Aspire A515-44 Some apps extremely slow when laptop is plugged in

User9273927943
User9273927943 Member Posts: 2 New User
edited July 2021 in Aspire Laptops
I have an Aspire A515-44, AMD Ryzen 7 4700u Core, SSD, 8 GB RAM. I bought it brand new in late November 2020, so it's only a bit more than 6 months old.

When I plug the laptop in, some apps (e.g. Minecraft, Photoshop, Discord) run considerably slower than they do when the laptop is running on battery power. Other apps, like Firefox, are sometimes okay.

Battery *level* DOES make a difference, but only while charging. I can run all apps just fine on 100% power or critical low battery, but once I plug the laptop in, some apps lag horribly until the computer is charged above 40%. Is there any way to fix this?

For reference, here are the things I have already tried/checked:

- Temperature: the laptop does get pretty hot when plugged in if I don't use an external fan, but with the external fan, the temperature is fine.
- Battery Power Plan: I've tried both "Acer" and "Balanced" (the descriptions of which were both the same, interestingly), and neither made a difference.
- Windows Power Troubleshooter: Ran the troubleshooter, fixed the issues it found; no difference.
- Checked for Acer updates: Acer Care Center says my software is up-to-date.
- Charger: I use the charger that came in the original box with the computer.
- Power Mode: Tried "Best Battery Life", "Best Performance", and halfway between; no difference.
- Max Processor State: Set at 100% for both "On battery" and "Plugged in"; no difference.

Thread was edited to add model name to the title


Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,079 Trailblazer
    >>>Battery *level* DOES make a difference, but only while charging. I can run all apps just fine on 100% power or critical low battery, but once I plug the laptop in, some apps lag horribly until the computer is charged above 40%. Is there any way to fix this?>>>

    The battery's power or amp output is really being stressed by loading up on it this way especially below 50% charge level. Under heavy loads the battery should be near 100% charged and not allowed to drop below about 50%. Under extremely heavy loads you really should keep the charger plugged in to delay it reaching  50% charge level. You see at times under very high power demand, the battery can actually discharge even though plugged in---both charger and battery together are meeting the power demand. However, below 50%, charging the battery takes precedent over the draining the battery further. Your charger observations below the 40% charge level is consistent with how it's supposed to work. You might further delay the drop below 50% by reducing the processor states to 90% without adversely affecting performance. 

    Jack E/NJ

  • User9273927943
    User9273927943 Member Posts: 2 New User
    @JackE thank you very much for the reply! That makes sense. However, I was always taught that it's a bad thing to leave your laptop plugged in all the time because it's bad for the battery; is that not true?
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,079 Trailblazer
    Cycling the battery under moderate loads every once in a while helps to retain its original full charge watt-hr energy design capacity. This full charge capacity typically drops off about 10-15% per year. But relying on the battery alone to deliver all the amps or power for heavy loads will overheat and degrade the battery quicker particularly if left to discharge below the 50% level.

    Jack E/NJ

  • saibharadwajaReddy
    saibharadwajaReddy Member Posts: 6

    Tinkerer
    MY LAPTOP IS ACER ASPIRE 7 RYZEN 5 5500U AND GTX 1650 MOBILE

    FIRST I THOUGHT RAM IS NOT ENOUGH SO UPGRADED TO 16 GB STILL NOT FIXED AFTER THAT I TRIED THIS

    TODAY I FIXED SUDDEN FPS DROPS ON VALORANT AND FARCRY 5 GAMES I CHECKED MY HEAT SINK THERMAL PASTE IS LESS ON NVIDEA GPU AND HIGH ON CPU SO TAKEN SOME THERMAL PASTE FROM CPU APPLIED ON GPU AND CLEANED CPU CHIP SURROUNDINGS WITH EARBUDS MY PROBLEM SOLVED BEFORE DOING THIS I CHECKED MY GPU THERMALS ITS ALMOST 85 DEGREES AFTER DOING THIS REDUCED NO MY THRMALS ARE 72 DEGREES TO 76 ON HIGH GRAPHICS IN FARCRY 5 FOR NORMAL GRAPHICS 60 -70 DEGREES 
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,079 Trailblazer
    Thanks for your report. :)

    Jack E/NJ

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