Should I shut my MBP down or put it to sleep each night as I'm leaving work?

[St. Germain]

I own a late 2009 MBP that I use with an external monitor as my work computer each day. At the end of the work day I generally unplug the network cable, Apple Cinema Display, and then just put it to sleep by closing the lid. Some days I use it later after I get home, others I don't. If I leave it in Sleep mode I generally lose about 5-8% of the battery by the next morning.

I'm just wondering if I'd be better off shutting it down completely each night. Any pros/cons? Battery considerations?

 

[GGJstudios]

Like many, if not most, of the Mac users here, I rarely shut my computer down. You don't leave the power plugged in? That would keep you from draining your battery.

 

[St. Germain]

Like many, if not most, of the Mac users here, I rarely shut my computer down. You don't leave the power plugged in? That would keep you from draining your battery.

I always take it home, so it usually sits overnight in my laptop bag.

 

[mac2x]

I just sleep my MBP unless I'm needing to take it with me somewhere, in which case I turn it off. My only recommendation is to plug into the power brick while it is at home, so you won't drain the battery.

 

[GGJstudios]

I always take it home, so it usually sits overnight in my laptop bag.

Oh, so you leave your power adapter at the office? It should be fine, doing what you're doing. Your battery will drain approximately 1% per hour while it's sleeping.

 

[Paul B]

Definitely shut it down. Your battery will last longer (lower cycle count in the long run).

 

[belvdr]

Oh, so you leave your power adapter at the office? It should be fine, doing what you're doing. Your battery will drain approximately 1% per hour while it's sleeping.

Where did you get that figure? I've let my MBP sleep for 5 - 7 days and came back and had about 25-30% left.

Definitely shut it down. Your battery will last longer (lower cycle count in the long run).

I don't think there's a difference in the cycle count when comparing shutting it down or sleeping. I could be wrong though. Then again, I don't worry about such details. I just use it and move on.

 

[GGJstudios]

Where did you get that figure? I've let my MBP sleep for 5 - 7 days and came back and had about 25-30% left.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/655471/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/755620/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/596858/
YMMV

Definitely shut it down. Your battery will last longer (lower cycle count in the long run).

I don't think there's a difference in the cycle count when comparing shutting it down or sleeping. I could be wrong though. Then again, I don't worry about such details. I just use it and move on.

As you are draining the battery (very slowly), it will, over time, add to your battery cycles. However, since it appears the OP leaves their MBP plugged in while using it at the office, adding some cycles will actually improve their battery life. Either way, the cycles added by sleeping every night isn't enough to make any significant difference, since Apple doesn't recommend running on AC power all the time. There's absolutely no need to shut it down.

 

[dionnfr]

Not knowing who to believe, but I had my MacBook Pro in for repair yesterday and the tech asked me the Question: Do I put it to sleep at the end of the day or turn it off, I asked did it make a difference and he advised you should turn it off overnight.

 

[Paul B]

Correct me if I'm wrong:

Battery drain when shut down: ~1% per day
Battery drain when sleeping: ~1% per hour

 

[espressoroast]

Correct me if I'm wrong:

Battery drain when shut down: ~1% per day
Battery drain when sleeping: ~1% per hour

I think ~1% per hour sounds like a lot.

I wonder if this depends on which sleep mode is active, by default all MBs go to deep sleep, as in write RAM to HD and power off, but you can choose to keep the RAM filled and enjoy faster sleep/wake-up times while risk losing the sleep data if power is cut (empty/removed battery).

 

[JacaByte]

I believe a desktop draws about 2-3 watts of power every hour when shut down. Yes, shut down. In sleep mode the average desktop draws about 5W an hour, so there's really not much difference; ~1% an hour sounds accurate.