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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Dort_Owl@hexbear.net to c/technology@hexbear.net

I've had this laptop for seven years. It's an Acer Nitro (cheesy name I know). Replaced the ssd and upgraded the memory around 2024, it goes beautifully despite its age. However the battery is running at about 64% efficiency and I'm dreading that any day now it's going to swell or something.

It's an easy laptop to take apart and updrade to an extent. I know the battery is replaceable. The problem is I wonder if it's worth it to just buy a new laptop. Problem is I can't really afford to get a new laptop unless I get something worse than what I have now. Plus I'm not sure how long it's got to live even if I replace the battery.

Plus I'm... attached to the little guy. I've spent so much work fixing it and it's always run so well that I'm sentimental now.

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Depends. Do you want more battery life?

I don’t think any Nitro laptop ever has gotten good battery life. So as long as it’s not 100% toast I’d just leave it plugged in 24/7 like probably most nitro users do.

[-] TheSpectreOfGay@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago

can confirm, as an acer nitro owner i do this

[-] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago

Is there a chance it will expand into an exploding pillow though? I don't trust old batteries

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 month ago

They don't always swell. I've procured several hundred dells and lenovos over the last decade, maybe 5% swell and it's usually ones in the same batch when they do it.

[-] FloridaBoi@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago

There’s a higher chance of an eBay replacement battery swelling. Ask me how I know.

I removed the battery form an old laptop that wouldn’t hold a charge for more than a few minutes and it’s instantly half the weight. It always has to be plugged in though

[-] KernelPanic@anarchist.nexus 3 points 1 month ago

sure, but that chance exists with any lithium ion battery. if you don't want to just toss the battery and keep it plugged in when you use it, then limit the charge to 50%. that will prolong whatever life the battery has left in it.

Can you set a battery charge limit? If so then cap it at 80%. The less charged they are the less likely they are to expand.

A cheap knockoff battery is FAR more likely to expand than a legit official one.

this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2026
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