Should I be worrying about my laptops battery?

Maltesespace

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Is it generally accepted that laptop batteries in 2015 won't crap out if I don't wait until the 10% warning to charge it? The laptop is extremely new, just released in 2015 so all the latest stuff, 5th gen i7 etc.

Ie my iPhone 6 I charge it full to 100% every night, but by the time I go to bed next day its only at 60%, I rarely/never wait for it to die before I charge it... Is it safe to say the same can be done with laptops nowadays?
 

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From what I know and my experience it is best to drain them down to 10-20% about once a month to keep them healthy but the rest of the time do as you want and recharge often to 100%.

Reminds me, time to pull the plug on mine, thanks! :)
 

My Computer

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    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
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    Acer V3 771G-6443
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Not all batteries, notebooks, cell phones, and chargers are the same. So the best thing to do is to follow the guidelines printed in your manual for your notebook and cell phone.

But, generally, most of today's batteries are Lithium ion batteries and they do not suffer from "memory effect" like older technologies do, so you do not have to run the battery down until fully (or almost fully) discharged with every "charge cycle". My 5 year old Toshiba is plugged into the charger 24/7 and is rarely used anymore, until my grandson comes over to play Minecraft. And it still provides almost 2 hours of run time (down from 2.5 hours when new) which isn't bad at all. Like popeye, I try to remember to unplug it once a month and I just let it run down until it shuts itself off.

I have a cell phone and take it with me most of the time but I rarely use it as a cell phone. It is mostly used as a MP3 player when riding my bicycle - which I try to ride ~1 1/2 hours a day, weather permitting. Playing music through earbuds takes very little power so most of the time, the cell phone is just in standby mode and that battery will last ~4 days between charges.

But of course, if you live off your cell phone, as many do today, YMMV.

Surprisingly, the manual for my Samsung S4 Mini does not provide any instructions on extending/preserving the lifespan of the battery. But I try to make sure I plug it in if I see the "Low Battery" symbol, which comes on when it is down to about 25%. But that is typically to make sure I got my music while riding (I do keep a charger in my truck, just in case).
 

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Thanks guys, thats what I had figured but you can never be too careful with a brand new laptop :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self build (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
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    8GB DDR3 (Desktop) / 16GB DDR3L (laptop)
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    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
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iPhones tend to use up battery power if you have Background Refresh enabled for app's, WiFi & Bluetooth enabled, Location services enabled for on on all app's, not "While Using" on those that allow that choice. Also the iOS has Location settings that allow Location sharing on, System Services are all set to on (turn off Location-Based Alerts, Location-Based iAds, Setting Time Zone, Share my Location, Spotlight Suggestions, Popular near Me). Screen Brightness set for Auto Adjust, Screen shutting off, having a wait time set for more than 30 sec's. or even 2 minutes.

Apple has a guide in their Support area, giving more suggestions. You also want to make sure your iPhone is up to date for iOS.

I do not know where you got that LiON Batteries no longer go bad, just because it is a new year. The worse thing you can do to a LiON batter, is discharge it so low, that it actually burns up the salts inside the battery. There is no problem having the phone plugged in if you sit at a desk at work, or when you are home. It will not cause the battery to think it is going into short charging periods, like the older batteries would do.

The next gen batteries in the next two years. They will allow devices to be lighter, and have more power available for use.
 

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    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
I do not know where you got that LiON Batteries no longer go bad, just because it is a new year.
Not exactly what he said. While I agree that 2015 is not a factor, his point was about charging it before it hit 10% - which is well above "too low" to cause damage.

If the phone or notebook are working correctly, they will shutdown before the batteries can discharge to damaging levels.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
Itaregid, that is because Laptop batteries have a built in chip, that works alongside with the Bios & OS, to determine what the setting is. The problem is that after the unit shuts down, or warns. The user will keep turning it on, until it no longer starts back up.
 

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    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
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    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
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Itaregid, that is because Laptop batteries have a built in chip, that works alongside with the Bios & OS, to determine what the setting is. The problem is that after the unit shuts down, or warns. The user will keep turning it on, until it no longer starts back up.
Yeah that is stupid and not what I do. Since this thread I am just charging whenever to my convenience and once a month or so I discharge my laptop to when Windows says "Your battery is low (10%) , you might want to plug in your PC" and then when it says "Your battery is very low (7%), plug in your PC now' , I plug it in.

With my iPhone, I have as much "background" stuff as I can switched off, and again about once a month I let it discharge to about 5% , at which point it switches itself off and will not switch back on until you plug it in.

That seems to be the consensus on what is "good" in this thread
Cheers :)
 

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    Windows 10 Pro x64
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    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
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    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
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Itaregid, that is because Laptop batteries have a built in chip, that works alongside with the Bios & OS, to determine what the setting is. The problem is that after the unit shuts down, or warns. The user will keep turning it on, until it no longer starts back up.
What? Not sure I understand what you mean, but if I do understand you correctly, I don't agree. On every notebook and phone I've used, if they have shut down because the battery's charge was too low, neither will even let me turn them back on until charged again to some minimum level.

I have seen this over and over again with notebooks that sat unused a shelf for a long time and with misplaced cellphones that are later found. Now I am assuming the battery is not already bad or damaged.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Only exception to that is if user modifies the setting Windows shuts down at / turns it off via group policy or whatever. Then it may damage the battery of the laptop. I myself do not do that though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self build (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 (Desktop) / 16GB DDR3L (laptop)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (Desktop) / AMD R7 M270 (Laptop)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Pavilion 27bw
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 (Desktop) / 3840x2160 (Laptop)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
    WD Black 500GB
    WD Blue 1TB
    (Desktop)
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (Laptop)
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    Corsair 750w
    Case
    Ultra atx
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    Stock heatsink
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    Razer Black Widow
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Only exception to that is if user modifies the setting Windows shuts down at / turns it off via group policy or whatever. Then it may damage the battery of the laptop. I myself do not do that though.
That is incorrect information. The only way to damage the battery, is if you drop it or throw it. Then the battery will become damaged.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
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    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
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    Realtek HD
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    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
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    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
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    Logitech M525
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    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
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    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Only exception to that is if user modifies the setting Windows shuts down at / turns it off via group policy or whatever. Then it may damage the battery of the laptop. I myself do not do that though.
That is incorrect information. The only way to damage the battery, is if you drop it or throw it. Then the battery will become damaged.
When the computer shuts off due to the battery being low, is that not Windows deciding the laptop needs to be shut off to prevent battery damage? I know within power settings and/or group policy you can make this not happen, or make it happen at 1% which may be damaging levels. Just a guess.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self build (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 (Desktop) / 16GB DDR3L (laptop)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (Desktop) / AMD R7 M270 (Laptop)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Pavilion 27bw
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 (Desktop) / 3840x2160 (Laptop)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
    WD Black 500GB
    WD Blue 1TB
    (Desktop)
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (Laptop)
    PSU
    Corsair 750w
    Case
    Ultra atx
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    Razer Black Widow
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    Roccat Kone XTD
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    ESET
Draining lithium-ion batteries that low, especially under heavy load, can make them overheat and certainly cause damage. At the very least it will drastically decrease the life of the battery. The layers making up the battery actually start to warp. The reason there are circuits to monitor voltage and current drain (load) then shut the laptop down if the load is outside limits.

Here's a good article: Advantages & Limitations of the Lithium-ion Battery - Battery University
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
Draining lithium-ion batteries that low, especially under heavy load, can make them overheat and certainly cause damage. At the very least it will drastically decrease the life of the battery. The layers making up the battery actually start to warp. The reason there are circuits to monitor voltage and current drain (load) then shut the laptop down if the load is outside limits.

Here's a good article: Advantages & Limitations of the Lithium-ion Battery - Battery University
Are you referring to draining to 1% or 10%

If the former, that was my point.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self build (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 (Desktop) / 16GB DDR3L (laptop)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (Desktop) / AMD R7 M270 (Laptop)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Pavilion 27bw
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 (Desktop) / 3840x2160 (Laptop)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
    WD Black 500GB
    WD Blue 1TB
    (Desktop)
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (Laptop)
    PSU
    Corsair 750w
    Case
    Ultra atx
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink
    Keyboard
    Razer Black Widow
    Mouse
    Roccat Kone XTD
    Internet Speed
    250Mbps Down / 20Mbps Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    ESET
When the computer shuts off due to the battery being low, is that not Windows deciding the laptop needs to be shut off to prevent battery damage? I know within power settings and/or group policy you can make this not happen, or make it happen at 1% which may be damaging levels. Just a guess
No. At least not with my Toshiba notebook and other notebooks I have used and seen. It is the notebook maker's battery monitor/utility that controls this, not Windows and it works in conjunction with the hardware as controlled by the BIOS.

Remember, notebooks can run on Linux too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Draining lithium-ion batteries that low, especially under heavy load, can make them overheat and certainly cause damage. At the very least it will drastically decrease the life of the battery. The layers making up the battery actually start to warp. The reason there are circuits to monitor voltage and current drain (load) then shut the laptop down if the load is outside limits.

Here's a good article: Advantages & Limitations of the Lithium-ion Battery - Battery University
Are you referring to draining to 1% or 10%

If the former, that was my point.

I was referring to the 1% you posted. No laptop I know of lets the battery drain to that level, the lowest mine allows is 5%. And yea, it is all a function of the hardware and BIOS, not a OS controlled function, except you can adjust the critical setting up but not down beyond a preset value.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
Ah ok. that clears it up then. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self build (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4690k (Desktop) / Intel Core i7 5500u (Laptop)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97 (Desktop) / Dell (Laptop)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 (Desktop) / 16GB DDR3L (laptop)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (Desktop) / AMD R7 M270 (Laptop)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Pavilion 27bw
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 (Desktop) / 3840x2160 (Laptop)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
    WD Black 500GB
    WD Blue 1TB
    (Desktop)
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (Laptop)
    PSU
    Corsair 750w
    Case
    Ultra atx
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink
    Keyboard
    Razer Black Widow
    Mouse
    Roccat Kone XTD
    Internet Speed
    250Mbps Down / 20Mbps Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    ESET
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