At quasi-full CPU+GPU load the G74 uses close to 150 Watts already (see my tally of TDPs of G74 parts around here somewhere...), to say nothing of the extra wattage that will be drawn from the power supply when charging. Thus, another reason not to "play and charge" is you
really stress your supply beyond its rated specs (150 W), which in turn will subject your G74 mainboard power subsystem components to an unclean signal with high ripple (which prematurely wears the caps and causes them to fail sooner). ASUS gave us a barely (in?)adequate power supply for running the G74 already: don't try to use it for much beyond normal running.
If your G74 is parked for most of the time grab a 180-230 W adaptor from ASUS. they're bigger and heavier so not for travelling, but are great for docking stations.
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G74SX-CST1-CBIL, i7 2630QM 2GHz
32GB DDR3 RAM @1333MHz
GTX560M 3GB DDR5 (192 bit)
17.3" LED 1920x1080
Sentelic TP, BIOS 203
Debian Linux Wheezy (Testing) Kernel 3.2, NVIDIA 295.40