Laptop Battery VS Plug

[Mr Metzger]

One of my friends told me that it was bad for the laptop or the battery if you kept it plugged in via the charger all the time. At first i thought it that was silly but now im not so sure. He said that it shorten the lifespan of the battery by keeping it plugged in.

So should i charge my battery up to full then use the laptop till it runs dry or should I just keep it plugged in all the time. Or does it really not matter.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I usually keep the plug in at all times. I haven't been let down yet.

 

[Infinatex]

I don't have a battery in mine so I don't really have a choice... I guess its now a really portable desktop

 

[atombeast707]

its fine. if its not, both me and my mom are fucked... lol. though my moms computer is at least 5 years old. so i think youre fine.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Nothing bad has happened to my piece of crap laptop's battery because of that. Plug away my friend, plug away.

 

[mad825]

if you leave the plug in the battery will "forget" storage cells and will be unable to store more energy so the best thing to do it to sometimes leave it unplugged and drain the battry so that it is possible to renew thr energy in the storage cells which will maintain the life span

if you are not going mobile its best to leave the battery out of the laptop and leave it on the mains to prevent this sort of thing.

don't forget that the battery will naturally degrade over time.

 

[sunburst]

EDIT: Strange, I just did a little research and I was entirely mistaken. For most laptop batteries, they simply need to be mostly drained and then recharged every couple of weeks to maintain battery life. The more you know.

 

[Antitonic]

One of my friends told me that it was bad for the laptop or the battery if you kept it plugged in via the charger all the time. At first i thought it that was silly but now im not so sure. He said that it shorten the lifespan of the battery by keeping it plugged in.

So should i charge my battery up to full then use the laptop till it runs dry or should I just keep it plugged in all the time. Or does it really not matter.

It depends on what type of battery and charger it has. A lithium battery doesn't have any memory effect, but with a cycling charger it can damage the cells. If it has a charger that turns itself off when it's charged, not just when the battery gets warm, it's better. Nickel-metal hydride or nickel-cadmium batteries retain memory, so it's better to take them off and use them.

In any case, you should never run a battery to empty. They have thresholds. Generally, when it starts to run down, ie: when the 10% or 5% warning pops up, that's when you charge. Charging an older battery with too much left in it, or any battery that's been run dry damages it.

 

[Hiphophippo]

If I don't keep mine plugged in I'd never be on it. My battery lasts about 40 minutes at max power.

 

[Marter]

I almost always have mine plugged in. The battery hasn't been an issue yet, and I've done this for over a year now.

 

[Radeonx]

Well, I've been doing it for 3 years straight, and nothing has happened, so I think you're fine.

 

[grimsprice]

This is a myth. Its totally fine to plug it in.

 

[Lizardon]

I leave it plugged in all the time. But if I'm taking it somewhere at plan to use it on battery, I let it go flat and then recharge it. It gives about an extra half hour of battery life.

Leaving it plugged in does reduce the battery, but it's a pretty slow process.

 

[Sevre]

My battery's dead from leaving it plugged in, so yeah now it's just a portable desktop.

 

[TimeLord]

If you keep your laptop plugged in all the time, the battery doesn't get used to holding it's charge and will become less efficient.

I keep my laptop plugged in all the time

 

[ZephrC]

Well, seeing as how batteries can only survive a limited number of discharge and recharges, you're really screwed either way. I don't know off the top of my head what precise method leads to the longest possible battery life, but batteries are replaceable anyway if it becomes a problem, so whatever.

Personally I don't have a wireless router, so since I'm chained to a wall anyway I figure I may as well leave the damned thing plugged in.