic devices. Many devices usually shut down when they overheat. However, it can be worthwhile to switch off your gaming PC properly and not just leave it on standby.

PC hardware does not belong outside: Monitors and most computer hardware don’t belong outside anyway. Because monitors or computers are not bought as outdoor devices, but are in most cases made for a home or office. So if you see pictures on reddit of people setting up their equipment in the garden, then you shouldn’t copy it.

You should always avoid heat with hardware

Regardless of whether it is a monitor, desktop PC or laptop, no device likes permanently high temperatures. Because if you are not damaging your hardware, then at least the processor and graphics card in the PC throttle their performance to get the temperatures under control.

Basically, we would therefore advise you to take the time to cool your computer or your hardware. Sometimes it is even enough if you relocate your PC and get it out of a dusty corner or clean the dust filter of animal hair:

8 tips to keep your gaming PC cool and faster in summer