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    Should I charge the laptop first or drain it first?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by DMAK02, Jul 23, 2007.

  1. DMAK02

    DMAK02 Notebook Evangelist

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    I will be getting my laptop very soon. Should I drain the battery before charging it or charge it first before I use it? Or Can I use it and charge it at the same time?
     
    DMAK02, Jul 23, 2007
    #1
  2. ViolentGreen

    ViolentGreen Notebook Consultant

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    Prevailing wisdom on rechargable batteries is pretty varied and arbitrary, so don't listen to everything everyone says. As far as I know, I don't think it's a good idea to kill the battery on the first charge cycle. Give it a full charge cycle (totally dead - totally full) every 30 cycles or so to keep the battery calibrated.
     
    ViolentGreen, Jul 23, 2007
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  3. sesshomaru

    sesshomaru Suspended Disbelief!

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    1. Read the Battery Guide.
    2. Charge it up to capacity first. You can use it simultaneously. I do the same.
     
    sesshomaru, Jul 23, 2007
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  4. The Critic

    The Critic Notebook Consultant

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    Mine came fully charged @ 100%. When I plugged it in, all that it said was "idle," so the battery wouldn't be charging anyway...
     
    The Critic, Jul 23, 2007
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  5. Aggie384

    Aggie384 Notebook Guru

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    Laptops today use Lithium-Ion batteries which don't suffer from the problems that the older Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries suffered from. You can charge them whenever you want and drain them whenever you want with no worries. The only thing that Lithium-Ion batteries suffer from is that they hold less and less charge as they age.
     
    Aggie384, Jul 23, 2007
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