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cnsmike

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 12, 2009
1
0
Hi, is this covered by apple care? Do i have to get the 60W for my alum macbook or some people are saying that the 85w will work fine also.

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Thanks,

Mike
 
I personally would replace it with an identical one, I say this because if you place an 85W adapter, the battery pack may warp, will probably die on you and would not be covered under warranty (because you would be overloading the battery circuitry)
 
I personally would replace it with an identical one, I say this because if you place an 85W adapter, the battery pack may warp, will probably die on you and would not be covered under warranty (because you would be overloading the battery circuitry)

This is completely wrong. A power supply provides exactly as much power as the computer attached sucks out of it. Just the same as plugging something into a wall outlet: The power outlet provides exactly as much power as the equipment needs. A MacBook will get exactly as much power from a 60 Watt supply as it gets from a 85 Watt or 850 Watt supply.

What you shouldn't do is going the other way round: If you plug a MacBook Pro into a 60 Watt supply, that power supply will provide the power, but eventually will get too hot and will get damaged.
 
If it's for an aluminium MacBook, you must still be under warranty. Call Apple or take it in to a store. They should replace on the spot.
 
I think you should get the 85W, more power = more reliable.

Nope.

100% not true.

I personally would replace it with an identical one, I say this because if you place an 85W adapter, the battery pack may warp, will probably die on you and would not be covered under warranty (because you would be overloading the battery circuitry)

Nope, also totally wrong.

Lots of misinformation in this thread, yikes. As gnasher said, the computer only takes what it needs. The power rating on the adapter is the maximum output, not the normal/constant output.
 
I've used 60W and 85W on my MacBook Air at the Apple Store as I was waiting for an appointment; not a problem...

Yup, so long as the output is equal or greater than that required by the computer, the adapter will be fine. However, if you use an Air 45W with a MB or MBP, or a MB 60W with an MBP, the computer "won't like that," as it may not be able to maintain the battery at full while running the computer. In a pinch you could get by with it, but anything more than that will put a fair bit of stress on the battery.
 
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