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    How many cycles on a battery means it is dying?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by The Fire Snake, Jul 16, 2009.

  1. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    As the thread title states. What number of cycles means that the battery is too worn out and is ready to be replaced?
     
    The Fire Snake, Jul 16, 2009
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  2. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

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    once the battery is produced, it starts dying...

    your question should be : at which point where the battery's remaining capacity is too low, and the self-discharge is too fast, should i replace it
     
    paper_wastage, Jul 16, 2009
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  3. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    OK, point taken. I know that you can't just store a battery and not use it and it will be just like new, but how does cycle count figure into this? I am trying to get a gauge like when people say, "I am selling a battery with 30 cycles". Does that mean the battery has been heavily used and I would probably have to replace it with a new one soon, or is that not too bad. Know what I mean?
     
    The Fire Snake, Jul 16, 2009
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  4. pitz

    pitz Notebook Deity

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    My Dell Latitude D830's 9-cell (85Wh) battery lasted approximately 800 cycles (full charge to 15% battery life remaining) over the span of 1.5 years. In one of the most power-hungry configurations of the D830 possible.

    Battery life dropped off pretty dramatically at the end. Within a week, the battery went from giving me a solid 3.5 hours, down to 2 hours, and a couple weeks later, down to an hour. The battery is now in such a condition that it's voltage/current isn't adequate to even keep the machine powered on without it being plugged in, for more than a couple minutes.

    30 cycles is still pretty new. I think on a more conservative laptop (ie: a D830 with an XGA screen, and a SSD), the same battery would have last >1000 cycles. High power draw also is a factor in wearing out a battery, as is heat.
     
    pitz, Jul 16, 2009
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