But, wait, my laptop has many batteries? In a nutshell, YES. But, the primary laptop battery powers all parts from the CPU to the hard drive and is one of your laptop’s most significant and heaviest elements. On the other hand, a CMOS battery supplies power to just the BIOS and is generally coin-sized and located on the motherboard. So, you may have guessed by now how important it is.

What Is A CMOS Battery? Overview and Definition

A computer, be it a desktop or a laptop, has a Motherboard on which the BIOS configurations are installed in a little amount of storage called CMOS. BIOS settings include hardware settings, system time, and date. When the device is turned off, the BIOS protects the data. In addition, the system clock restarts if the CMOS loses power.

A northbridge motherboard connects the CPU to the faster components of a PC, while a southbridge motherboard connects the CPU to the slower parts. But, the CMOS battery feeds the BIOS firmware in your laptop, which is responsible for starting it up and setting data flow. So, if your computer has trouble booting up, or your drivers disappear, or the date and time on your laptop are inaccurate, it means your CMOS battery is expired.

How to Know if your CMOS Battery is not Working?

Even though CMOS is a tiny battery, it performs admirably as a backup battery. It is necessary to protect data from being disrupted. There are many instances when your PC will indicate to you that your CMOS battery has failed. The instances are;

Boot Up Problems

BIOS is primarily accountable for powering up your computer. Therefore, your laptop may have 

a tough time starting up without the battery, or it may not start up at all. You could also hear a persistent beep sound coming from the motherboard, another sign of a dead battery.

Incorrect Time and Date

BIOS has a real-time clock that records the time and date even though your machine is turned down. The method is maintained by CMOS. So if the date and time have suddenly changed, it’s a solid indication that the CMOS battery has failed.

Keyboard Becomes Less Responsive

It’s conceivable that your keys aren’t working; for example, you can’t move your mouse or click on any icons, or the laptop isn’t reading your keyboard inputs. Alternatively, your peripherals might be thrown out of sync, your cursor is imprecise, and your key inputs cause weird operating system reactions.

Disappearing drivers

It may happen if your CMOS battery has died that the drivers you installed are disappearing on their own. For example, we sometimes install drivers for our home printers, and if you see them disappearing all of a sudden, it may be because of a CMOS failure. 

No Internet Connectivity

You might be unable to connect to the internet if your CMOS battery dies. BIOS is in charge of keeping hardware and network drivers up to date. As soon as you replace the battery, you’ll have access to all of your photos, movies, and documents.

What are the Best CMOS Batteries?

A new CMOS battery may be purchased online at a meager price, generally between $1 and $10. In addition, many local businesses, including Target, Fry’s Electronics, Best Buy, and office supply stores, sell these along with ESD pads. Let’s take a look at a few CMOS battery options. 

1. Duracell Specialty 2032 Lithium Coin 

Key Fobs, tiny remotes, scales, wearables, sensors, and medical equipment- everything is compatible with this CMOS battery. The package is tamper-proof, with a double blister to prevent unintentional opening. It comes in various size options such as 1220, 1620, 1632, 2016, etc. It costs $6.42. 

2. GP Battery Lithium Button Cell

This CMOS battery is a crucial source of power for a variety of gadgets. They’re tiny in size but quite firm in performance, and there’s no mercury added to them. This battery comes in a set of 5 batteries with a unit count of 5 and a voltage of 3 volts. It costs $4.67. 

3. Panasonic CR2032 Lithium

These tiny batteries are of supreme quality because they are manufactured by Panasonic itself. It comes in a set of 6, and it is compatible with toys. With the lithium 3-volt battery and 4 unit counts, this is a pretty safe option for any device. It costs $5.27. 

4. New For DELL 8.5cm CR2032

This CMOS battery is compatible with laptops like Toshiba, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Sony, Dell, Acer, etc. Some customers have complained about the wrong arrangement of the black and red wire of this battery. But, other than that, it is a pretty good deal for only $3.64. 

5. Energizer 2032 Lithium 

There are two energizer 2032 lithium coin batteries available in this set. With 10 years of shelf life, this CMOS battery is a good deal for just $4.06. The battery cell is composed of lithium manganese dioxide, so you can guess how good its quality is.

6. LiCB CR2032 3V Lithium 

It costs $8.11. Strict Quality Control Standards are used to test it. Longer battery life and power are ensured using Grade A CR2032 batteries. It is compatible with motherboards, watches, calculators, toys, MP3 players, games, digital voice recorders, medical devices, etc. 

7. VARTA Batteries CR2032 Lithium

This CMOS battery is of premium quality and has a long shelf life, even for everyday use. The power source is quite reliable, and it has a warranty of 10 years. From toys to remote controls, from car keys to electronic clocks- it is compatible with everything. Moreover, it costs only $2.70.

8. COMPAQ CQ56 CQ62 Battery

This CMOS battery comes with a cable and a connector packaged in a secured manner. It comes in a set of 1 battery. It is pretty lightweight for 3 volts of voltage. As Compaq manufactured it initially, it is trustworthy in the market. It costs $4.45.

9. Duracell 2032 Twin

From wearables to scales and from medical devices to sensors-this battery is compatible with all. In addition, the power preserve technology guarantees a 10 year warranty period for this CMOS battery. It also comes with tamper-proof packaging and costs $5.68. 

10. Panasonic CR2032 3 V Button

It comes in a set of 20 batteries, and it is the most expensive CMOS battery on our list. It costs $11.23. Since it is composed of lithium manganese dioxide, the quality is guaranteed. With Panasonic as its original manufacturer, the battery has a good reputation in the market.

Signing Off

There is a separate CMOS battery linked to the motherboard in laptops and desktops by two cables. When a device’s passcode is set, the CMOS battery keeps track of it. So, you may have understood by now why a CMOS battery is so important. You can buy any of these CMOS batteries that we have mentioned here online at a lower price. 

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