After playing Scrap Mechanic for about an hour, my Framework 16's battery eventually died even though it was connected to power. This seems to happen mainly while gaming. Ubuntu reports roughly 75 W of system usage, while my USB-C power bank shows about 90 W being delivered to the laptop, yet the battery still does not charge. The system also reports around 13 W of battery-related usage. The laptop is only about eight months old, and I'm running Ubuntu. Is this caused by a faulty battery, power-conversion loss, or an underpowered charger?
3 Answers
The main issue is probably the power adapter's rating. A Framework 16 can require substantially more power during sustained gaming, especially with the discrete GPU. If the adapter is only rated for 60 W, the laptop may use some power from the battery whenever its actual demand exceeds what the adapter can provide. The recommended adapter can be much higher-rated—up to around 240 W depending on the configuration—so a 60 W charger is not sufficient for gaming even if it works for normal use.
The wattage numbers may also be measured at different points in the power path. The laptop's reported usage is likely internal system consumption, while the power bank measures what it supplies over USB-C. Conversion circuitry, charging losses, and the adapter's own overhead account for some difference. However, a roughly 30 W gap is not enough to explain everything by itself; the bigger problem is that the adapter cannot provide enough sustained power for the laptop while gaming.
Some conversion loss is normal, but I was surprised by the size of the difference. It sounds like the adapter's limited output, rather than a dead battery, is the more likely explanation.
A bad battery is possible in general, but the fact that this only happens during demanding games points more strongly to insufficient external power. Try a properly rated charger and cable, then check whether the battery still falls while gaming. If it does, testing the battery health and charging hardware would make sense.
I assumed 60 W would be enough because that was the adapter I received, but it appears the expected adapter is closer to 240 W. That would explain why the battery drains only under heavy load.