Plugged in all the time?

[MuhammadSerrieh]

I recently bought an HP Victus 15 laptop and noticed that the graphics lag unless I keep my laptop plugged in. Is it okay if I keep it plugged in all the time (or almost all the time) since I use my laptop almost as a desktop and mostly use it indoors.

Thanks.

[Raj_05 · Accepted solution]

Hi @MuhammadSerrieh,

Welcome to HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Keeping your laptop plugged in most of the time should be fine for occasional use, especially if you primarily use it as a desktop replacement indoors. However, there are some considerations to keep in mind.

• Battery Health: Lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used in laptops, can degrade over time when constantly charged to 100%. Modern laptops are designed to mitigate this issue by stopping the charging process once the battery is fully charged and running on AC power. Some laptops even have a feature to limit the maximum charge to prolong battery life. Check if your HP Victus 15 has such a feature in its power settings.
• Heat Management: Extended use while plugged in can generate more heat. Ensure that your laptop has adequate ventilation, and consider using a laptop cooling pad to help dissipate heat. Overheating can potentially harm internal components, including the battery.
• Battery Calibration: It's a good practice to occasionally unplug your laptop and use it on battery power until the battery level drops significantly (around 20-30%), then charge it back up to 100%. This helps calibrate the battery's internal monitoring system and maintain accurate battery life estimates.
• Battery Cycle Count: Lithium-ion batteries have a limited number of charge cycles, typically around 300-500 cycles before they start to degrade significantly. A charge cycle is defined as using 100% of the battery's capacity, so if you keep your laptop plugged in most of the time, you'll use fewer charge cycles.

In summary, while it's generally fine to keep your laptop plugged in most of the time, it's essential to balance this with occasional battery usage and proper heat management. Check your laptop's power settings for features that can help extend battery lifespan, and consider periodic calibration. If you plan to store your laptop for an extended period without use, it's advisable to charge the battery to around 50% before doing so, as this is considered an optimal storage charge level for lithium-ion batteries.

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4
HP Support