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Martyn Landi/PA Wire

Is it bad if you keep your laptop plugged in all the time?

You might not think about it much, but there is one thing to be concerned about.

WE TALK ABOUT the batteries in our phones so often that it’s easy to forget about that other important device in our lives: the laptop.

And much like its smartphone cousins, the same questions about battery life appear regularly. Should you charge it often? Should you let the battery drain completely before recharging it? And can you keep it plugged in constantly?

The answer to the last question is it’s fine so long as you don’t let it overheat. Modern lithium-ion batteries are designed to withstand numerous charge cycles and in the case of modern devices, it will stop charging the battery once it reaches full capacity.

As the charting energy is now being redirected to the power supply, having it plugged in constantly won’t make much of a difference to overall battery life.

The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure your laptop doesn’t overheat. High temperature are the enemy of any modern device and will shorten your battery’s lifespan if it happens. This can happen when your laptop is trying to handle demanding tasks, but you can potentially avoid damage by taking out the battery itself if it’s fully charged (if your laptop model allows it).

Other things you shouldn’t do is to continuously bring the battery down to zero and recharge it fully. While it’s fine to do this every once in a while – to help it more accurately estimate battery levels – doing it regularly is unnecessary. This used to be true when devices used the old nickel cadmium batteries but not with lithium-ion batteries

There can be other factors like who manufactured the battery and the type of laptop all play a part. But for the most part, don’t let it get too hot and you’ll be fine.

Read: Soon your iPhone will be able to tell you where you’ve parked your car >

Read: Facebook Messenger now has a weirdly addictive football game hidden away >

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28 Comments
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    Mute I love my County
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:05 AM

    That’s a latte good info and I’m happy to know I no longer have grounds for concern… I’m a farmer and I’ve bean unsure if drinking too much coffee is good or not but i find coffee relaxing and i can really espresso myself after a few mugs… Now I must go and check on my herd, especially decafs.

    210
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    Mute gerry campbell
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    Apr 26th 2014, 10:49 AM

    Excellent.

    6
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    Mute Mandy Seiler
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    Apr 27th 2014, 9:11 AM

    Love the wit!

    1
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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:00 AM

    Next week coffee will be bad for you. Scientist keeping them selves in work and journalists filling pages.

    38
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    Mute Terry Tibbs
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    Apr 26th 2014, 9:02 AM

    As a diabetic i can vouch for this – I only started drinking coffee approx 2 years ago and it does keep my T2 diabetes in check. Only since I read the article on sky news during the week is when it clicked with me. Any diabetics out there should try it from themselves.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Apr 26th 2014, 2:52 PM

    And by scientists we of course mean the corporate PR department of Starbucks ;)

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    Mute Robert Loughran
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    Apr 26th 2014, 7:53 AM

    It has to be coffee and chocolate for breakfast then. Excellent.

    37
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    Mute George Grey
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:35 AM

    This article is as useless as the study it refers to. It finishes off by pointing out how misleading the data is. It should have had the word “might” in the title.

    32
    Lily
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    Mute Lily
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:06 AM

    How many sugars can I have in my coffee?

    24
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    Mute Steve Mc Queen
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:37 AM

    Ffs will ye ever stop publishing this kind of shite. You’re gone as bad as the daily mail with your health ‘scare stories’. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was lifted from their website. Gutter journalism!

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    Tony
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    Mute Tony
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:53 AM

    Steve proves my point?

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    Mute Sat singh
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    Apr 26th 2014, 7:57 AM

    Science sucks,no consistency,how many people are actually
    going to change their cup of tea to coffee.Next year tea will
    be better for us.

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    Mute Fergal Kelly
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    Apr 26th 2014, 9:25 AM

    Science sucks….. Ffs man, did you actually think about that sentence?! Science has created everything you see around you!!!!

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    Mute floyd
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:17 AM

    drinking alot of coffee is a big cause of anxiety and sleepness nights dont drink it have a glass of water and an apple

    14
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    Mute Bob Murphy
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    Apr 26th 2014, 11:05 AM

    One of the Authors of this report was sponsored by Nestec “A Coffee Vending Company” but that wouldn’t change the outcome of the report would it ????

    11
    Tony
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    Mute Tony
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:17 AM

    Irritability and headaches are also the result of caffeine intake or is it too early on a Saturday morning?

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    Mute Steve Mc Queen
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    Apr 26th 2014, 10:05 AM

    I get irritated by shite stories on this website. I can’t help it.

    7
    Tony
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    Mute Tony
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    Apr 26th 2014, 10:12 AM

    Steve, LivingSocial Deals have an Anxiety Management Workshop deal on, just the thing for a Saturday morning.

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    Mute Adrian De Cleir
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    Apr 26th 2014, 10:47 AM

    I think these articles need to be banned. They weren’t so bad until the rise of Internet media/press.

    They offer nothing substantial with concrete proof , they quite often 100% contradict each other, and they mess with our beliefs about eating habits, which in a country where obesity is one of the worst in Europe, is a pretty serious topic.

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    Mute Colin Murphy
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:59 AM

    Ha ha
    Take that wife!
    I knew I was right:)

    7
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    Mute Mark smith
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    Apr 26th 2014, 9:18 AM

    Coffee ruins women’s skin and teeth and makes them unattractive

    6
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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:05 AM

    I was thinking of mixing coffee with my insulin.
    Nothing like a cup of freshly ground coffe.

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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:36 AM

    Make sure to grind it extra fine before injecting :)

    5
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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:49 AM

    You’ve done this before haven’t you ;)

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    Mute Tom Fennelly
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:20 AM

    Next week you will print an article saying coffee is responsible for high blood pressure and is addictive. The antioxidants in coffee when addicted to it make medicines for treatment useless and people are dropping like flies from heart attacks and strokes all over the world. For Jaysus sake, is this the best shot you can give for a news story on a Sunday morning?

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    Mute Tom Fennelly
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:26 AM

    I’m on a fifth cup now trying to prevent diabetes. Hence why I thought it was Sunday !!! There comes a time when one has to hold their hands up all the same and admit to a blunder!

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    Mute Thors Big Hammer
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    Apr 26th 2014, 9:39 AM

    Ballsack too late for me

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    Mute Amy Wallis
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:28 AM

    Does this involve a certain type of coffee? And how does what you put into your coffee affect this? Milk and sugar – yes or no?

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    Mute Mark smith
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    Apr 26th 2014, 11:23 AM

    No

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    Mute R Neuville
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    May 23rd 2014, 7:32 PM

    Avoid Trans Fats to completely reverse your Diabetes Type2 in 7 months. A fist of Walnuts for good fats.

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    Mute Gambon
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    Apr 26th 2014, 8:36 AM

    So is fruit and veg. #putdownthefork

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    Mute Carmel M Hennessy
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    Apr 27th 2014, 1:11 AM

    I agee with this. I had pre diabetes. Two years ago I started drinking coffee for the first time. I drink 2 or 3 cups a day, I love it and the diabetes is gone now

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Apr 27th 2014, 3:11 AM

    WHAT D STORY ON CAF COFFEE.
    U MENTION DE-CAP IN UR ARTICLE BUT NOT CAF ????

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