Vaio Laptop (Refurbished) Low Battery Threshold

[wishface]

Hi, i brought a refurbished Sony Vaio laptop yesterday. It's a nice machine and I think (though I didn't ask specifically) it has been upgraded as it has a lot of RAM and a graphics card. However when I got it home and started using it i noticed that at full charge the battery has only 2 and a half hours of use! That can't be right. Is there anything I can do about this; is it a case of more powerful hardware needing a more powerful battery? There ar eno other issues i've noticed.

I'm not sure of the exact model it's either:

sve151e11m, or, sve1512w1esi (the former is on the back while a sticker with the latter and a barcode is also on the back). Again I didn't ask for the specifics.

Thanks.

[Blencogo]

Hi wishface and welcome.

I think you have a SVE1512W1E and you will find support, downloads and full specifications here: -

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/content/cnt-specs/SVE1512W1E/list

(Any subsequent letters in the Vaio's name will just indicate the casing colour).

The specifications say 4 hours battery life but this is under the MobileMark 2007 benchmark and is longer than you can realistically expect in normal use.  If you are concerned, bring it up with the seller (Did you buy it from Sony?).  This model is a 2012 model and the battery may be over 3 years old.

[wishface]

It looks like the right model. The listed battery time is 4 hours, which is still less than I expected. 2 hours is rather short, is there anything I can do about this? Will buying a new battery make a difference? Can i run the machine from the mains/while it is charging?

[Blencogo]

Check in Vaio Control Centre for the battery condition.  This will tell you the health of the battery.  If the battery is OK, you will not get any improvement by buying a new battery.

If the battery is OK, check if the Battery Care Function is enabled or not.  In order to preserve battery life, especially if you use the Vaio plugged into the AC most of the time, there is the facility to charge the battery to only 50% or to 80% or, when disabled, to the full 100%.  You may find this is set to less than full charge.  Have a look at this video which will show you how to change the settings: -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ldP07sNrA&feature=youtu.be

Yes, you can use the Vaio plugged in at all times where a socket is available.  Many users do this to preserve the life of the battery for use when away from a power socket.

[wishface]

Thank you for the replies.

I have also noticed that, when i run a video game (something system intensive), the machine warms up. Is this something to be concerned about? Are cooling pads worthwhile?