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Lap top battery

Ive got a new lap top...ooooh
I was wondering whats the best way to use it?
Do I keep the charge on all the time when im using it or do I drain the battery.
Will the battery get damaged, me leaving it on charge?
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

Comments

  • Browntoa
    Browntoa Posts: 49,611 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    charge discharge and recharge
    Ex forum ambassador

    Long term forum member
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Unless you mean doing this once, that is far from being clear, I disagree. Repeated charging and discharging wears the battery out as the number of cycles is limited. I would use the laptop with the power supply when/wherever possible
  • Neil_Jones
    Neil_Jones Posts: 9,628 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Two schools of thought:

    1) Charge it up, run it down. Repeat as required. Downside is you can only do this so many times and each time it wears the cells out.

    2) Using the laptop on the mains all the time is an option, though IMO defeats the whole point of having a laptop in the first place. This will not extend the life of the battery though.

    However you look at it, you will need a new battery for the laptop at some point in the future; they don't last forever. All batteries eventually degrade and lose their charge naturally even if you charge it up fully, it will naturally deplete itself over time.

    Here's an interesting article:
    http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/leave-laptop-plugged-time/
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,946 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Dont leave it 100% charged all the time and dont run it too low.

    Keep it between 30 and 80%. Lithium batteries stored at an 80% charge
    last a long time.

    Store it flat or at 100% and they degrade faster.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 29 January 2016 at 10:19PM
    Li-ion cells degrade faster if they're fully charged. I think I read that keeping them at around 60% charge is optimum. So maybe turning the charger on at 40% and off at 80% would be practical?

    Heat isn't good for li-ion batteries either. I wouldn't bother with any kind of "laptop cooler pad", but be careful if you put it on the carpet, sofa, or even your legs (although at least you can feel if it gets hot then!).

    (Ah! I should've typed quicker, Forgotmyname!)
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