[quote name='Eelco' timestamp='1328002399' post='4907935']
You cycle it at least once a month. You are doing it right then. It is not the 99% of the time at high charge that is the problem; it is the lack of reset that a cycle gives, that leads to some kind of runaway degradation.

I will say that I've left my crappy laptop plugged in constantly, and now it's battery lasts no more than 15 minutes from a full charge after having it for 4 years.

This isn't even an exageration. If anything it doesn't even last 15 minutes.
[/quote]
Exactly. I took three laptops down that exact road before realizing something other than bad luck might be at play. No unbroken stretches at extremities of charge; Thats all you need to know to keep your battery functioning reasonably well over the years. Assuming you have no other issues.

Laptop batteries generally only last 2 years. If you use them for longer than that you risk hurting your laptop's motherboard. You can check this stuff in the bios for battery health normally. It's surprising how long people will use a battery for though.

If you use them for longer than that you risk hurting your laptop's motherboard.

How?

[quote name='Sirisian' timestamp='1328050933' post='4908200']
If you use them for longer than that you risk hurting your laptop's motherboard.

How?
[/quote]
You could be right. Personal experience with dell computers and probably misinformaton. When I asked what was wrong with my laptop's motherboard when it died they told me not to use their batteries for 4 years.

Curious about battery lifetimes I justed checked Dell's site and they mention 18 to 24 months for the normal reduction times, but don't say anything about hardware risks so they must not exist.

Curious about battery lifetimes I justed checked Dell's site and they mention 18 to 24 months for the normal reduction times, but don't say anything about hardware risks so they must not exist.

It's really not a thing. Once upon a time electronics were vulnerable to brownouts, and given a battery in bad enough shape, it might be supplying a low-enough voltage for one to occur - but modern electronics tend to be pretty resistant.

Also, provided you take good care of your battery (cycle on at least a monthly basis, never fully drain), they should work fine for years. I have one battery that still offers a good 90% of capacity after 7 years.

One advantage of using a laptop (even with external keyboard/mouse) is that it has a built-in UPC-equivalent. If the power goes out, you don't lose your work like you would on a desktop.

-Install Linux (ArchLinux in particular) on it and support the graphics card, audio card, networking, etc...

Actually, as far as I know there is no linux support for nvidia optimus (which comes with most laptops with nvidia cards and intel processors), so you will probably be stuck with the Intel GMA if you buy one of those.
I heard there were some non-official solutions for that, but I never tried them.

I will say that I've left my crappy laptop plugged in constantly, and now it's battery lasts no more than 15 minutes from a full charge after having it for 4 years.
This isn't even an exageration. If anything it doesn't even last 15 minutes.

You should do battery calibration as your power gauge could be off. Recharge your battery to maximum level, then disable any mechanisms that will shut down your laptop when battery is low (in Windows Vista/7 you need to use some console commands or change registry). Then leave the system on until it shuts down after the battery is fully drained. This is called a deep discharge and it should recalibrate your power gauge (although it may need several of these cycles). Note that although this will recalibrate your power gauge, it will also reduce your battery's life span. This is why you should discharge your battery (but not lower than 10%) from time to time to make sure power gauge functions properly. Also note that some laptops will not allow you to do deep discharge: BIOS in my Dell Precision M4500 will shut down the system at approx 3% of charge.

Also, provided you take good care of your battery (cycle on at least a monthly basis, never fully drain), they should work fine for years. I have one battery that still offers a good 90% of capacity after 7 years.

I agree. As I've said before, I have several laptops having batteries aged over 5 years that still hold more than 90% of charge. However, I think it also depends on the manufacturer.

[quote name='cowsarenotevil' timestamp='1328051725' post='4908202']
[quote name='Sirisian' timestamp='1328050933' post='4908200']
If you use them for longer than that you risk hurting your laptop's motherboard.

How?
[/quote]
You could be right. Personal experience with dell computers and probably misinformaton. When I asked what was wrong with my laptop's motherboard when it died they told me not to use their batteries for 4 years.

Curious about battery lifetimes I justed checked Dell's site and they mention 18 to 24 months for the normal reduction times, but don't say anything about hardware risks so they must not exist.
[/quote]
Lol Dell. My last Dell laptop would freeze if it gets too hot, leaving a constant high-pitched audio noise until I plug the power source off. I paid $500 for it, and it didn't even last longer than 4 months. Surprisingly, the warranty expired just before it first happened.

Though I have another Dell laptop, which has lasted me for about 2 years now. I haven't complained anything other than the fact it's not an ultra-powerful PC, but still works, and probably have used it more than my desktop.

Lol Dell. My last Dell laptop would freeze if it gets too hot, leaving a constant high-pitched audio noise until I plug the power source off. I paid $500 for it, and it didn't even last longer than 4 months. Surprisingly, the warranty expired just before it first happened.

Dell had a real quality control/build quality problem back in the mid 2000's. It was so bad at times that we had a blanket recommendation that nobody purchase computers from Dell.

They seem to have improved markedly in the past few years, however. I still would far rather have a Mac or a Lenovo, but they are decent machines.