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Brand new macbook pro can't last more than 3-4 hours
- Thread starter MathiasLa
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Two thoughts.
If you haven't done the battery calibration, the estimate that your Mac is giving you could be wrong. (i.e. it may last for more than 3 hours, even though it's only saying 3).
Depending on what you're doing, you get less battery life. Apple's tests, IMO, aren't very realistic, and I don't think I've seen anyone that gets the amount of battery life that they claim. Having said that, I'd expect that you get more than 3!
1. Flash will kill it. Use safari and install Flashblock
2. Install GFXCardstatus and set it to integrated only.
3. Calibrate your battery.
4. Any video, games, etc. will kill your battery.
7 hours is attainable with Microsoft Office and basic web browsing with Safari w/ no flash at 50% brightness running Snow Leopard. That's how it is for me
2. Install GFXCardstatus and set it to integrated only.
3. Calibrate your battery.
4. Any video, games, etc. will kill your battery.
7 hours is attainable with Microsoft Office and basic web browsing with Safari w/ no flash at 50% brightness running Snow Leopard. That's how it is for me
Safari.
Im doing the calibration now. When I charged it up to full, I happened to pull out the charger for a sec. Will that make a difference in calibration?
Ok so I did the calibration, also tried SMC reset (don't know if I did it right though, nothing happened). It jumps from 3 to 5 hours in estimated time now. Its at 95% atm. What concerns me the most is how fast it goes from like 100% to what I'm on know (95%). It was like 2 mins or something. Isn't this weird?
what browser do you use? Because if you use chrome, you're engaging the dedicated graphics card, which is probably what's killing your battery life. Try installing gfxCardStatus and setting it to integrated only.
What do you mean?
Haha, I already answered that I use safari, and someone said the gfxcardstatus thing as well.
Download coconut battery.
- check the capacity (should be close to 6900 mAh)
- check the power usage. If you are somewhere between 10-15 Watt, you should be in for 6-7 hours of battery life. If you're more between 25-30, you are looking at 3-4 hours max.
The sandy bridge quad cores are super fast, but very needy. Whenever you put load on your system, e.g. copying large files, compiling code, flash videos, it will start sucking your power.
Right now I'm on safari, keyboard light turned off, display 4 bars under full brightness, and using 10.2 Watt. Battery is 71% full and says 5:45 remaining.
- check the capacity (should be close to 6900 mAh)
- check the power usage. If you are somewhere between 10-15 Watt, you should be in for 6-7 hours of battery life. If you're more between 25-30, you are looking at 3-4 hours max.
The sandy bridge quad cores are super fast, but very needy. Whenever you put load on your system, e.g. copying large files, compiling code, flash videos, it will start sucking your power.
Right now I'm on safari, keyboard light turned off, display 4 bars under full brightness, and using 10.2 Watt. Battery is 71% full and says 5:45 remaining.
Im over 30 atm. Why is that?
Edit: Wow. Literally just jumped too 34.3 watts. Now over 40. Wtf?
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What exactly are you doing atm? Check your activity monitor what's using the power.
It isn't really "unchanging" more than it was before i plugged it into the external screen really
If you're concerned about your battery, MBP batteries are very cheap. If you don't feel like replacing the machine altogether because you think it's a defect with your laptop, I would just buy a new battery, or see what's eating it up like that and decide if you need a new one.
If somethings wrong with the machine or the battery, I would get it replaced by Apple, wouldn't I? I just bought it the 8th this month.
It isn't really "unchanging" more than it was before i plugged it into the external screen really
I believe the point was that playing video uses a lot more processing power than word processing.
The MBP battery life times are not based on watching 7 hours of video, rather they are based on minimal use situations such as word processing.