predator helios 300 battery question

Arkaniz
Arkaniz Member Posts: 6 New User
edited November 2023 in 2019 Archives

Hi community.

 

its my first gaming laptop, and today i played dota 2 and gta V, 2 or 3 hours. laptop plugged all the time (battery full charged before start gaming.)

 

after that, i see that battery are at 90% of charge, and during the gaming session if i put my ear near the keyboard at the top i hear a noise like a "electric sound" similar when u hear a transformator on the street.

 

temperatures are nice, and fps perfect.

 

its normal? Thanks!!

Best Answer

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    On my laptop the battery percentage drops too while gaming, but I think it is more like a feature than a drawback. I have read that it is best to keep the battery between 85%-99%, while used intensively(gaming, some other work which requires more power) and connected to charger, in order to keep its lifespan as long as possible. Thus I think that Acer could have done this on purpose in order to keep the battery's lifespan as long as possible, but it could also be a design issue who knows. Either way 10% drop for 3 hours is not much, so I wouldn't bother.

    About the electronic noise you hear, which is similar to a 'transformer on the street'. It is like this, because it comes from a transformer/choke/coil in the laptop. When a coil is a bit loose, it moves when there is current flowing through it. Because of the high frequency this coil moves many times per seconds, which is heard as a vibration or high pitched noise, depending on the frequency. It could be from the GPU or somewhere else, but it is not harmful and is nothing to be worry about, except that the noise it generates could be annoying. We call it 'coil whine'. I have it in my laptop too and I know that it comes from the GPU and I hear it when the fps are high(more than 100) and it doesn't really bother me, because this noise is covered by the noise generated by the fans.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

Answers

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    On my laptop the battery percentage drops too while gaming, but I think it is more like a feature than a drawback. I have read that it is best to keep the battery between 85%-99%, while used intensively(gaming, some other work which requires more power) and connected to charger, in order to keep its lifespan as long as possible. Thus I think that Acer could have done this on purpose in order to keep the battery's lifespan as long as possible, but it could also be a design issue who knows. Either way 10% drop for 3 hours is not much, so I wouldn't bother.

    About the electronic noise you hear, which is similar to a 'transformer on the street'. It is like this, because it comes from a transformer/choke/coil in the laptop. When a coil is a bit loose, it moves when there is current flowing through it. Because of the high frequency this coil moves many times per seconds, which is heard as a vibration or high pitched noise, depending on the frequency. It could be from the GPU or somewhere else, but it is not harmful and is nothing to be worry about, except that the noise it generates could be annoying. We call it 'coil whine'. I have it in my laptop too and I know that it comes from the GPU and I hear it when the fps are high(more than 100) and it doesn't really bother me, because this noise is covered by the noise generated by the fans.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • Flx
    Flx Member Posts: 466 Seasoned Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Is your BIOS updated? Mine stays at 100% all the time during gaming.

  • Arkaniz
    Arkaniz Member Posts: 6 New User

    Hi, Thanks for repply, really nice information. (i have v1.03 Bios, u update it?)

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    There is no harm updating the BIOS. It is possible that it will remove some bugs in the system if there are any. If you don't feel like updating it then don't. If you want to update it make sure your battery is at 100% and laptop connected to charger.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • Flx
    Flx Member Posts: 466 Seasoned Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Yeah I mean you don't have to, just usually one of the things to do if your system is buggy. If the battery thing doesn't bother you then don't bother updating BIOS. It's safe just make sure it's plugged in and fully charged as Ven said. Mine is updated to the latest BIOS, yes.

  • Fdg
    Fdg Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    It turns out that the strange noise on my laptop is a problem with the fans. I thought this was normal so I just put up with it for a while but now I realise that something is wrong with my laptop. 

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