Alienware M11x Healthcare Plan

Hello again forum users.

What steps are you using to ensure your beloved M11x stays in top condition for as long as possible regarding any aspect of the machine whatsoever...

For example - I have recently become aware of overcharging laptop batteries should they be left continually charging from the mains after attaining maximum charge (Some new laptops have integrated software to prevent this).
I believe the Alienware M11x does not have this software or features and thus I consistently change the bios option to negate charging from the mains.
I am thoroughly annoyed with Alienware's decision and grave mistake on not amending the Fn+ F2 shortcut to toggle between the two. This means hibernating and resuming in order to change the settings.

As of now my laptops charge capacity is stated below:
Designed Charge Capacity -64530mWh
Full Charge Capacity - 67100mWh
Current Charge Capacity - Varies

My full charge capacity used to be 67130mWh but I have been using the laptop for over a month now so is a slight decrease like this expected?
Can anyone confirm by disabling the charging ability you prevent battery wear during use when on mains? This would clarify any doubts I have on this...

Please provide further information, tips and suggestions on what you do to keep your laptop as good a condition as possible...

 

Caladdon,

I know this is not what you probably want to hear concerning batts, but the last 3 systems I have owned I have never removed the battery or disabled battery charging. My XPS M1730 I had for over a year and I never had an issue with decreased battery time or a failing battery.

I dont have access to the 11x at the moment, but for my 17x which is typically plugged in 90% of the time (w/battery in) here is a what HWMonitor is reporting -

Designed Capacity - 86580
Full Charge Capacity - 87057
Current Capacity - 87058

What kills notebook batts today is draining completely and then recharging. Batts only have a certain amount of complete charge cycles. Your battery is under warranty for a full year. I wouldn't be concerned about it - then again that is just me.

 

I can confirm, used Dell XPS m1330 for ~2 years so far (and QUITE a bit of usage; but somewhere 75-80% of the time on AC power). I never did anything special with battery, just left connected it to AC power when I was around one. The battery that came with it still lasts approximately the same as it did the first day (which was ~2.5 hrs of usage). I'll get you the HWmonitor numbers once I get home.

 

This is completely contradictory to both my personal experience as well as the experience from lecturers at my college.
In short the first laptop to be afflicted by battery shortage was my Hp 8510p.
I continually left it plugged into the mains in order to obtain maximum performance for games and video. The battery died within 6 months and now must be plugged in for usage - This has had a detrimental effect on the hard drive which has been replaced.
One important factor to consider was the actual charger - On screen a notification is displayed stating the charger supplies a smaller amount of power that the laptop is capable of handling - Could this be a significant issue for the causation of the drain.

I've noticed that both the machines are from the Dell XPS range.
Perhaps they have software or have been specifically programmed to prevent over-chargification. That seem a logical explanation.
Also worthy of a mention is the software installed on my brother's Sony Vaio lapop - Sony Vaio Batterycare - This stops the charge cycle at 80% to halt battery wear.

Could both assumptions be the cause of this issue?

 

I will be receiving my M11X soon and I'm wondering the same thing. My laptop will be plugged in most of the time so do I disable the charging?

I have a Sony VAIO B series laptop at the moment which is about 3 years old. It only had a 1h30 battery life from new so it wasn't much use as a laptop so it mainly sat on my desk plugged into AC power. For this reason I took the battery out so it hardly every got used.
I charged and tested the battery the other day and I got 22 minutes before it shut down due to low battery! So even when I wasn't charging the battery it still deteriorated.
Also has anyone any idea how much a replacement battery will be from Dell in a year or so's time?

 

Disable it in bios if it makes you feel any better. and battery cell do deteriorate even if you left it alone somewhere, here's a guide to batteries.

 

By far am I no expert on batteries nor electrical components. In my experience leaving the battery plugged in usually kills it. This is the issue with my wife's sony, My Asus F3sv and all my old notebooks (even those which are almost 14 years old). On the other hand, I only fully recharge/discharge the battery on my Asus Eeepc and it always holds charge the 5 hours even after 3 years of use. This also applies to my mobile phone, which still holds 6 days after 6 years of usage (who keeps a mobile phone this long???)

I once have been told by a friend (who studied electrical engineering) that a laptop, when fully charged, (at least the old ones) drain the battery a bit and charge it up a bit, thus killing it.

BUT since BatBoy is saying that these batteries dont suffer that much, Ill go ahead and believe him. If hes wrong, then its tough luck, these batteries arent that expensive after all

 

My M17's plugged in for 99.9% of the time, but on the rare occasion where I DO use the battery, it still holds the normal battery life.

 

That may be your opinion on the matter but I'd choose not to purchase another battery again given the choice.

Does this actually benefit the charge hold length capacity at all because I perform this step whilst still retaining AC power from the mains when playing games.


Remember this thread was to cover all tips and suggestions for maintaining your M11x's welfare.
Seems like the battery concerns are high on the priority list thus far.