There’s alot of debate around whether it’s okay to leave gaming laptop plugged in or not.
Let me explain, why were laptops invented? they were invented to bring about portability to traditional computers.
So keeping gaming laptops plugged in kinda defeats the purpose right? but at the same time we need to leave gaming laptops plugged in, so they can recharge themselves.
In short, it depends upon your usage, if we’re talking about gaming laptops in general then of course, most of them need to be plugged in almost 24/7 because they draw in a heavy amount of power from the battery.
So naturally, in order to recharge them, we have to leave our gaming laptops plugged in overnight or when we’re not using them.
However, its a different case when we’re using our gaming laptops while they’re plugged, more on that later.
Should You Leave Your Gaming Laptop Plugged In All The Time?
TL:DR, It’s safe , why? let me explain.
A while back, 9-10 years ago, many laptops were suffering from a bloated battery, overcharging and heatup issues, mainly because of keeping them plugged in all the time.
Then , as technology started to progress, these problems slowly withered away, that’s because most of the latest laptops come with a certain technology that let’s your laptop never charge at full capacity, thus prolonging battery life.
Basically, your laptop doesn’t technically hit 100% battery health.
However, if you have an old laptop that does not have this kind of technology, then you should not leave your laptop plugged in.
When it comes to the latest gaming laptops, you can leave them plugged in 24/7 and it won’t have a negative impact on your laptop battery.
But if you have an old gaming laptop then refrain from keeping it plugged in all the time.
Is It Okay To Keep Laptop Plugged In While Gaming?
Yes it is, in fact it’s not an option, it’s necessary.
In the case of gaming laptops, they won’t be able to give best performance if not plugged in while gaming, because they draw minimum power from the battery if you don’t plug them in.
And if it’s a recent gaming laptop then you can game on it for as long as you want, because the battery health will never truly hit 100% , so you could game all you want without having to worry about heatup issues and bloating of the battery.
but do bear in mind that gaming laptops generate some heat so investing in a good cooling pad is a great solution to keep temperatures in check and a prolonged battery life.
Can I Leave My Laptop Plugged In Overnight?
You can leave your gaming laptop plugged in overnight but i wouldn’t advise it.
You never know what might happen in your absence. Perhaps the battery could catch a fire and ruin your laptop, anything could happen.
However, keeping it plugged in while you’re awake is a different thing, in most cases , nothing bad ever happens leaving your gaming laptop plugged in overnight, but it should be avoided.
Do Gaming Laptops Perform Better Plugged In?
When a gaming laptop is plugged in, it draws all of the power from the main power brick, so essentially, your battery isn’t being used so yes, gaming laptops and all laptops in general perform better plugged in than on a battery.
Because they’re not being limited to a certain wattage so they can draw in as much power from the power brick, thus giving your laptop a big boost in performance.
Does Keeping Laptop Plugged In Ruin The Battery?
In latest laptops, no. Keeping your laptop plugged in will not ruin the battery, but it should be avoided, if they can be plugged in then it doesn’t mean that they should be plugged in.
Once your gaming laptop reaches 99% of battery you can simply unplug it, unless you’re gaming, you should not leave your gaming laptop plugged in.
How long does it take to unplug it? hardly 3 seconds.
However there are some things that can ruin the battery of your laptop.
- Low Battery Charge: Don’t let your laptop battery health drop below 15% of charge, because it will harm the battery due to overconsumption.
- Constant High Temperatures: When it comes to gaming laptops, they tend to generate alot of heat, so be mindful that 3-4 hours of daily heavy gaming may effect your battery life if not kept in a well ventilated/cooled room.
- High Activity Programs: Naturally, the more demanding an application, the more resources your laptop will use, and the more resources your laptop uses, the more battery health it needs, so try to keep high activity processes to a minimum.
Some people believe that leaving laptop plugged in while off is a great solution to stop the battery from getting ruined, while this is true to some extent, generally, if you do want to keep your laptop plugged in then it doesn’t matter whether they’re shut down or not, you might as well charge them in sleep mode.
Should I Leave My HP or Acer Laptop Plugged In All The Time?
Laptop brands don’t matter much when it comes to this, however, if they’re recent laptops then they can be left plugged in without any kind of issues.
But be careful not to leave any kind of laptop plugged in overnight, whether its asus, hp, acer , or lenovo, do not keep your laptop plugged in overnight, it can be hazardous.
Is Leaving A Gaming Laptop Plugged In A Fire Hazard?
it rarely happens but it can be a fire hazard if not monitored. Gaming laptops typically produce alot of heat and most of them go unchecked.
Over time these laptops accumulate alot of dust and particles inside them which directly impacts the performance of the gaming laptops cooling system, and as a result of that, they may catch a fire.
But if your laptop is kept well maintained, clean and doesn’t have any kind of battery or overheating issues then you can leave it plugged in, but avoid it.
Leaving an expensive gaming laptop plugged in could be a mistake that you may deeply regret.
“I left my laptop charging for a week”, this is what happened to one of my friends , nothing bad happened to his laptop, so it rarely happens, but generally you should avoid it.
Is It Bad To Keep Laptop Plugged In When Fully Charged?
No, nothing bad is going to happen to your laptop if its plugged in when fully charged.
How Long Can I Run My Laptop Continuously?
You can run your laptop continuously for as long as you want, but make sure that you’re using it in a well ventilated room with plenty of cooling, heck I let my gaming laptop run for 48 hours straight and it still works like a charm.
But only do this when you have confidence that your laptop is well maintained.
How Long Can A Laptop Stay On Without Overheating?
Overheating depends on many factors, including the battery, power consumption, usage and many more, if your laptop is used for heavy gaming then it can stay on for 2-3 hours max.
If it’s not used for gaming and if its used for day to day tasks then it can stay on for 5-8 hours, but when it comes to overheating, that’s a different thing.
Your laptop can stay on for a month without overheating, but then again, it depends on which laptop you have and whether it’s maintained or not.
There are many factors that contribute to overheating laptops, and keeping them on for a long time isn’t one of them.
Does Leaving My Gaming Laptop Plugged In Use Electricity?
Yes, without electricity, your laptop can’t charge itself, but leaving your laptop while plugged in is a different story.
When laptops are on the battery , they draw power from the battery itself, but when they’re plugged in, they draw power directly from the AC adaptor, we’re talking about modern laptops here.
They manage power consumption well and when they draw power directly from the AC adaptor, they’re basically bypassing the charged battery and using the power brick as a source of electricity.
So yes, leaving laptops plugged in does use electricity.
Is It Better To Leave Gaming Laptops Plugged In Or On Battery?
Good Question. I have a very good solution for this answer.
When you’re playing heavy games on your gaming laptop then it’s better to keep it plugged in to maximize performance, but when you’re playing light games or Esports games then unplug your laptop.
When it comes to leaving your laptops, then it should be done on battery, when your gaming laptop is not in use, its perfectly fine for it to be kept on battery and not plugged in.
What I do with my Lenovo Legion 5 is that i play games on it and when the battery hits 99% i unplug it, and then I repeat the process.
Can I Use My Laptop While Charging It Even When It Is Fully Charged?
Yes, it’s perfectly fine.
Conclusion: IS IT OKAY TO LEAVE GAMING LAPTOP PLUGGED IN?
In short, yes, it’s alright to leave your gaming laptop plugged in, but don’t do it unattended.
Leaving your gaming laptop charging while unattended will make it prone to different kinds of hazards so be very careful when you do that.
