Macbook Pro Battery life tips

uzapuca · 03-05-2013, 08:42 AM

Hi guys,
I would like to know -since i am kind of new with macbook pro use-[B]what are considered the best practices for battery life/use?

1 - Should i use the Macbook Pro unplugged every time the battery gets fully charged and then only plug it in when the battery is 20% plug it, recharge it, and unplug it again?

2 - Should i take the battery out if the MBP is to be plugged for long periods?

3 - -Does it reduce battery life to use the AC adaptor while the battery is fully charged?

I read someone who said "I found that the battery cycle count hurts the reliability of the battery more than having it plugged in".

I am reading some tips on the internet that are a bit contradictory so it would be nice to have some expert opinion here.

Best,
S

DeltaMac · 03-05-2013, 10:16 AM

I agree that it is common to find battery tips that are (or appear to be) contradictory.

In my opinion: 1, 2, and 3 can all be answered No.
1. Unplugging, and running on battery "every time" will cause the cycle count to increase at a very quick rate. That contributes to a shorter battery life. However, you have a laptop, and you should be able to use the battery whenever that is appropriate. Battery - or plugged in - is a choice that you make, which is part of the trade-off that you make with something that is battery powered.

2. I don't think that removing the battery will make a significant difference in any ordinary use of a laptop.
Long term storage (unused for several months, for example) might result in a different answer.
And, if your battery is non-removable (in the unibody Macbook Pro, the battery is not considered removable), the question is not relevant.

3. The battery charging circuitry takes care of this for you, by preventing overcharging. Leaving the AC adaptor plugged in with a fully-charged battery would not, by itself, damage the battery in any significant way.

All rechargeable batteries eventually wear out (are exhausted), and one important factor in that life limit is the number of times the batteries are recharged, assuming that no other hardware factor comes into play. THAT'S the cycle count. At some point, with enough charge cycles, the battery will no longer hold a useful charge.

NovaScotian · 03-05-2013, 10:44 AM

My 2008 MBP spent most of its life plugged in except when I was traveling. I just replaced it, not because it wouldn't run the machine for long enough but because it wouldn't charge at all. I consider 5 years a pretty good run for a rechargeable battery.

DeltaMac · 03-05-2013, 11:13 AM

Yours should expect replacement after 3 years or so - and 5 years is pretty good, I think.
The newer "non-replaceable" batteries might go 5 to 8 years, maybe longer.

uzapuca · 03-05-2013, 08:23 PM

Thanks for the good tips guys.
I think after reading your comments and if i do understand right the best option is to have plugged almost all the time that kills the CYCLE count. The question remain on what is the use i will make of it. I think if i have it at home most of the time i might have to have it plugged all the time since the electronic circuit shut off any over charge. Don't you think?

Cheers,

DeltaMac · 03-05-2013, 08:53 PM

No, I don't agree that's your best option.
So, now I may contradict myself...

The _best_ option, in my opinion, allows you to use the laptop in the way that you want to use it.
Don't try to over-think this.
Your laptop is battery powered. If you want to use it on battery most of the time, then that's a good way to use it.
Plug it in when it needs to recharge. You don't need to unplug, just because the battery is fully charged.
If you typically don't take it out, and it stays on your desk, then just leave it plugged in. Use it unplugged occasionally, even if you don't need to, just to "exercise" the battery. Once or twice a month should be fine for that exercise.

Don't be afraid of wearing the battery out, if you prefer to use it that way.
It's YOUR computer. Use it in a way that is comfortable to you, and gives you the use that you have paid for.

NovaScotian · 03-06-2013, 10:45 AM

I normally leave mine plugged in on my desk and leave my firewire backup disk plugged into it so nightly backups can happen automatically at 3 AM, but as DeltaMac suggests, I unplug it occasionally, set it to stay awake, and let it run down to screen blackout for a full recharge. When I take it out of the house, of course, I run on the battery, charging only as necessary, typically with top down, overnight. Worked for my first battery. I have replaced its hard disk with an SSD (OMC); don't know whether that is a factor or not.

acme · 03-26-2013, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaMac


	1. Unplugging, and running on battery "every time" will cause the cycle count to increase at a very quick rate.

so...what counts as "unplugging?"

what if your MBP is sleeping/lid down and you move to the next room computer first, then the power brick, then plug in? Does that tell the MBP to increment the cycle count?

cuz if so, my battery will croak next week!

Or does the MBP only "count" it if it's up and running and performing tasks for awhile?

thank you

a

NaOH · 03-26-2013, 08:08 PM

A cycle of the battery is the equivalent of going from fully charged to uncharged. If you run on battery until the machine puts itself to sleep due to a drained battery, recharging will be one cycle. If 10 times you use the machine on battery until it's at 90%, then recharge it, that is also equal to one cycle.

acme · 03-26-2013, 08:30 PM

uh oh..in that case I have been doing the wrong thing....

maybe, once unplugged, it should remain unplugged until it gets down low? I've been on battery in the evenings, watching movies in the living room and plugging back in when we go to bed; often it's only down to 64%...so plugging it back in at that level isn't so hot if I'm reading correctly...

NaOH · 03-26-2013, 08:39 PM

I've neither seen nor read of that style of usage being problematic, and that's typically how I've used my own MacBook Pro. It's important to recognize that a battery that is plugged in all the time will see degradation because the electrons aren't being exercised. A battery that's being used all the time will move through its finite number of cycles.

My laptop has had stretches where it was not being used on battery, so I would make certain to unplug it periodically just to exercise those cells. Apple recommends a minimum of one cycle per month. So if I twice a week let it run to 85% before recharging, I was meeting the minimum.

To me, as long as the minimum usage is being met, the rest is what DeltaMac said up above:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaMac


	The _best_ option, in my opinion, allows you to use the laptop in the way that you want to use it.

For Apple's take on all this, which largely repeats what's been said in this thread, see their notebook battery page:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

DeltaMac · 03-26-2013, 09:03 PM

I think the important thing to remember, is to use your laptop in the way that you need to use it, and don't worry so much about using it "wrong" - (whatever that is.) I'm sort of a fatalist about batteries - I consider that the battery lasts as long as it lasts. It's an expendable item, after all. I make what I think is a reasonable effort to help the battery last for its full life. If it fails early, I may choose to replace it. I have the expectation that newer Mac laptop batteries will likely last the life of the laptop - and I define that to be the point when I consider a new laptop.

03-05-2013, 08:42 AM	#1
uzapuca All Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Spain Posts: 519	Macbook Pro Battery life tips Hi guys, I would like to know -since i am kind of new with macbook pro use-[B]what are considered the best practices for battery life/use? 1 - Should i use the Macbook Pro unplugged every time the battery gets fully charged and then only plug it in when the battery is 20% plug it, recharge it, and unplug it again? 2 - Should i take the battery out if the MBP is to be plugged for long periods? 3 - -Does it reduce battery life to use the AC adaptor while the battery is fully charged? I read someone who said "I found that the battery cycle count hurts the reliability of the battery more than having it plugged in". I am reading some tips on the internet that are a bit contradictory so it would be nice to have some expert opinion here. Best, S __________________ iMac Intel Core i5, 2,5 GHz, 21", 12 Gb RAM, 500 Gb internal HD, Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3. Last edited by uzapuca; 03-05-2013 at 08:59 AM.

03-05-2013, 10:44 AM	#3
NovaScotian Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Halifax, Canada Posts: 4,945	My 2008 MBP spent most of its life plugged in except when I was traveling. I just replaced it, not because it wouldn't run the machine for long enough but because it wouldn't charge at all. I consider 5 years a pretty good run for a rechargeable battery. __________________ 17" MBP, OS X 10.8.3; 27" iMac, OS X 10.8.3

03-05-2013, 08:23 PM	#5
uzapuca All Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Spain Posts: 519	Thanks for the good tips guys. I think after reading your comments and if i do understand right the best option is to have plugged almost all the time that kills the CYCLE count. The question remain on what is the use i will make of it. I think if i have it at home most of the time i might have to have it plugged all the time since the electronic circuit shut off any over charge. Don't you think? Cheers, __________________ iMac Intel Core i5, 2,5 GHz, 21", 12 Gb RAM, 500 Gb internal HD, Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3.

03-06-2013, 10:45 AM	#7
NovaScotian Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Halifax, Canada Posts: 4,945	I normally leave mine plugged in on my desk and leave my firewire backup disk plugged into it so nightly backups can happen automatically at 3 AM, but as DeltaMac suggests, I unplug it occasionally, set it to stay awake, and let it run down to screen blackout for a full recharge. When I take it out of the house, of course, I run on the battery, charging only as necessary, typically with top down, overnight. Worked for my first battery. I have replaced its hard disk with an SSD (OMC); don't know whether that is a factor or not. __________________ 17" MBP, OS X 10.8.3; 27" iMac, OS X 10.8.3 Last edited by NovaScotian; 03-06-2013 at 10:48 AM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

03-05-2013, 10:16 AM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	I agree that it is common to find battery tips that are (or appear to be) contradictory. In my opinion: 1, 2, and 3 can all be answered No. 1. Unplugging, and running on battery "every time" will cause the cycle count to increase at a very quick rate. That contributes to a shorter battery life. However, you have a laptop, and you should be able to use the battery whenever that is appropriate. Battery - or plugged in - is a choice that you make, which is part of the trade-off that you make with something that is battery powered. 2. I don't think that removing the battery will make a significant difference in any ordinary use of a laptop. Long term storage (unused for several months, for example) might result in a different answer. And, if your battery is non-removable (in the unibody Macbook Pro, the battery is not considered removable), the question is not relevant. 3. The battery charging circuitry takes care of this for you, by preventing overcharging. Leaving the AC adaptor plugged in with a fully-charged battery would not, by itself, damage the battery in any significant way. All rechargeable batteries eventually wear out (are exhausted), and one important factor in that life limit is the number of times the batteries are recharged, assuming that no other hardware factor comes into play. THAT'S the cycle count. At some point, with enough charge cycles, the battery will no longer hold a useful charge.

03-05-2013, 11:13 AM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	Yours should expect replacement after 3 years or so - and 5 years is pretty good, I think. The newer "non-replaceable" batteries might go 5 to 8 years, maybe longer.

03-05-2013, 08:53 PM	#6
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	No, I don't agree that's your best option. So, now I may contradict myself... The _best_ option, in my opinion, allows you to use the laptop in the way that you want to use it. Don't try to over-think this. Your laptop is battery powered. If you want to use it on battery most of the time, then that's a good way to use it. Plug it in when it needs to recharge. You don't need to unplug, just because the battery is fully charged. If you typically don't take it out, and it stays on your desk, then just leave it plugged in. Use it unplugged occasionally, even if you don't need to, just to "exercise" the battery. Once or twice a month should be fine for that exercise. Don't be afraid of wearing the battery out, if you prefer to use it that way. It's YOUR computer. Use it in a way that is comfortable to you, and gives you the use that you have paid for.

03-26-2013, 08:08 PM	#9
NaOH Hall of Famer Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,642	A cycle of the battery is the equivalent of going from fully charged to uncharged. If you run on battery until the machine puts itself to sleep due to a drained battery, recharging will be one cycle. If 10 times you use the machine on battery until it's at 90%, then recharge it, that is also equal to one cycle.

03-26-2013, 08:30 PM	#10
acme MVP Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,684	uh oh..in that case I have been doing the wrong thing.... maybe, once unplugged, it should remain unplugged until it gets down low? I've been on battery in the evenings, watching movies in the living room and plugging back in when we go to bed; often it's only down to 64%...so plugging it back in at that level isn't so hot if I'm reading correctly...

03-26-2013, 09:03 PM	#12
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	I think the important thing to remember, is to use your laptop in the way that you need to use it, and don't worry so much about using it "wrong" - (whatever that is.) I'm sort of a fatalist about batteries - I consider that the battery lasts as long as it lasts. It's an expendable item, after all. I make what I think is a reasonable effort to help the battery last for its full life. If it fails early, I may choose to replace it. I have the expectation that newer Mac laptop batteries will likely last the life of the laptop - and I define that to be the point when I consider a new laptop.