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A concrete Macbook battery question

M

MathijsDelva

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 28, 2008
239
13
Hello,

i have an absolute first gen white MacBook (july 2006). Still love my machine but i've been having troubles with my battery for a long time now. I don't know how it all started, but i guess it's safe to say it happened after leaving my laptop 'charging' for 10 days when i did a journey about a year and half back. This is my current status:

picture1b.png


Now, i want to finally buy a new battery but i don't want the same thing to happen this time. I want to learn about the absolute best way to maintain battery life at its best. I currently have about 12 minutes runtime on the battery and most of the time it doesn't wake up after closing the lid. Also, my battery doesn't charge anymore.

I use my MacBook for everything, it's my main computer so it spends alot of time on my desk. What's the best thing to do in my case? Leave my adapter plugged in constantly? Let it drain over and over again (i did that in the first year and half if i remember correctly)?

Maybe i even got a bad battery from the beginning, but that doesn't matter now because my MacBook is almost 3 years old now.

I hope i can get a final good and reliable answer regarding the best use of my next battery.

Thanks in advance,

Mathijs
 
Use it as a laptop at least once a week, not plugged in all the time.

Drain completely before charging

Charge completely whenever possible
 
Leave the adapter plugged in. Aside from calibrating monthly, you should only use the battery when necessary. The #1 killer of batteries is simple use.
 
I want to believe you but are there any others who can confirm this technique? I really want the best for my next battery.

So basically what you're saying is:

When i'm working on my MacBook at home, leave it in the adapter constantly (after it's charged, the light will turn green and it will stop charging right?) and now and then carry it around (that's perfect cause i have lessons thursday and friday) and use it like a laptop (ie on battery). Then the question remains: should i charge it as soon as i can or should i let it drain to 0% first?
 
MathijsDelva said:
I want to believe you but are there any others who can confirm this technique? I really want the best for my next battery.

So basically what you're saying is:

When i'm working on my MacBook at home, leave it in the adapter constantly (after it's charged, the light will turn green and it will stop charging right?) and now and then carry it around (that's perfect cause i have lessons thursday and friday) and use it like a laptop (ie on battery). Then the question remains: should i charge it as soon as i can or should i let it drain to 0% first?
Click to expand...

Why don't you read the link I posted earlier? I'm not going to chew your food for you.
 
You get what you pay for. I'd be skeptical. Bear in mind that eBay comments are left within a few days of receipt, so if the products are faulty or knock-offs, they may get glowing feedback but will deteriorate fast.
 
I am really glad I read this thread. I've been unpluging my macbook (got it 3 days ago) everytime the green light came on. now I know not to, thanks
 
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