eDonkey in a Centrino notebook

[Elphin]

Hi, I'm an eMule-eDonkey user (just download free software, of course) so my desktop computer is usually ON. I'm going to buy a Centrino notebook and want to solve some questions.

1. Whats the power consumption (aprox.) of both PCs, desktop and notebook, if only eMule is running?

2. Will the battery's life time be decreased if the notebook is connected to AC power?

3. If I unplug the battery and just connect it to AC power, what could happen? what are the problems?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dannybek]

These questions are correlated to the model and manufacture of the notebook you buy.
In most cases if your adapter is connected to the computer it will charge the battery. I am not sure about a already full charged battery, search around for that.
If you disconnect the battery while the AC power is on, there shouldn't be any problems.

 

[jschuk]

1. Again it depends on the laptop, but a lot of the Centrino laptops I have worked with come with 45W or 60W AC adapters. Of course the laptop will only draw that much power when everything is running full blast/tilt/speed.
2. I used to say no, but after several years of experience I am starting to say yes. Li-ION batteries have a finite amount of charge cycles. Even when plugged in, the battery will slowly lose it's charge and the laptop will keep charging it to keep it topped off. Most of the time, the batteries last about 2.5 years before they lose ~25-50 of their capacity, but I have seen them fail after 9 months or go as long as 5 years.
3. If you remove the battery, make sure it is fully charged as a depleted Li-ION battery can supposedly short circuit itself. If you leave the battery out for several months, you may want to plug it back in to charge it back up. The only advantage to having the battery in it while plugged in is using the battery as an UPS.