question about my new laptop

[jburvant]

I just bought my first laptop, and was wondering if its best to just leave it on when i'm not using it(let it go to sleep mode) , or to just shut it down at the end of the day? thanks

[bailey]

I would shut it down at the end of the day.
also when your on ac power, it might be best to remove the battery rather that have it charging all the time.
it is recommended to do that to help extend the life of the battery.
and if your planning on using portable then place the battery back in it and do a full charge.

[Staren]

Actually, Li-Io batteries last longer if you keep them charged. New laptops are designed to stop the flow of power to the battery once it's fully charged so you don't have the risk of over heating and other problems you used to have with laptops. They degrade faster if you are always letting them drain down and then charging them back up. I would shut it down at night, but just leave it on stand-by mode during the day.

[thefultonhow]

Staren -- actually, Bailey is right. Li-Ions won't overcharge, but the heat from the laptop will make them discharge a bit, and then they'll charge back up. I've been using my laptop plugged in for about a month and a half, and the battery is down to 93% (I have it set to charge back up when it dips below 93%, but most laptops won't let you do this). When they discharge a bit and recharge, they use up a charge cycle, and Li-Ions are only good for about 100 charge cycles. So taking out the battery will ensure that you don't unnecessarily use charge cycles.