Gaming laptops are high-end portable computers that need a huge power volume for their smooth functioning, especially while gaming. That is why users often tend to leave their gaming laptops plugged in.
However, this practice does give rise to a question in the head of the users. Is it safe to leave my gaming laptop plugged into the power source? Is it hurting my gaming laptop’s battery?
In this article, we will answer these questions at length to get to know everything you need to know regarding this subject.
Should I Leave My Gaming Laptop Plugged In All The Time?
In general, it is safe to keep your gaming laptop plugged into the power source. It is recommended to keep it plugged into a charging outlet while using the laptop.
Gaming laptops are built differently than normal laptops or notebooks. Gaming laptops have a lot of high-end components, which ensures that gamers have a lag-free gaming experience. Nevertheless, these high-end components also make the laptop a power-hungry electronic tool.
That is why experts recommend to keep a gaming laptop plugged in while using it.
With older types of batteries, users had to worry about overcharging the battery and causing battery drainage constantly. This has become a thing of the past. Modern-day laptops use lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries with an internal circuit that stops getting charged once it reaches its 100% capacity. Therefore, leaving your gaming laptop plugged in shall not create any problems in general.
What Causes Battery Health Deterioration?
Leaving your gaming laptop plugged in is safe and in many cases, recommended. Nonetheless, it is a fact that your gaming laptop battery will not last forever. With usage, the battery health will deteriorate and finally, a time will come when you will need to replace your battery.
Battery drainage is a reality that every user has to face. However, battery life can be prolonged if they are used carefully.
We will have to know what causes battery health to slump. The reasons have been elaborated on in this part of the article.
Heat
Heat is an enemy of electronic devices. In the case of batteries, there are no exceptions. Heat is known to cause damage to all the components of an electronic device. Lithium-ion or Lithium Polymer batteries can withstand as much as 30 degrees Celsius temperature. Any temperature exceeding 30 degrees celsius can cause irreversible damage to the battery’s health. Excessive heat may also render your gaming laptop’s battery completely useless.
Hence, it is essential to keep your device cool to prevent heat build-up.
Clean the air vent and other components so that there is adequate airflow. Buying a cooling pad may also help in turning the temperature down.
Also, it shall be kept in mind that laptops are not generally made to be used for days at a stretch. Therefore, shutting down your gaming laptop and allowing it to cool down is very important for battery health and the well-being of other components.
Charge-Discharge Cycles
There is a particular number of charge and discharge cycles. One cycle refers to discharging the battery from the full charge to zero and then charging it back to full. Modern laptop batteries have a maximum of 500 cycles typically.
Charging and discharging time and again can cause your battery health to deteriorate a lot faster than usual. Hence, one should refrain from discharging the battery completely and charging it again.
To prolong your gaming laptop’s battery health, you shall start charging the battery before completely running out.
Also, reducing the voltage per cell can potentially increase the number of cycles and, thereby, prolong your gaming laptop’s battery health.
Should I Leave A Gaming Laptop Plugged In Even If It Is Not In Use?
The best decision will be to switch off the power source if you are not using your gaming laptop.
Gaming laptops have high-performance components such as dedicated graphics cards, high-performance processors with multiple cores, etc. To ensure that these components are functioning up to their full capacity, it is advised to keep your device plugged into an outlet. That is because switching your power source may decline the laptop’s overall performance.
However, the situation is different when your laptop is not in use. When you are not using your gaming laptop, you should switch off the power outlet! Constantly keeping it plugged in creates voltage stress which is detrimental to the battery health.
When you are not using your laptop, it is recommended that you either put your computer in sleep mode or shut down the device. That of course, depends on how long you won’t use the device.
If you are sure that you will not be using the laptop throughout the day or you have finished using the device, and you are going to bed, you should ideally shut down your gaming laptop. On the other hand, if you take a quick break, you shall use sleep mode.
These options help your gaming laptop steam off some heat and keep the components, including your battery, safe.
Does Leaving A Gaming Laptop Plugged Into The Power Outlet Cause A Fire Outbreak Or Cause the Battery To Explode?
Typically, laptops and all other electronic devices are tested for potential fire hazards before they are launched into the market. Therefore, keeping a laptop plugged into the power outlet will not cause a fire outbreak or cause the battery to explode, leading to a catastrophe.
However, such fire hazards cannot be ruled out completely. Battery explosions can occur due to poor battery design. It can also happen if the battery is exposed to very high temperatures.
Keeping your gaming laptop in a cool place is very important. Also, one should always make sure to use batteries from reputed manufacturers. They have quality control teams dedicated to spotting any hazards concerning the battery and rectifying it before launching the product on the market.
Can I Use My Gaming Laptop If the Battery Is Not Fully Charged?
There is no embargo in using your gaming laptop while the battery is charging. However, as gaming laptops are power-hungry electronic devices, the charging will take much longer if you use your laptop while it is being charged. However, you can safely use your gaming laptop even if it is not fully charged.
Nonetheless, make no mistake in plugging the laptop into a power outlet. Using the gaming laptop on battery power may cause an abrupt shut down if your laptop consumes all the battery power.
Conclusion
Gaming laptops differ most from normal laptops in terms of their power consumption. Normal laptops have components that require less power to run. As a result, such laptops can be used for a long time after charging them once.
On the other hand, gaming laptops are power-hungry electronic devices. To run these devices smoothly and get satisfactory performance, you must keep them plugged into the power source. This is why modern-day batteries are made so that batteries do not get damaged if they are left plugged into a power source.
So, do not worry about keeping your gaming laptop plugged in. However, be careful and take precautions regarding the issues that cause battery health to deteriorate.
