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CPU heat and battery swelling
- Thread starter RayIshido
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I have the same thing and APPLE wouldnt replace it unless I pay $199. They say battery is a consumable and it its not covered under any warranty after first time free replacement.
used to work on java apps with server, but now only youtube and other stuff
Just gets hot no matter what I do.. I blame the bad battery for this...
I doubt CPU usage and heat has anything to do with "battery swelling".
Instead, an important question:
Do you normally keep the MBP "on the charger" all the time, or even "most of the time"?
If so, that's what's probably "doing in" the battery.
You should take it OFF CHARGE at least every 3rd day, and let it run down to about 40%, then re-connect to the charger.
At night, whether you sleep the MPB or shut it down, you should also disconnect the charger, or unplug the charger from the wall.
BTW, I would pay the $199 to Apple for a battery replacement.
When you think about it, it's a bargain -- includes battery, labor, and a short warranty on the replacement as well.
Instead, an important question:
Do you normally keep the MBP "on the charger" all the time, or even "most of the time"?
If so, that's what's probably "doing in" the battery.
You should take it OFF CHARGE at least every 3rd day, and let it run down to about 40%, then re-connect to the charger.
At night, whether you sleep the MPB or shut it down, you should also disconnect the charger, or unplug the charger from the wall.
BTW, I would pay the $199 to Apple for a battery replacement.
When you think about it, it's a bargain -- includes battery, labor, and a short warranty on the replacement as well.
Hi,
yes, of course, that's not too expensive but not having my main computer (again) for 10 days while it's being repaired is very annoying.
But as the problem appeared after several hours of heavy rendering in blender, I thought that it could be correlated. Also considering that the new M1 MBP run a lot cooler, if the battery failure was due to high temperature, the new hardware could have been healthier.
yes, of course, that's not too expensive but not having my main computer (again) for 10 days while it's being repaired is very annoying.
But as the problem appeared after several hours of heavy rendering in blender, I thought that it could be correlated. Also considering that the new M1 MBP run a lot cooler, if the battery failure was due to high temperature, the new hardware could have been healthier.
Heat is one of the biggest battery killers, so it is definitely related. Heat + keeping the battery fully charged for long periods of time is an even worse combination.
Try to keep an eye on the cell temps and avoid going beyond 35C too often. Technically, if you do not use external monitors this is not terribly hard to achieve. With an external monitor, the normal battery temps I usually get are around 34-36C, up to 38C under load for a long time.
My solution is to use a charge limiter and not use the laptop fully charged, unless I need to be away from the charger for a while. Knock on wood, it is at 99-100% health after 7 months of prolonged COVID home usage.
As for the swelling, there is no way to predict IF and WHEN it could happen. It's important to stop using the laptop as soon as you notice it and get the battery serviced. I agree the $200 is worth it for an authentic battery + all the other replacements they do in addition to that (top case and touchpad, I think).
Try to keep an eye on the cell temps and avoid going beyond 35C too often. Technically, if you do not use external monitors this is not terribly hard to achieve. With an external monitor, the normal battery temps I usually get are around 34-36C, up to 38C under load for a long time.
My solution is to use a charge limiter and not use the laptop fully charged, unless I need to be away from the charger for a while. Knock on wood, it is at 99-100% health after 7 months of prolonged COVID home usage.
As for the swelling, there is no way to predict IF and WHEN it could happen. It's important to stop using the laptop as soon as you notice it and get the battery serviced. I agree the $200 is worth it for an authentic battery + all the other replacements they do in addition to that (top case and touchpad, I think).It's going to be hard as it's the ambient temperature during summer... 😭
Just kidding but what you described is my setup: as I use it as a desktop replacement there is 2 monitor plugged in and it is charging most of the time. And yes, as in lives under the tropic the ambient temperature easily reach 35/38°C during summer.
My main concern is that the problem should appear again with newer hardware. I can plug off the laptop to cycle the battery and use charge limiter but if the temperature is the problem, well, I probably should go for an M1 mbp instead of the 16" intel MBP.
These kinds of temperatures for macbooks are nothing new and battery swelling is not that common. The battery got swollen on my gaming latop but it was plugged in @100% and used for gaming daily for 2 years with high temps. I feel like just avoiding keeping it at 100% for long periods of time will alleviate the issue enough to afford 35-38C temps. At least that's what I'm hoping for, haha. Most people do not pay attention to these numbers at all and their batteries still last years without issues. Regardless, being a little bit mindful and protective of it would probably help in the long run.
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The guy at Genius bar said 2015 model Macbook Pro has a bad battery design and that is how it will be...
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I'll do the same thing as soon as mine returns.
As for the bad design, this is exactly my concern:
- Macbook Pro 2011->2013: GPU problem that couldn't be repair (the 2011 model was my first mac)
- My second mac was the 2015, which for precaution, I brought without GPU, but have a problem with the design of the battery.
- 2016 MBP: Flexgate problem + butterfly keyboard
- 2017 MBP: butterfly keyboard
- 2018 MBP: thermal throttling + butterfly keyboard
- 2019 MBP: it seems that several users are having problems with de GPU and as for the 2011's, the only solution is to change the motherboard...
I may look for an 16 M1 or M1X but in the mean time I am also weighting the purchase of a Lenovo T15g.
I am betting in two years this battery will die and then Apple will designate this model (2015) as antic and will not service/repair anymore
I still love Apple for their quality and I have used several Sony Vaios and they died in 4 yrs, plastic broke and other bad things happened.
This Mac other than the battery issue, is running strong after 4 years
I still love Apple for their quality and I have used several Sony Vaios and they died in 4 yrs, plastic broke and other bad things happened.
This Mac other than the battery issue, is running strong after 4 years
Even though they may designate it as "legacy", they'll still replace the battery so long as the parts are still available... or so I've heard.
I suggest you re-read my reply #5 above, and follow those guidelines.
My 2015 MacBook Pro 13" (bought in December 2016) is still doing just fine on its original battery...
I suggest you re-read my reply #5 above, and follow those guidelines.
My 2015 MacBook Pro 13" (bought in December 2016) is still doing just fine on its original battery...
Rather than creating a new thread, I just received my mid 2015 Macbook Pro back from Apple Repair, excellent job, new top case, keyboard, I think it included a new trackpad, new battery, looks and runs as if it is brand new, for $199 plus tax.
I started to notice the lid not closing fully about four years after purchasing it, waited two years until the first physical signs of the case swelling began. In those six years I had a very low battery cycle count, because I typically put the Macbook Pro to sleep, unplugged the charger, next day when I took it out of sleep, battery was usually around 96 percent, I would immediately plug it in and use it throughout the day on plugged in power, then repeat at night, sleep with plug removed.
I really don't want to keep it on battery during the day, every single day, because I get about six or seven hours before the battery reaches 30 percent, I really don't want to plug it in twice a day to refresh the charge, I am repeating what you wrote, the every 3rd day recommendation, is that based on anything you have read? I really want to get at least two years out of this new battery before any battery inflation issues start up again.
Obviously nothing is set in stone, but if I can get away with only operating on battery every 3rd day, it would make things easier.
Thanks for your time and help.
