# My computer will lag out when I plug it in. (Don't know if it's the right section)



## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

So, I can play any game fine when it's not charging (plugged in), but when I plug it in I can see I lost about 50% of my framerate which leaves me with no joy to keep playing... Yes, It's always set as Maximum Preformance, I run every game with +High, I even use Razor Cortex to give me 1 or 2 frames boost. And it's not my charger because I changed and it keeps the same, I tried to play without battery and it plugged in, lagged.

Windows 8.1 (64 bits) | 8GB RAM | Intel[R] Core[TM] i3-3217U CPU @ 1.80 Ghz.

If that is a must, my battery is 4-cell Li-ion battery.


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

It will be your processor states. Go to your power options, go to advanced power options, and down to Processor power management. Make sure it's set to Maximum processor state: 100%


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

It was already on 100% so... Stills the same anyway,


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

Make and Model of the laptop?

Only time I've heard of this is with Dell/Alienware Stealth mode app.

Wait, is it a Dell, and does it have a stupid Stealth Mode button? Turn it off.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

I didn't understand? Huh... Can you explain?


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> I didn't understand? Huh... Can you explain?



Is your laptop a Dell?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

No, Acer.


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

And what model is it?

Also, stop user Razer Cortex. You can achieve the same results by going into MSConfig and disable some startup programs, and just generally closing things you have open in the background.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

i3-3217U


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> i3-3217U



That's the model of the processor, not the laptop.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

E1-570 Sorry about that xD.


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## RCoon (Sep 15, 2015)

Some laptops use a linear power supply system. That means that when they're charging while plugged in, they heat up. Because of the additional heat caused while charging, the laptop ends up throttling to prevent overheating.

Just a guess. Has this always happened on this laptop?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

Yes, since I bought it.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 15, 2015)

I think this is one of those situations where i say _"you get what you pay for" _because that laptop is indeed an entry level laptop.

I suggest getting some books or music CDs to prop up the back of the laptop a little while youre gaming and see if that helps a little. I just want to know if the CPU is throttling because the fan is being starved of air when you play on a flat surface.

Another thing to note - I have worked on a lot of Acer notebooks in the past and most of the time the thermal paste inside is quite bad. If they are not using some crap thermal paste then its some crap thermal pad and given how 'closed off' the entire laptop is, you cant get to the CPU easily without having to dismantle half the laptop before you can replace the thermal interface.


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## RejZoR (Sep 15, 2015)

Cooling policy has to be Active. If set to Passive, it'll first downclock CPU when "overheating" and then fire up the fan if still needed. For Active, it'll fire up the fan as soon as it'll be hotter.


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 15, 2015)

Digging around with my friend Bing Google, I am seeing lots of reports for this backwards symptom with notebooks from many makers. It typically boils down to 4 causes for this.

(1) Power Option settings - but that does not seem to be an issue here.

(2) Alienware's Stealth Mode - since this is not a Dell, it is not that. But what that does it put the notebook in low power consumption mode. On my Toshiba, it is called Eco mode and is a separate button on the keyboard that control hardware functions totally unrelated to the settings set in Power options via the OS. So look for some Power Saving Mode options in your manual for that "hardware" option.

(3) The charger. You said you replaced it, but with what? A fully charged battery typically can supply a lot more current than those tiny chargers. Many of these chargers are similar to "trickle" chargers used on car batteries. They will fully charge the car battery - they just take a long time - but no way can you start the engine with the charger. Similar things happen with notebook chargers. They don't have the current to produce the wattage the notebook running at full throttle needs - this is even further exacerbated if the battery is drawing power too. So the power/regulator circuits in the notebook are purposefully designed to throttle down - at least until the battery is fully charged.

Which brings us to (4), a weak battery. I realize you said this also happens when the battery is removed, but as noted a weak (or discharged) battery could make the issue more apparent when installed.​


JadaiPT said:


> Yes, since I bought it.


This should have been reported to warranty tech support right away. Any chance it is still under warranty?

@FreedomEclipse - this notebook works fine and at full throttle when not on the charger so it is not the TIM (thermal interface material) or it would be a problem when on battery too. And while the OEM TIM used may not be the top-shelf quality, contrary to what many may believe, TIM does not go bad though age. It only needs to be replaced if the bond between the mating surfaces is broken. If you need the extra "few" degrees a top quality TIM may provide to keep a CPU stable and at full throttle, there are other cooling deficiencies that need to be fixed - such as ensuring the fans function properly and that the interior, heatsinks and vents are clean of heat trapping dust.

Being on the charger can cause more heat to be generated inside the notebook so good air circulation around it by using it on a hard flat (never your lap) surface is always a good idea. But I note the OP ran it with the charger only and no battery (thus no heat from the charging circuits) and again, performance dropped.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

I sent it to the store, they said it had no problem...


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

Bill_Bright said:


> (3) The charger. You said you replaced it, but with what? A fully charged battery typically can supply a lot more current than those tiny chargers. Many of these chargers are similar to "trickle" chargers used on car batteries. They will fully charge the car battery - they just take a long time - but no way can you start the engine with the charger. Similar things happen with notebook chargers. They don't have the current to produce the wattage the notebook running at full throttle needs - this is even further exacerbated if the battery is drawing power too. So the power/regulator circuits in the notebook are purposefully designed to throttle down - at least until the battery is fully charged.



I changed computer charger, tried to use my cousin's charger and it stills the same.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> Cooling policy has to be Active. If set to Passive, it'll first downclock CPU when "overheating" and then fire up the fan if still needed. For Active, it'll fire up the fan as soon as it'll be hotter.



It's set to active as always.


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 15, 2015)

Well, I suspect it is still because the charger does not produce enough current. That does not suggest a fault with the charger. It just means Acer decided to use a less powerful charger to cut costs (and maybe physical size) - assuming there is nothing wrong with the power/charging circuits inside the notebook.

Again, any chance the notebook is still under warranty?


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 15, 2015)

Sounds like some software is optimizing when plugged in. This would draw from your CPU causing a frame rate drop. Some programs are designed to only optimize when the laptop is plugged in.

What security software suit are you running? Can you give a list of non-windows processes when plugged in? Give it about 10 minutes plugged in before gathering the list. This will allow any program optimizations to start and bog the CPU.



Bill_Bright said:


> Well, I suspect it is still because the charger does not produce enough current. That does not suggest a fault with the charger. It just means Acer decided to use a less powerful charger to cut costs (and maybe physical size) - assuming there is nothing wrong with the power/charging circuits inside the notebook.
> 
> Again, any chance the notebook is still under warranty?


I don't think there is anything wrong with his Laptop. This smells of a software issue.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

TheMailMan78 said:


> What security software suit are you running?


Huh?. McAfee is my antivirus. 
----
A few time ago I found Razor Cortex to see if the problem would solve, and it didn't only gave me more like 2 fps.
Steam is always running, then i have: google chrome, lightshot, Razor Cortex, McAfee, LMevent LMSvc LMtray, Infinite HD (A program to watch streams, got it like 1 month ago.), ePowerEvent ePowerSVC ePowerTray, Java and some strange names but I think that's from the computer.


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 15, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> Huh?. McAfee is my antivirus.
> ----
> A few time ago I found Razor Cortex to see if the problem would solve, and it didn't only gave me more like 2 fps.
> Steam is always running, then i have: google chrome, lightshot, Razor Cortex, McAfee, LMevent LMSvc LMtray, Infinite HD (A program to watch streams, got it like 1 month ago.), ePowerEvent ePowerSVC ePowerTray, Java and some strange names but I think that's from the computer.


Ok McAfee is killing you. Dump it and get something better. What OS are you running and Ill suggest you a security suit..

As for your processes give us a screenshot.


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 15, 2015)

TheMailMan78 said:


> I don't think there is anything wrong with his Laptop. This smells of a software issue.


I agree and don't believe there is an actual faulty component with the notebook itself. It certainly could be an overlooked setting somewhere. But I am still leaning to the PS.

I don't buy this being McAfee (though it is not my favorite either). That would have nothing to do with performance changing when connected to the charger.

As for other software, I note this has been happening since day one.

So last time asking, JadaiPT, is this still under warranty?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

Bill_Bright said:


> So last time asking, JadaiPT, is this still under warranty?


I can't really tell you, because I sent it to the store so they can rate if I get a new one, they said it had no problems, plus I noted that one USB entry is broken since day 1, only forgot to tell to the store. So I don't know if the warranty expired.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Ok McAfee is killing you. Dump it and get something better. What OS are you running and Ill suggest you a security suit..


I deleted McAfee because it dumps out saying it's a virus too, but then I formatted and I keep with it. When I didn't have it the problems stills the same. I'm running Windows 8.1.


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 15, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> I deleted McAfee because it dumps out saying it's a virus too, but then I formatted and I keep with it. When I didn't have it the problems stills the same. I'm running Windows 8.1.


Ok try this....

http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

http://prntscr.com/8gn3ik http://prntscr.com/8gn3ri http://prntscr.com/8gn486 http://prntscr.com/8gn4ex


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Ok try this....
> 
> http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html


 
I can't unninstall McAfee, it says error loading web page


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## johnspack (Sep 15, 2015)

Instructions here:   https://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331   Uninstall tool here:  http://us.mcafee.com/apps/supporttools/mcpr/mcpr.asp


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

Thanks


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## JadaiPT (Sep 15, 2015)

Well, my problem keeps unsolved...


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## MilkyWay (Sep 16, 2015)

When you use a device and charge at the same time it wrecks the battery. Contrary to what people think, using a charger doesn't power devices off the mains so while your running your device its simultaneously draining the battery and trying to charge it at the same time.

Seems like the laptop is going into some sort of low power state in order to charge faster, thus the hardware runs slower in order to save power. I don't know if it's something in the bios or if it windows or some software. I might not even be right but it seems like that to me.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 16, 2015)

MilkyWay said:


> When you use a device and charge at the same time it wrecks the battery. Contrary to what people think, using a charger doesn't power devices off the mains so while your running your device its simultaneously draining the battery and trying to charge it at the same time.
> 
> Seems like the laptop is going into some sort of low power state in order to charge faster, thus the hardware runs slower in order to save power. I don't know if it's something in the bios or if it windows or some software. I might not even be right but it seems like that to me.


It can't be, I play with the computer fully charged but plugged in, so it won't have low battery.


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## RCoon (Sep 16, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> It can't be, I play with the computer fully charged but plugged in, so it won't have low battery.



What are the Voltage and Ampage numbers on the charger?
What are the Voltage and Ampage numbers on the battery?

These _should_ both be identical. Perhaps your charger is weaker than the battery.

EDIT: I'd lol if McAffee is running a virus scan whenever it detects the laptop as being plugged in  a virus scan would cause severe slow downs on a laptop, especially with a hard drive.


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## EarthDog (Sep 16, 2015)

RCoon said:


> What are the Voltage and Ampage numbers on the charger?
> What are the Voltage and Ampage numbers on the battery?
> 
> These _should_ both be identical. Perhaps your charger is weaker than the battery.
> ...


He posted this at OCF... we caught on to the charger thing too....


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## JadaiPT (Sep 16, 2015)

Battery: Can't find it...
Charger: Input: 100-240 V ~ 1.5 A // Output: 19 V =-=-= 3.42 A


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## RCoon (Sep 16, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> Battery: Can't find it...
> Charger: Input: 100-240 V ~ 1.5 A // Output: 19 V =-=-= 3.42 A



You'll have to take the battery out, it'll be on the bit that faces inside the laptop.


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 16, 2015)

MilkyWay said:


> When you use a device and charge at the same time it wrecks the battery.


Sorry, but that's not true at all -  not for notebooks - or any electronics device that I am aware of, for that matter.

Got a link to ANY device that says that? Or to ANY white paper or electronics article?

If that were the case, it would be clearly indicated in user manuals.

In the manual for my Toshiba notebook, the only thing the warning - actually "Technical Note" says concerning using the notebook while charging is that charging times may be extended if the computer is running many applications, features, and attached devices. No where in my manual does it say or hint to stop using the computer while charging.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 19, 2015)

Battery: It's a mess, this is what i found: 14.8V // 2500 AH 37WH // 1.26 A. Volt 17.42 // I know it's a mess...
Charger: Input: 100-240 V ~ 1.5 A // Output: 19 V =-=-= 3.42 A


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 19, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> this is what i found: 14.8V // 2500 AH 37WH // 1.26 A. Volt 17.42 // I know it's a mess...


I know what all those numbers mean individually, but not together.

14.8V // 2500 AH - that makes sense.

37WH - I assume means watt hours but I don't know where 37 came from. In DC circuits, the basic formula for power is 1W = 1V x 1A.

I don't know where 1.26A came from. And 17.42V would make sense (especially with a 19V charger) if there was not already 14.8V.

Where did you find these numbers?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 19, 2015)

There were 2 stickers on the battery, it's a mess there you can't understand a lot (or I'm just noob) So, I just wrote them on a paper kind of a messy way...  And those are my results.


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## Toothless (Sep 19, 2015)

Just get a copy of whatever Windows version you're using and do a clean install, because obviously this seems to be going no where, even with the OP double/triple posting.

Honestly this sounds like something that happened to my laptop and a clean OS install fixed the issue.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 20, 2015)

How can I get a new version of windows 8.1 without having to pay it?


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## Toothless (Sep 20, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> How can I get a new version of windows 8.1 without having to pay it?


You're funny.


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## Bill_Bright (Sep 20, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> How can I get a new version of windows 8.1 without having to pay it?


By being a thief!


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## Mussels (Sep 20, 2015)

MilkyWay said:


> When you use a device and charge at the same time it wrecks the battery. Contrary to what people think, using a charger doesn't power devices off the mains so while your running your device its simultaneously draining the battery and trying to charge it at the same time.
> 
> Seems like the laptop is going into some sort of low power state in order to charge faster, thus the hardware runs slower in order to save power. I don't know if it's something in the bios or if it windows or some software. I might not even be right but it seems like that to me.



sorry but that ones not true these days. i've tested lots of modern devices (phones, tablets, laptops) and measured power consumption at the wall with and without batteries connected - once the battery is fully charged it gets ignored and only mains power is used. amperage on chargers is always enough to run the device AND charge the battery at the same time, generally if the device is in use while plugged in the device gets powered and the battery trickle chargers.


Overall this is definitely a software/OS issue - some setting has been changed backwards to how it should be, and its slowing down when mains is connected. there are plenty of settings in windows for CPU and GPU related to this, as well as third party apps being a possible cause.


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## Toothless (Sep 20, 2015)

Has anyone brought up power settings? ie: On battery max power 100 / Plugged in max power 70?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 20, 2015)

Toothless said:


> Has anyone brought up power settings? ie: On battery max power 100 / Plugged in max power 70?


It's all on 100% and cooling set to active


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## Frick (Sep 21, 2015)

Bill_Bright said:


> By being a thief!





Toothless said:


> You're funny.



I'm assuming he's asking for installation media.

Doesn't Windows 8.1 have a full system restore function built in?


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2015)

Frick said:


> I'm assuming he's asking for installation media.
> 
> Doesn't Windows 8.1 have a full system restore function built in?



yes it does. he can do a reset and it'll wipe just about everything.


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## Toothless (Sep 21, 2015)

Mussels said:


> yes it does. he can do a reset and it'll wipe just about everything.


Or we hope everything required to fix the issue.


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2015)

Toothless said:


> Or we hope everything required to fix the issue.



if its like the windows 10 reset, it wipes all windows settings and installed programs - which are the two possible causes for this problem in software.


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## JadaiPT (Sep 21, 2015)

You mean, formattation? I already formatted it once, stills the same...


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## JadaiPT (Sep 24, 2015)

?


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## JadaiPT (Sep 29, 2015)

Huh, guys?


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## Moofachuka (Sep 29, 2015)

Might be the bios try reset bios and play with it


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## lilhasselhoffer (Sep 29, 2015)

JadaiPT said:


> Huh, guys?



No, that's not what they mean.

A format wipes the entire computer, and forces you to reinstall Windows manually.  What they are saying is that you functionally reset your installation.  Check here for instructions: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc


What you're looking for is a refresh.  Read through that subsection of the link, and start there.  If the issue persists, try the remove everything and reinstall windows option.  As there's likely a recovery partition, you needn't bother with installation media (what you were asking about earlier).


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