Can laptops withstand long usage?

[SnoopCat]

im deciding whether to sell my current desktop rig and go mobile(laptop).
I would like to know first if todays laptops are durable enough to undergo long hours of use (like 5hrs a day straight) as a desktop would normally can do.
its a typical hewlett packard 2ghz laptop.


note:
i will be using my regular mouse/keyboard/and 19" fat desktop monitor whenever i use it at home



thanks to ur feedback

 

[DannyBoy]

Provided the battery doesnt die on you it can go on for as long as you like

dan

 

[DannyBoy]

If your plugged into the mains i mean, you can run it until you get bored

Dan

 

[SnoopCat]

is there a certain life (number of possible recharges be disposal) to a laptop battery? does using the ac-adapter provide the laptop power directly to its power supply, or is it passing the power through the battery?

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Generally, each lithium-ion battery should last you a year. Mine went 2 weeks short of a year, and that's with heavy usage charge/recharge. I have mine on practically 24/7 3-5 days straight. I just set the cooling more agressively, going on at 35*c and off at 45*c. Runs just fine. Make sure to set power savings to turn off the LCD when not in use.

 

[erikistired]

my laptop stays on 24/7 and it's an old school celeron 300 so it's been around awhile.

 

[yellowperil]

The only concern I have are the hard drives, particularly IBM Travelstars. I've run across a few laptops with IBM HDs that began to develop this constant loud whirring noise after a while, and IBM Drive Fitness Test said they were defective.

 

[Dacalo]

i still have a P1 233Mhz laptop back from 98 and it runs fine

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: SnoopCat
im deciding whether to sell my current desktop rig and go mobile(laptop).
I would like to know first if todays laptops are durable enough to undergo long hours of use (like 5hrs a day straight) as a desktop would normally can do.
its a typical hewlett packard 2ghz laptop.


note:
i will be using my regular mouse/keyboard/and 19" fat desktop monitor whenever i use it at home



thanks to ur feedback

I have had a IBM Thinkpad PII 300 mHz, which I use for about 9 hours a day, for about two years, no problems so far.

 

[NokiaDude]

My dad's 366mhz Toshiba Satellite has been running Win 98 since 1999. He recently upgraded from 4gb to 20 and is now very happy with it. He doens't plan on buying another laptop until I go into a good college. Or elde I have to sucker my grandpa into giving me his Compaq Presario lappy that he bought and RARELY ever uses.

 

[ugh]

Don't see why not. All the managers in my company are given laptops and they have them switched on 10-12 hours/day. Most of them are constantly plugged in. Guess that's why the batteries goes in less than a year...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
Generally, each lithium-ion battery should last you a year. Mine went 2 weeks short of a year, and that's with heavy usage charge/recharge. I have mine on practically 24/7 3-5 days straight. I just set the cooling more agressively, going on at 35*c and off at 45*c. Runs just fine. Make sure to set power savings to turn off the LCD when not in use.

NEVER leave your battery "IN" when the notebook is on AC. Instead of just "a year", you should get 3 years of "service" from that same (properly "cared for") battery.

 

[ugh]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
Generally, each lithium-ion battery should last you a year. Mine went 2 weeks short of a year, and that's with heavy usage charge/recharge. I have mine on practically 24/7 3-5 days straight. I just set the cooling more agressively, going on at 35*c and off at 45*c. Runs just fine. Make sure to set power savings to turn off the LCD when not in use.

NEVER leave your battery "IN" when the notebook is on AC. Instead of just "a year", you should get 3 years of "service" from that same (properly "cared for") battery.

Isn't there any cut-off mechanism to stop the battery for being overcharged/charged constantly?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: ugh

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
Generally, each lithium-ion battery should last you a year. Mine went 2 weeks short of a year, and that's with heavy usage charge/recharge. I have mine on practically 24/7 3-5 days straight. I just set the cooling more agressively, going on at 35*c and off at 45*c. Runs just fine. Make sure to set power savings to turn off the LCD when not in use.

NEVER leave your battery "IN" when the notebook is on AC. Instead of just "a year", you should get 3 years of "service" from that same (properly "cared for") battery.

Isn't there any cut-off mechanism to stop the battery for being overcharged/charged constantly?

Of course . . . however, the "mechanism" isn't perfect. If you don't mind spending an extra hundred buck a year for a new notebook battery - leave it in. My 4-call battery lasted 50 weeks - from over an hour to less than 10 minutes of run time. In contrast, the other (8 cell battery) - after 1 year has 90% of it's original run-time left.

I use my "old" (damaged) notebook battery as a UPS (now) . . . my new ones are NEVER left in on AC . . .

 

[ugh]

Of course . . . however, the "mechanism" isn't perfect. If you don't mind spending an extra hundred buck a year for a new notebook battery - leave it in. My 4-call battery lasted 50 weeks - from over an hour to less than 10 minutes of run time. In contrast, the other (8 cell battery) - after 1 year has 90% of it's original run-time left.

I use my "old" (damaged) notebook battery as a UPS (now) . . . my new ones are NEVER left in on AC . . .

Gahh... After all these years and they still can't perfect this small little thing. I'll just have to keep that in mind when I actually get a notebook

 

[NeonFlak]

I have an IBM T-22 at home with the battery out that I use for ics and as my server. It is on 24/7 and I haven't run into any problems yet.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: ugh

Of course . . . however, the "mechanism" isn't perfect. If you don't mind spending an extra hundred buck a year for a new notebook battery - leave it in. My 4-call battery lasted 50 weeks - from over an hour to less than 10 minutes of run time. In contrast, the other (8 cell battery) - after 1 year has 90% of it's original run-time left.

I use my "old" (damaged) notebook battery as a UPS (now) . . . my new ones are NEVER left in on AC . . .

Gahh... After all these years and they still can't perfect this small little thing. I'll just have to keep that in mind when I actually get a notebook

"Can't" Perfect"?

Remember that the warranty is one year . . . and an "abused" battery lasts about a year . . . WHY would a battery manufacturer want to "improve" that?

Heck, they don't even bother to mention that you should REMOVE the battery when it is on AC . . . :Q

 

[compudog]

My Sony Vaio (Pentium 166 MMX) from 1996-1997 is still running fine. Windows has been reinstalled numerous times and it still works well. My new work laptop (Dell Inspiron 4100 PIII-1.13) runs 24/5 (gets the weekends off) with no problems as well. It all depends on the hardware.

 

[ugh]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: ugh

Of course . . . however, the "mechanism" isn't perfect. If you don't mind spending an extra hundred buck a year for a new notebook battery - leave it in. My 4-call battery lasted 50 weeks - from over an hour to less than 10 minutes of run time. In contrast, the other (8 cell battery) - after 1 year has 90% of it's original run-time left.

I use my "old" (damaged) notebook battery as a UPS (now) . . . my new ones are NEVER left in on AC . . .

Gahh... After all these years and they still can't perfect this small little thing. I'll just have to keep that in mind when I actually get a notebook

"Can't" Perfect"?

Remember that the warranty is one year . . . and an "abused" battery lasts about a year . . . WHY would a battery manufacturer want to "improve" that?

Heck, they don't even bother to mention that you should REMOVE the battery when it is on AC . . . :Q

Eh? What's wrong with can't perfect? Ok, ok, perhaps it should be improve instead of perfect

Guess the profit margin must be rather high for batteries. As a matter of fact, most of the time pple actually buy 2 batteries just in case...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Well, the Sunon fan on my notebook just died from runnin' SETI 24/7 on it for 6 weeks total time so it's the load it's under that can effect it as well when using a fast CPU such as the XP2000+ t-bred mobile in mine. I'm surprised the fan isn't more durable, hopefully the replacement will last longer when it gets here.

 

[dkozloski]

My 166Mhz Sony Vaio PCG707C dates from 1996, is used every day with the dual batteries installed, and both batteries are still good after seven years. The motherboard had to be replaced for $700 when my grandson poured water through the computer.

 

[DannyBoy]

Originally posted by: ugh

Of course . . . however, the "mechanism" isn't perfect. If you don't mind spending an extra hundred buck a year for a new notebook battery - leave it in. My 4-call battery lasted 50 weeks - from over an hour to less than 10 minutes of run time. In contrast, the other (8 cell battery) - after 1 year has 90% of it's original run-time left.

I use my "old" (damaged) notebook battery as a UPS (now) . . . my new ones are NEVER left in on AC . . .

Gahh... After all these years and they still can't perfect this small little thing. I'll just have to keep that in mind when I actually get a notebook

Its a joke isnt it

 

[ugh]

Originally posted by: MrFiTTy
Its a joke isnt it

Uhh... Nopes

Actually referring to the batteries...

 

[Mday]

the keyboard may not last. the keys are wearing away on my laptop. i use it for chatting on irc (artemis.arstechnica.com) and homework. I dont even chat tha tmuch, and the R looks like a P, the D like C, and N and M are just gone. I'll probably look into a replacement, or doing something for myself. I keep my laptop plugged in, so wear on the battery is minimal.

 

[DannyBoy]

Originally posted by: ugh

Originally posted by: MrFiTTy
Its a joke isnt it

Uhh... Nopes

Actually referring to the batteries...

umm