Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

[Heelfan71]

Is it bad for the battery to leave the power chord plugged in all the time??

[MassNole]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

It is generally a good idea to let the battery run all the way down and to recharge it to full power every now and again. I leave mine plugged in all the time, but that is because my battery is dying.

[jmood88]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Yeah it's bad. My battery only lasts for about 2 hours before dying.

[snepp]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Yeah, you're not doing your battery any favors by having it plugged in all the time.

[DubTrey1]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

The truth is that laptops and laptop batteries are designed with the intent that they be plugged in as often as possible. In fact, most manufacturers suggest leaving them plugged in all the time. The heat you feel from the bottom of a laptop that's been running all day doesn't really have anything to do with whether it's plugged in or not. Laptops get hot due to their internal components and the chemical reaction in the battery. The A/C charge has very little to do with it. So, from a pure safety standpoint: Plugged in is just fine.
The other question concerns your battery's lifespan. Will leaving it plugged in decrease its useful life? The short answer is no, at least not enough that you're likely to notice. Lithium-ion batteries have no "memory effect" like nickel-based batteries, so there's no worry about plugging them back in before they're completely drained. But like all batteries, lithium cells lose capacity over time. The more they are drained and recharged, the more their internal structure warps, and they eventually become unusable. This happens due to heat, and since your battery gets hot even when it isn't discharging, as long as you have it installed in a running computer, it's going to be affected to some extent. Now this effect is really pretty minimal compared to constant charge-discharge cycles, but if you turn off your laptop at night and unplug it, or if you run your laptop plugged in, without a battery installed, that battery will last slightly longer when you do eventually start using it (so long as you keep it properly charged most of the time). However, the extra lifespan you gain is not even remotely worth the extra hassle in doing all this work. Bottom line: Leave your notebook's battery installed, and plug it in as often as you can.

Link - http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/67132

[Blzer]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Is it bad for the battery to leave the power chord plugged in all the time??

I believe so. I got my laptop in August 2006, left the battery and power cord in virtually any possible chance I had. Now (with my old battery), if I decided to unplug my computer, it shuts off. There isn't even a millisecond's delay.

It's the lithium, I believe.

[pfunk880]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Link - http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/67132

QFT

[p_rushing]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

It is bad, despite what it says in the link above. The laptop I'm using now will not charge the laptop when plugged in until it drops below 95%. This was a setting that popped up asking me if I wanted to do that. Otherwise it will always be drawing power from the battery and charging it. One thing you can do is remove the battery and put it back in if you need to unplug it. It might not be noticeable, but it will hurt the durability of the battery.

[Heelfan71]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

I like the idea of charging the battery and then taking it out. 90% of the time I am in range of my plug so I will just pop in the battery if I need to be mobile.

[Blzer]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

It is bad, despite what it says in the link above. The laptop I'm using now will not charge the laptop when plugged in until it drops below 95%. This was a setting that popped up asking me if I wanted to do that. Otherwise it will always be drawing power from the battery and charging it. One thing you can do is remove the battery and put it back in if you need to unplug it. It might not be noticeable, but it will hurt the durability of the battery.

This is what I want to start doing, but does anybody know if the bottom collecting dust will do anything bad to the computer?

[Moses Shuttlesworth]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

From what I've been told by various people, if you leave the charger plugged in while the battery is at 100%, the total percentage of the battery gets used up, and lowers the battery's lifespan. So, obviously the recommendation would be leaving it plugged in only when necessary.

[BTB]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

It actually depends on the technology being used by that specific battery and laptop. However, in my experience, letting the battery run down to 50% and taking it out when you know you are going to run on AC mode is generally a good idea. My battery lasted for a good 3 hours for like 3 years while I did that, then one semester I stopped and left it in all the time, and now it literally lasts 5 minutes.

[fishepa]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Whats the point of using a laptop if it's plugged into power all the time? The point of a laptop is a portable computer to be used where there is no power.

[snepp]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Whats the point of using a laptop if it's plugged into power all the time? The point of a laptop is a portable computer to be used where there is no power.

Is that really the point of a laptop?

I find the primary benefit to be the portability itself, with the ability to run without AC power as a side bonus. What percentage of a typical laptop's use occurs where there is no access to power?

[Husker_OS]

Re: Is it bad to leave laptop plugged in all the time?

Whats the point of using a laptop if it's plugged into power all the time? The point of a laptop is a portable computer to be used where there is no power.

My laptop is my only computer here at my apartment...so it kinda has to stay plugged in.