The fans in Y50 look like they are the same way they are in most laptops. They suck in air from the bottom and exhaust is placed on the sides and/or back. In most cases rising the computer from the desk is enough to drop the temperatures by few degrees. It's more comfortable to use when it's raised and angled, and also the air flow is improved. I use a tower instead of a laptop but when I had a laptop I played on a hard surface and found that removing the bottom cover can work but not sure if it will all come off in one piece with that laptop as my dads did not!