Is there a specific guideline for changing out the battery in a laptop?
Asked by
Coloma (
47193
)
April 29th, 2014
I have a gateway notebook that is 5 years old now, still runs like a charm and my battery holds a charge for about 2.5 hours. I have never changed the battery. Is it still good, or should I replace it?
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8 Answers
If it holds a charge for 2½ hrs it’s still pretty good! I’m taking it that’s somewhat active use, on line the whole time? Do you see the charge drop a lot when you watch on line videos? Are you able to watch a DVD?
The big question, is there a reason you’d like to replace it? Something it’s not doing for you? That’s a decision maker, whether or not you are happy.
@zenvelo It probably runs a little low if I watch videos, I never watch full DVD’s, use my DVD player with my TV for that.
There is no corrosion or anything funky looking with the battery, so I guess I am asking if holding a 2.5 hour charge for basic internet browsing etc. means it is still in good shape?
Yes @Coloma A five year-old laptop holding 2.5 hours charge and still recharges is excellent. Don’t even think about getting a new one to sell it.
If just for you, save your money. It’s fine.
Laptop batteries are li batteries which have lifespans measured in the number of charge-discharge cycles. Keeping it plugged in whenever possible will help it live longer. It still sounds like a good battery. Once it gets to where you can’t use your machine unplugged for any reasonable amount of time start thinking about a new one. That also is usually when people want a new machine anyway.
@Coloma I wish I knew what exactly to tell you to do but over time you do pick up power sucking programs that unless you turn them off they run in the background running down your battery power resources. Plus there are other power management techniques you can implement to help reduce the power strain. I am sure other Jellies here are more versed in these strategies to help you run leaner and longer off your battery.
As long as you are pleased with the performance of the battery, then it’s fine. Newer batteries have a limited calendar life and will degrade over time no matter what you do, so don’t worry about it. Age won’t cause any other problems than that.
However, if you plan to keep your laptop for another 5 years you might want to start shopping around for a battery supplier pretty soon. Some OEMs stop manufacturing batteries for older equipment, but there’s generally a third-party supplier who will have one for you.
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