Computer Science Canada How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
| Author: | hotwire [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
I have a lithium ion battery. I keep hearing very different things from other people and websites on how to extend battery life. I read that you should not discharge your battery by very much - I once heard that you should not go below 60% - although I've heard the "you should discharge it completely once you started" line too. But then why am I supposed to store the battery at 40%, doesn't that mean I have to go through a somewhat deep discharge? Also I've heard that you're supposed to calibrate it by letting it go to near 0 and let the computer automatically hibernate, but I guess that's only supposed to be done monthly and bad if done frequently. I've also heard some people say that you're supposed to take out your battery when it's fully charged and running on AC power, some say it doesn't matter, and some say that it makes it worse because dust collects in your battery slot. Which is right? Also when people say a battery can run for 300 charge/discharge cycles, does that mean even if you unplug your computer for a minute to go to another room, it hurts your battery by going through a cycle? I need to use my battery 2-3 times every weekday, what is the best strategy to use? Do I take out the battery, perhaps after discharging it to 40%, if I'm not using it for a couple of hours, or the weekend? |
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| Author: | wtd [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | RE:How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
The single biggest thing? Avoid Flash like the plague. |
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| Author: | DemonWasp [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | RE:How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
I've always done what my manual suggested - run the battery from 100% down to 0% (or as close as it will let you) and then charge right back up to 100%. It didn't say anything about removing the battery once it's at 100%, so I usually just leave mine in. After a year of (fairly constant) use, the original battery was able to achieve a 95% charge. I've since ordered a second, mostly to extend my battery-life-window, and it's been holding at 100% charge available for the past 4 months. I get 5 hours per battery if I'm gentle with them, so I easily have 10 hours available. |
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| Author: | [Gandalf] [ Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RE:How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
wtd @ 2009-08-11, 11:32 pm wrote: The single biggest thing? Avoid Flash like the plague.
Interesting. Care to elaborate? |
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| Author: | wtd [ Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | RE:How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
Do an experiment. Time your computer during normal use. Now, time your computer during normal use, but leave a webpage open with a Flash animation on it. Time your battery life in both cases. Flash tends to hit CPUs pretty hard, and that drains batteries. |
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| Author: | andrew. [ Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | RE:How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
Flash is even worse if you're not on Windows. It's horrible on Linux and Mac OS. |
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| Author: | gamemaniac [ Tue Aug 25, 2009 2:51 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How do you extend battery life on your laptop? |
If you are really interested in saving battery life. Adjust your screen settings. Screen is the most power hungry part of a laptop. |
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