No Intel Turbo Boost without Battery?

I observed on my new Thinkpad x220 that Intel's Turbo Boost is not functional/active if the battery is not attached. I confirmed it with intels turbo boost desktop app and CPUID.

I started noticing my laptop was inconsistently slow when web browsing...even if i had power management set to max performance. I usually remove my battery when I am at home for extended periods. With the battery installed, the system will change freq. Without battery, system stays at 800Mhz.

Can anyone else check to confirm this issue. And would anyone consider this an issue that Lenovo should address...?

 

Thinkpad X series will throttle the CPU when the battery is not attached and you are not using the 90 watt adapter.

This is not a problem that Lenovo will address, as these machines are designed to run with the battery installed.

 

Ya, lead org hit it right on, there is a known throttling issue when using a non-90 watt AC adapter. Have you tested while on battery?

 

Why would you use the laptop without the battery installed?

(P.S. Yes, this is normal, as others here have said)

 

I'd imagine it's some notions about 'saving' the battery somehow. It's a laptop, the battery is necessary and it will wear out. Plan on it. My experience is most seem to last about 4 years before their capacity drops enough to be a problem. Live with it and budget for it's replacement.

 

I do imagine that --I've seen enough of these threads, so every time, I ask the same question; why someone would run their laptop without the battery. I usually offer a reply later when I hear why (so most of the remainder of this post is to the OP). It boggles my mind how many people actually run their laptop without the battery attached.

I have two laptop cards with Dell Latitude D630 laptops on them at work. Those 9-cell batteries got used and abused; they're constantly being pulled out of a cart, then put back in, with no detail to charging thresholds. Even on a highly accelerated use cycle, every one of those batteries has lasted three years, and some have gone more.

Lithium ion batteries wear even sitting on a shelf; it is inherent in the technology currently in use. Lenovo also has their Power Manager software that lets the average user set charging thresholds to maximize the life of their battery, something few other vendors have. With this in mind, I can see no reason to not keep (as another forum member so perfectly worded it) your laptop's "built in UPS" attached to it at all times.

 

Paranoia. People want their stuff to last as long as possible. People don't realize that running battery close to 0% kills it but they disconnect it when it is on AC power as they are scared of losing capacity.

 

I run my W520 without its battery, and same goes for my netbook. I only use the battery when I need it, or every couple of months just to make sure it is still working. I store the batteries in my drawer at 40%-ish charge. I haven't noticed any form of throttling. My point of view is that if I don't need the battery, why bother?

I'll be an engineering student, where I can see myself using up nearly 1 cycle per day, so I want to make sure the battery can last longer.

 

You might find out someday when the power goes out while you're doing something important...

I never perceived having the battery in my notebook as being a bother. I think I'd find it more of a pain to have to dig my battery out of a drawer when taking my laptop somewhere, only to realize it only has 40% charge. That's just me, though.

 

One would hope that you are running on a battery backup if you removed the battery..

 

We have more than our share of power problems around here. Enough such that I've got a 20kw generator setup. For the rest of the machines (tivo, servers, desktops, etc) they got UPS coverage for long enough until the generator kicks in. I'm glad the laptops have their own UPS built-in.

 

Nope, I don't run a battery backup system. I've used desktops (without battery backup) for over 7 years now (which is practically all the time I've been actively using a computer), never once had a power outage been an issue.

I find the laptop to be easier to pick up and move without the battery in. I mainly use my W520 as a desktop at the moment anyways. I'll charge the battery overnight when I know I'll need it the next day. I have brought it out on just 40% charge, the battery still got me like 3.5hrs of usage, which is all I needed it for. As I said, I'll be actively using the battery in 2 months time, so I'm just trying to be as gentle as possible with the battery until then.

An interesting sidenote, my netbook battery, which has been through maybe 10 ~ 15 cycles at most throughout my 1.5 years of ownership (and stored at 40% in a drawer for the rest of the time), still reports 100% capacity (i.e. 0% wear) and does last about the same on battery compared to when it was new.

 

Thanks for the answer guys.

This is my 2nd X series laptop...my original was X60 with the 8 cell battery. I would remove the battery when I wasn't using it due to weight/mobility in the bedroom.

You would assume the system would turbo boost without or without the battery. It would actually make more sense for the system not to throttle if connected only to AC and not to the battery.

I feel battery usage is very variable and dependent on the user. With my X60, I lost 30% capacity in 1 year of usage when I was a grad student. But now, I am less dependent on battery power, that is why I take it out...but I guess I will stop now

 

The proper way to maintain your battery is to set battery charging thresholds. Also to avoid heating up the battery and overdischarging it.