Laptop charging dilemma

[Mandrake9072]

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I currently own a new Thinkpad (T61) and I'm happy with it and all, but I just have a question about charging it.

Is it better to:

A. Leave the laptop charging continuously and run it off the power whenever possible

B. Run it off the battery and charge when needed

C. Charge it continuously but take it off when laptop is shutdown

D. None of the above/does not matter.

I hope I phrased them correctly. I'm just worried that if I always keep it charged, it may affect battery power somehow. Or that if I use it and charge it when needed often, it may affect the battery.

To give you further info as to how I use the laptop: Laptop is always in the dorm. I don't take them to classes. I'm usually using the maximum power saving option when running of battery.

 

[GQgeek]

i've never thought about it and i doubt anyone has ever run tests to see how much it affected battery life. If there's a plug around, I use it. It's a big problem if i'm away from the office and my battery doesn't have a full charge and it dies when i really need it.

 

[Mute]

The new generation of lithium batteries do not have a problem with always being plugged in and fully charged. Don't worry about it.

 

[Earthmover]

I generally leave my laptop plugged in, but whenever I start running it on battery, I always drain it before re-plugging in (unless, obviously, when situation doesn't allow that). People have been impressed on how long my laptop battery lasts even after 4-5 years. I'm not quite sure empirically whether it helps, but anecdotally speaking it does work for me, and since it's not really that hard to do, I do it.

I do the same thing with ipods, on the logic that most batteries are rated for a set number of charges. The way to reduce the number of charges is by not charging the battery constantly.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Earthmover

I generally leave my laptop plugged in, but whenever I start running it on battery, I always drain it before re-plugging in (unless, obviously, when situation doesn't allow that). People have been impressed on how long my laptop battery lasts even after 4-5 years. I'm not quite sure empirically whether it helps, but anecdotally speaking it does work for me, and since it's not really that hard to do, I do it.

I do the same thing with ipods, on the logic that most batteries are rated for a set number of charges. The way to reduce the number of charges is by not charging the battery constantly.

you keep your laptop for 4-5 years?

 

[HomerJ]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

you keep your laptop for 4-5 years?

I've had one going on 5.0 years now... sigh need to get a new XPS m1330 but this old 600m just will not die or become toooo slow..

For battery life, I've heard memory effect is not a problem these days for Li.

I think if you really want to squeeze every drop out, you'd remove the battery at 50% charged and store in a cool place, take it out and charge it when you need to be mobile. Run the laptop off AC with no battery. That way it's not hot and not being charge/discharge all the time. Of course that is crazy. Just leave it in and buy a new one later from eBay.

 

[Earthmover]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

you keep your laptop for 4-5 years?

I used the same one throughout law school, then eventually got a desktop to add to it when I moved to NY (I live in a duplex, so it's nice to have a computer on each floor). I'm actually very serious about keeping my computer running in tiptop shape, so despite running Windows 2000, it does everything I need (read: browsing the internet) at good speeds. I recently got another laptop, so I may have to retire it for good, though.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Earthmover

I used the same one throughout law school, then eventually got a desktop to add to it when I moved to NY (I live in a duplex, so it's nice to have a computer on each floor). I'm actually very serious about keeping my computer running in tiptop shape, so despite running Windows 2000, it does everything I need (read: browsing the internet) at good speeds. I recently got another laptop, so I may have to retire it for good, though.

My current one is pissing me off and i got it 6 months ago. I don't like the screen and the battery life is horrible.

 

[Milhouse]

The IT guy where I work told me to run the battery to 0% once per month for best lifespan. I should probably do that sometime.

 

[65535]

Originally Posted by Milhouse

The IT guy where I work told me to run the battery to 0% once per month for best lifespan. I should probably do that sometime.

Definitely do NOT do that.

1) liion charge life is finite
2) laptop battery meter calibration will only fall out of wack when the battery reaches EOL
3) doing that can cause a battery on the edge of failure to fail quickly. So say your battery is good for an hour at a time, and then you charge anyway, a complete discharge/recharge and the battery might only give you 10-15 minutes, or refuse to accept a new charge once discharged

 

[65535]

Originally Posted by Earthmover

Windows 2000

is probably one of the best OS microsoft has ever released from an efficiency and stability standpoint

Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's not good. If you can still use it, do so. No new drivers are being made... this is the only way MS can kill a good OS.

(vista? no thanks)

 

[v0rtex]

Originally Posted by Mandrake9072

D. None of the above/does not matter.

Like many of these similar little points in computing, it's something that mattered a lot when the technology was new and fragile but these days it's not a huge issue. Especially with the ThinkPads, which are generally very well built (I'm using a 3 year old T42 here which still works as new - previously I was replacing broken systems every 12-18 months).

Same with the anti-static wrist strap, whether or not to power a computer down at night or if you should reinstall Windows every few months - it doesn't really matter as long as the machine is running as you want it to.

Having said that, a few of those old wives tales are still relevant - don't let anything get too hot as this will shorten the lifespan (I turn my laptop off at night) and don't buy the first generation of any new technology as it's always rushed to market so the early adopters (ie. suckers) can fund the next revision which actually works properly.

 

[thinksimple]

I'm using a Macbook Pro, and I leave it on nearly constantly. The battery heath doesn't seem to be affected by this, but from experience, I've heard it's better to cycle the battery (i.e. let it drain, then give it a full charge)