Is running on AC only safe?

[Racso]

Background

I recently got a Razer blade 14 (2021 model) and noticed there was no battery replacements available currently, thus I wanted to preserve my battery life.

But when running on AC only I noticed the GPU RTX3070 is power limited to 27W max whereas the CPU is not power limited (quite sure Razer did something in the BIOS and I don't want to brick it).

After further digging I found an article that says running on AC only can damage the motherboard due to voltage variations.

"

3. Destroying the inverter system

The inverter system is located at the battery and helps regulate the amount of voltage getting into the laptop. When the battery is removed, it will not function as it’s supposed to; hence the power voltage that gets into the computer is not regulated and likely to vary, causing damage to the laptop components.

"

Since I can't post any links just google -laptop remove battery low performance- and the first result should be for whatsbyte website.

[manikyath]

if running your laptop on the charger can damage the laptop, people need to stop buying razer.

[suedseefrucht]

It looks like you will have to unscrew the bottom of the laptop to get to the battery, but it should run without the battery on AC power, like pretty much any other laptop.

[SorryBella]

41 minutes ago, Racso said:

and noticed there was no battery replacements available currently

Yeah then play it conservatively, overcharging exists on a laptop due to how their power delivery systems work. Or just hope it doesnt break from OTHER thing because its a Blade.

[Racso]

52 minutes ago, manikyath said:

if running your laptop on the charger can damage the laptop, people need to stop buying razer.

 

20 minutes ago, SorryClaire said:

Yeah then play it conservatively, overcharging exists on a laptop due to how their power delivery systems work. Or just hope it doesnt break from OTHER thing because its a Blade.

Just to clear any confusion I don't mind having the battery plugged in as I am well aware of the dos and don'ts since I also have a dell inspiron 5577 still powering through after 6 years just fine with no battery bloat or any other other issues, this post is just for discussion purposes if said article is just guess work or if it has any truth to it.

Also the reason I got a Razer laptop is just for the sake of testing it since there is a decent amount of mixed reviews on it, with it being either a tank or dumpster fire so I have taken the don't knock it until you try it approach.

[Theguywhobea]

If your GPU is power limited when on AC only I'm guessing that at times the total power consumption of the laptop is greater than what the charger could supply on it's on. Razer programmed the board to be able to draw from the charger and the battery at the same time to meet these maximum power demands. 

 

I'm guessing they figure these types of power loads are infrequent enough to not diminish the average user's experience, and by slightly undersizing the power adapter they both save a little money on it and can keep it as small and compact as possible. 

 

This is something that's almost inevitable with modern thin and light design and an example of trying to push the limits on power and size. A lot of enthusiast would argue that it's just flat out bad design (me included) however it's a corner Razer (and some other companies) have been willing to make in order to appeal to the masses.

[Racso]

17 hours ago, Theguywhobea said:

If your GPU is power limited when on AC only I'm guessing that at times the total power consumption of the laptop is greater than what the charger could supply on it's on. Razer programmed the board to be able to draw from the charger and the battery at the same time to meet these maximum power demands. 

 

I'm guessing they figure these types of power loads are infrequent enough to not diminish the average user's experience, and by slightly undersizing the power adapter they both save a little money on it and can keep it as small and compact as possible. 

 

This is something that's almost inevitable with modern thin and light design and an example of trying to push the limits on power and size. A lot of enthusiast would argue that it's just flat out bad design (me included) however it's a corner Razer (and some other companies) have been willing to make in order to appeal to the masses.

I kinda doubt the power adapter is undersized given the one I have is a 230W adapter from Razer, based on what you said my theory is that Razer is just playing it super safe with the power distribution as total power consumption is less of an issue and power spikes being more prevalent since the GPU has a greater degree of power spikes when in use. Thanks for the insight.