Thread: Is it safe to have a laptop plugged in 24/7?

So my laptop (Acer Aspire 5750G) is basically a desktop replacement and is always ON, even when I'm not home, which is most part of the day. And I also live in an area where power outages are quite frequent. So unhooking the battery is not really an option. The only possibility is leaving the laptop with the battery, plugged in even after battery is fully charged.



That doesn't have any negative effect on the battery, does it? Like is that gonna make the battery die sooner, or drop running-time quicker?

Battery WILL die out on a PC over time if plugged in constantly.
-experience

Originally Posted by Logan96

Battery WILL die out on a PC over time if plugged in constantly.
-experience

+1

make sure you don't leave it plugged in all the time. run the battery until it's low constantly.

my vaio has an option where it maxes out at 50% battery and I've set it to that so my battery stays healthy.

Well, there are two things at play here. First, you have a limited number of charge and recharge cycles for a given battery. This is mainly caused by deformations in the electrodes as electrons are either deposited or depleted from the electrode.

Another issue is entropy, which is directly proportional to the heat in the system. By keeping the battery hot (as it is when powered on), you are subjecting the battery to conditions that cause an increase in entropic degradation of the cells. That is why if you are intending to store batteries for a while, you should store them in either your fridge or freezer. For example, I keep my triple a batteries in the freezer.

I won't hit on the max charge capacity deal, but hybrid is right, as you are charging the battery to max charge it requires much more energy in per Watt/hr of power storage.

To sum up, yes, keeping the battery in the laptop while the laptop is running off of house current will slowly deteriorate your battery. The good news is that replacement batteries are cheap as long as you get them from third parties. You should be able to buy a replacement battery with the same battery life for around $70. I would imagine that subjecting the battery to the conditions you listed would knock a year off the lifetime of the battery at the max, so you're going from about 2.5 years to 1.5 years. Just a guesstimate.

I wouldn't start unplugging it just to discharge it regularly though. I'm not a battery expert or anything, but I did take a semester of graduate level electrochemistry a few semesters ago, and I can't think of any gain that would give you. What's your rationale, hybrid? It seems to me that you would just be unnecessarily eating up discharge/charge cycles.

Originally Posted by oscarnater

Well, there are two things at play here. First, you have a limited number of charge and recharge cycles for a given battery. This is mainly caused by deformations in the electrodes as electrons are either deposited or depleted from the electrode.

Another issue is entropy, which is directly proportional to the heat in the system. By keeping the battery hot (as it is when powered on), you are subjecting the battery to conditions that cause an increase in entropic degradation of the cells. That is why if you are intending to store batteries for a while, you should store them in either your fridge or freezer. For example, I keep my triple a batteries in the freezer.

I won't hit on the max charge capacity deal, but hybrid is right, as you are charging the battery to max charge it requires much more energy in per Watt/hr of power storage.

To sum up, yes, keeping the battery in the laptop while the laptop is running off of house current will slowly deteriorate your battery. The good news is that replacement batteries are cheap as long as you get them from third parties. You should be able to buy a replacement battery with the same battery life for around $70. I would imagine that subjecting the battery to the conditions you listed would knock a year off the lifetime of the battery at the max, so you're going from about 2.5 years to 1.5 years. Just a guesstimate.

I wouldn't start unplugging it just to discharge it regularly though. I'm not a battery expert or anything, but I did take a semester of graduate level electrochemistry a few semesters ago, and I can't think of any gain that would give you. What's your rationale, hybrid? It seems to me that you would just be unnecessarily eating up discharge/charge cycles.

i didnt know that. i just like to let my laptop get low on battery because if it's low, it's not high (which we just discussed lowers the actual charge capacity [or whatever termonology is proper])

Well hybrid, I suppose the option that lets you drain battery automatically is more hardware-related than software. So I guess I have no choice but to keep the PC plugged in, and drain the battery when I am at home.

Thanks guys for the replies

The only computer i have is the laptop. It run 24/7 (60W it's great :P). I have all connected external so it's always there on the desk plugged in. I discharge the battery once a month to keep it alive. Battery Life and How To Improve It

Originally Posted by specialized

The only computer i have is the laptop. It run 24/7 (60W it's great :P). I have all connected external so it's always there on the desk plugged in. I discharge the battery once a month to keep it alive. Battery Life and How To Improve It

I would have been doing the same, trust me, if not for the frequent power outages in my area...

I have a MBP and the battery is shit now cos I constantly forget to unplug it, specially overnight.

Manufacturers ought make more of an effort to warn people against it, you almost always only find out it's not supposed to be done, when your battery's dead!