Should I use UPS with my laptop to extend the battery life?

Question

I recently bought a new Vaio laptop which has a 4400 mAh battery. I will use it at home most of the time, and I have an unused uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Should I remove the battery and connect my laptop to UPS? If I do that, how much does it effect the battery's life? I know that batteries stand longer when kept in half-charged in a cool place, but their lifespan decreases in time due to age effect as well.

So is it worth to keep the battery out of my laptop, use a UPS instead and mount it when necessary? or should I continue to work with battery mounted?

Solution 1

No. External power alone is not enough for all cases. Many laptops only work at full capacity if they have a battery and external power. This is because the external power supply can only provide 70-90W but the machine may need 100+W when CPU spikes high and the HD/DVD is spinning. Having the battery on board allows the machine to sip from the battery when needed and charge it back up when not.

Solution 2

Battery longevity is always a debate. Personally, I wouldn't bother using a UPS and storing the battery away. What's the point? A battery in a laptop basically is a UPS, in a way.

Solution 3

Since you are using a VAIO laptop, and some of them (mine is Z series) have a problem with battery leaks, you should have Sony's Battery Care set to 50%, and have it plugged to the power supply all times (power outlet or your UPS).

My laptop is a year and a half old right now, and it still keeps 97% of the original capacity.

Comments

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

Sure, but the small LI-ion or NiMH battery is much easier to damage over time than the SLA batteries in the UPS.

[Greg Jennings]

The point is to extend its life by exposing it to less charging & decharging cycles, and making it not heated. I don't know how much a Vaio battery costs, but I'm sure a UPS is cheaper.

[th3dude]

I disagree. I'd say it would be the same cost (if not cheaper) to replace a battery than a decent UPS.

[Martin Marconcini]

I’d leave both, since a power spike/thunderstorm can fry both your laptop’s power supply, the battery and your board. (it happened to me and many of my customers). Make sure you have a decent UPS. Cheap ones rarely really work when they have to.