It's generally recommended to keep your laptop battery charged somewhere between 40 and 80 percent, as well as keeping the laptop as cool as possible. But when it comes to gaming, there's no workaround for keeping the unit powered and enjoying a few hours of entertainment. You need that constant flow of power, but does this have a negative effect on the battery?
Community member PrinceBrown7 asked on our boards if this is advisable:
I always play computer games on my laptop without disconnecting the charger. is this act going have any effect on my battery life?
PrinceBrown7
Some laptops actually require you to game while having it plugged in, especially gaming notebooks. Larger laptops with multiple GPUs even have more than a single power brick, requiring two power outlets to keep the machine running. You're going to be causing a little wear on the battery, but the battery is being worn down all the time so it will end up being useless eventually, regardless how you use the laptop.
For me, I tend to abide by the 40 to 80 percent rule on most of my electronic devices with built-in batteries. The only exceptions are my laptop (which I use to game on from time to time), OnePlus 5 due to Android Auto, and my Nintendo Switch. Will gaming on your notebook with it plugged in all the time cause it to explode? Nope, but it may have a slight effect on the battery due to heat generation.
Rich Edmonds is Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him over on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.
