To keep my Acer V15 Nitro, plugged in or not?

Shumayal

I got my brand new laptop, my first acer laptop (as well as my life's first laptop), a beautiful V15 Nitro Black Edition. Now, with such an expensive purchase after lots of patience, I am eager to maintain it for as long as I can.

So first thing's first, I wanted to know in what manner I should be charging the battery as I've seen people using their laptops as desktops since they can't run without being plugged in for very long! I know it will eventually happen to mine but how to get the maximum charge cycles?

Also mine was a display piece at the hypermarket and they keep all the laptops plugged in for months? I'm guessing mine was plugged in since February (based on Mfg date).


I read this Document ID 2384 on the Acer website. I think there's a contradiction. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

It says Under
Optimizing battery life

• Use AC power whenever possible, reserving battery for mobile use.

But Under this it says

Conditions that can adversely affect the battery

• Using the computer on constant AC power.

 

so should I have the laptop on AC power or not? And does it make any difference if I use the AC power plugged in when possible and remove the battery alltogether as I read one article citing Acer on this.
(The V Nitro, doesn't seem to have an easily removable battery though, I see some fasteners)

 

sharky25k

 

Hi,

 

why is not a contradiction is simple. Using the notebook excesively on battery (almost always) will eventually wear the battery, that's why acer suggest to use it plugged in when possible.

However, as I told you above, using it just plugged in is also not the best for the battery since your notebook will try to maintain your battery always at full charge (between 95-100%) and for a lihium Ion battery a full charge state is quite a "stres" which causes the battery to wear over time (generally in batteries when they are "full" the voltage is a little bit higher than the rated voltage and the higher voltage is not the best thing for the lithium ion battery).

Just to understand my current notebook has a 10.8V rating on the battery and at full charge the voltage is 12.1V, higher than the rated one. This is normal but it puts "stress" on the battery.

 

As I told you the best option is a mixture between AC and battery.

 

sharky25k

Hi,

 

It's not any contradiction.

If you plan to use your notebook more like a desktop, most of the time plugged in then your battery will not be very "happy".

 

I know sounds a little bit counterintuitive but a battery which is not used, but is always maintained at full charge it will wear faster than a battery which is cycled.

The point is that for a lithium ion battery to keep full charge is sort of a "stress".

 

To maximize battery life try to use the notebook from time to time on battery (let's say once a week do a discharge and a charge). I have an V15 nitro as well and I try to use it on battery once or twice a week and after one year the battery wear level is just 6% which I don't think is high.

Cycling the battery also helps the computer to read the battery acurately, thus avoiding some situations where the battery shows a different percentage than the current capacity and your notebook will shut down randomly even if windows was telling you that you still have x% of the battery.

Shumayal

Thanks for your reply Sharky25k!

Yes, that's what I've been reading most of the places. So why does it say to have it on AC power whenever possible to optimize battery life? Also a few places say that this used to be a problem with older laptops and isn't with the newer ones as it automatically prevents overcharging...

I guess I'm mixing two different things. Please help me differentiate.

sharky25k

 

Hi,

 

why is not a contradiction is simple. Using the notebook excesively on battery (almost always) will eventually wear the battery, that's why acer suggest to use it plugged in when possible.

However, as I told you above, using it just plugged in is also not the best for the battery since your notebook will try to maintain your battery always at full charge (between 95-100%) and for a lihium Ion battery a full charge state is quite a "stres" which causes the battery to wear over time (generally in batteries when they are "full" the voltage is a little bit higher than the rated voltage and the higher voltage is not the best thing for the lithium ion battery).

Just to understand my current notebook has a 10.8V rating on the battery and at full charge the voltage is 12.1V, higher than the rated one. This is normal but it puts "stress" on the battery.

 

As I told you the best option is a mixture between AC and battery.