Stronger processors, powerful graphics cards, extra accessories, and a larger size are all contributing factors to why gaming laptops’ batteries drain so quickly compared to regular laptops.
As an avid gamer, I’ve owned various gaming laptops throughout my life. Those years of using and playing with the machines allowed me to cover their various features and explain their poor battery life.
This article takes a further look at that by going over the reasons gaming laptops need to be plugged in so often and then covering a few ways users can improve their machine’s energy supply.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Gaming laptops, in order to keep up with modern gaming titles, have a ton of power and use up a lot more energy than regular models.
- Most modern gaming laptops drain quickly due to their powerful internal components, as well as their need to power and supply multiple accessories at one time.
- Improving your laptop’s cooling system, closing unnecessary applications, shutting off backlights, and turning down the display all help give it more time away from the outlet.
A Quick Draining Battery
Gaming laptops are powerful devices made to handle high work loads and graphic-intensive programs. They come with stellar graphics, sleek shells, and strong graphics cards. However, for all of their benefits, they do have downsides as well. Most notably, their battery life.
While there are exceptions, gaming laptops by and large suffer in the energy department. They tend to drain much faster than regular models and need to be plugged in more as well. They are bigger, require more energy, and are designed to be left on a desk most of the time.
That leads to a poorer battery performance overall, especially for powerful modern processors. Every new laptop comes equipped with cores and threads, but gaming laptops take that to the extreme. By doing so, they generate a ton of power that in turn uses a lot of energy.
Every time you increase a processor’s core count and clock speed, it needs more power to keep running. The strength is essential for modern gaming, but it also makes the battery die more quickly.
A Gaming Laptop’s Bad Battery: The Causes
Gaming laptops don’t have extended battery life like many modern computers, but they often don’t need to. As they are bigger, manufacturers expect them to stay in one spot or to be used at home where there are many available outlets. That’s why they only stay on for a few hours.
Another reason the machines drain quickly is their strong graphics card. That feature fills the same purpose as a video card, but is more focused on creating detailed images and complex textures. That smoothness improves gameplay, but it eats more battery.
The machines also tend to have high-speed processors on top of crisper resolution and larger screens. All three of those features work together to create a great gaming experience, but they all require more power.
Gaming laptops have to power a lot of different accessories, and they all eat into the battery life. That includes multiple high-speed fans, backlit RGB lighting, as well as loud, crisp speakers. Such features are why users love gaming laptops, but they come at a cost.
Improving a Gaming Laptop’s Battery Life
A shorter battery life is often worth the trade-off when getting a gaming laptop, but it doesn’t have to bother you either. There are quite a few steps anyone can take to get more from their gaming laptop battery.
The first is to close any applications you aren’t using. Before starting any long gaming session, it’s a good idea to check for and shut down any apps you might have running in the background.
On top of that, lower your display brightness as much as you can. While you don’t want your screen to be too dark, it does save power to have it off max brightness.
In that same vein, shutting off any backlighting will also save you power in the long run. Turning off WiFi and Bluetooth works, as does unplugging or turning off USB peripherals.
It’s also important to keep your machine clean and monitor its airflow. Fans are incredibly effective, but they fill up with the dust over time. The same is true of your machine’s vents. Always position your laptop on a flat surface with lots of space.
The cooler your machine, the better it will run. If you want to maximize your gaming laptop’s energy, invest in a strong cooling system and do everything you can to stop debris from piling up in the vents.
FAQs
This section answers a few of the most pressing questions gamers have about laptop batteries.
Why is My New Gaming Laptop Draining So Quickly?
Typically, a fast-draining battery is due to high performance mode, a power intensive program, or multiple applications running at the same time. Backlit keyboards can also drain batteries quickly as well. Limiting such uses will give you more juice.
Is It Ok to Leave A Gaming Laptop Charging Overnight?
Yes. Though older models don’t do well if plugged in for long periods of time, modern laptops utilize special lithium-ion batteries that stop charging once they hit full capacity. As such, they don’t experience any issues when left hooked up to an outlet.
Can I Use My Gaming Laptop For Hours at a Time?
Yes, as long as you take the right steps. Gaming laptops, for all of their power, are much more prone to overheating compared to their normal counterparts. Always monitor your machine’s temperature and have a strong cooling system if you plan to run it a lot.
Final Words
Gaming laptops are solid machines, but they have their setbacks. None are more apparent than their short battery life. Though that won’t be a huge issue for most gamers, if you do want to use your laptop on the go, have an outlet ready and know how to maximize your energy supply.
Do you own a gaming laptop? If so, how is the battery life? Let us know in the comments below!
