X220 Adapter Question

My X200, as well as my newer, X220 have both come with 65W adapters.

I also have a couple of 90W adapters from my T61 days.

Is it safe to charge X series laptops with the 90W adapter? I wonder if it diminishes the life of the battery.

 

I've heard that too. It makes sense if you charge the battery more quickly, it would wear faster, but I don't have any hard data to back that up. Perhaps someone else more knowledgeable than I can chime in here.

 

The 65/90w rating is the maximum power that the charger can supply to the laptop and charger, if required. It doesn't mean that this power is forced into the battery - if it did then the 4 cell would be getting the same charge as the 9 cell.
The actual charge rate is controlled by the regulator and temperature sensor in the battery, and not by the charger, so overcharging cannot occur.

 

this is correct

 

Someone on the Lenovo forum did a test, the i7 model of the X220 would not throttle back the CPU under high performance model when using the 90 watts adapter as compared to the 65 watts adapter.

 

Thanks, that's good to know. It's just that in these last 3 years, I'm on my 3rd x200 battery. Just want to be more careful with the new toy

 

whoa you are using lot of battery.

You must be constantly charging and discharging everyday.

 

You're absolutely right. It charges all day, and I sometimes unplug it in the evening while using it.

How long have you found your battery to generally last before it just doesn't hold any charge?

 

Depends on whether i use them all the time or which brand of battery cells they have.

Most of the batteries that i got would last around 200 to 300 cycles (unless they are defectives) before they would give out, which would last me around 3 to 4 years. If it is a panasonic celled one i can get around 4 to 5 years (up to about 400 to 500 cycles) out of them.

 

I have several 90W adapters that I use for my various ThinkPads, and I use them on my X220 as well. I keep at least two plugged in at my desk, with the cords tucked away behind it. No problems.

And also, using a 90W adapter prevents throttling on the i7 models (what I have). Mine came with a 65W, but I use the 90W ones that are already at my desk, so I get no throttling under heavy load.

 

Yea, that's great to know. Mine's an i7 as well.

 

Perhaps they would offer a 90watt adapter as an option for the i7 models.