Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is it bad that I put around 1.2 cycles on my UMBP EVERYDAY??

V

vader1990

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 23, 2008
220
2
Hi,

I have the UMBP from October 2008, I got it the weekend the unibodies were released.

I put around a cycle and a half like each day on my macbook pro. I take it to work in the morning and use it there for 3ish hours, then I come back home and get around another hour out of it before I need to plug back in, I leave it plugged in overnight to recharge. Rinse repeat pretty much everyday.

According to iStat: Health oscillates between 92%-95% [changes to 95% everytime I calibrate, which I do btw every 2 weeks or so]. 176 cycles so far, Age according to Coconut Battery is 8 months.

Is it bad for my battery to be treated this way?

I paid a lot of money for this machine, I really want the battery to last at least 3 more years before I have to replace the battery!!

Thanks!!
 
1.2 cycles per day x (3 years x 365 days) = 1314 cycles total, if you continues exactly as you're saying you do.

My first gen Macbook Pro battery started to have bad battery life after about 300-400 cycles. After 700, it was really terrible, like 30 minutes on a charge.

If I were you, I'd do two things: keep your Macbook Pro plugged in more often, to minimize load cycles. And plan on buying a new battery probably before October if you want to keep a decent battery life.

Batteries are meant to be used, absolutely, but they also need to be replaced after so much use. $130 isn't really that bad, considering you need it.
 
No, I think that's fine and normal. Don't start changing your lifestyle just to accommodate your computer.
 
iLog.Genius said:
You can't say it's "bad" if you're using your MacBook Pro as you intended but at that rate, look to replace your battery each year.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

You aren't treating the battery badly, but you are using it quite a bit!

It won't last three years like this without a replacement (or two).
 
vader1990 said:
Hi,

I have the UMBP from October 2008, I got it the weekend the unibodies were released.

I put around a cycle and a half like each day on my macbook pro. I take it to work in the morning and use it there for 3ish hours, then I come back home and get around another hour out of it before I need to plug back in, I leave it plugged in overnight to recharge. Rinse repeat pretty much everyday.

According to iStat: Health oscillates between 92%-95% [changes to 95% everytime I calibrate, which I do btw every 2 weeks or so]. 176 cycles so far, Age according to Coconut Battery is 8 months.

Is it bad for my battery to be treated this way?

I paid a lot of money for this machine, I really want the battery to last at least 3 more years before I have to replace the battery!!
Click to expand...

Is this the old battery (300 to 400 cycles) or the new battery (about 1000 cycles)? The old style battery will obviously _not_ last for three more years at that rate, the new one should.

I'm just wondering: You use your MacBook for an hour before you have to plug it in. Any reason why you don't plug it in immediately? And if you use your MacBook at a desk at work, you might as well take your charger to work.
 
vader1990 said:
Hi,

I have the UMBP from October 2008, I got it the weekend the unibodies were released.
Click to expand...

gnasher729 said:
Is this the old battery (300 to 400 cycles) or the new battery (about 1000 cycles)? The old style battery will obviously _not_ last for three more years at that rate, the new one should.

I'm just wondering: You use your MacBook for an hour before you have to plug it in. Any reason why you don't plug it in immediately?
Click to expand...

says which one it is in the first post.
 
mine is form november and i have 27 cycles...
but its really a portable "workstation" because i move here and there a lot, and am always near power.
 
I must be doing something wrong...

I had my macbook since october 08, and i have 336 cycles

usually when i'm at home i charge the battery, and then discharge it

should i keep it plugged in as much as i can? i read that was bad a while ago
 
The worst that could happen is that you have to replace the battery for ~$100, which might be covered by Apple care depending on the health of it.
 
impulse462 said:
I must be doing something wrong...

I had my macbook since october 08, and i have 336 cycles

usually when i'm at home i charge the battery, and then discharge it

should i keep it plugged in as much as i can? i read that was bad a while ago
Click to expand...

I tend to leave mine on charge most of the time and then go through periods where i run it right to the ground. Im on 201 cycles atm at 10 months old.

When your at home plug it in, but just remember every month or so, to calibrate the battery by running it right down to about 5/10% then charge it back up again fully.

Thats what i try and do, it works for the most part as well!! :D

PTP
 
impulse462 said:
I must be doing something wrong...

I had my macbook since october 08, and i have 336 cycles

usually when i'm at home i charge the battery, and then discharge it

should i keep it plugged in as much as i can? i read that was bad a while ago
Click to expand...

it's not bad to leave it plugged in just dont for extended periods of time. unplug it every few days drain the battery to about 40-35% then plug it back in.
 
well your not putting on 4 cycles a day like a guy in one thread. Im not even sure how that is possible. My batt lasts atleast 4 hours, i dont think i could use my mac 8hrs a day plus the charge time. I only sit that long to do papers.
 
I've put 368 cycles on my battery since late October when I got my unibody I don't know how many that is per day but the point is that I use it a lot. My battery health according to coconut battery says 100% health which sometimes bounces around to 98% or so but mine is doing fine. I'm excited for the 1000 cycle built-ins on the new ones but I can't justify the expenditure just yet.
 
Doesnt keeping the laptop on charge all the time when using it at home use a lot of power, costing a lot in electricity? Or would it equal itself out by having to recharge it after its run down?
 
Nipz said:
Doesnt keeping the laptop on charge all the time when using it at home use a lot of power, costing a lot in electricity? Or would it equal itself out by having to recharge it after its run down?
Click to expand...

The energry doesn't become more efficient if it's drained from the battery instead of the power adapter.

I guess it's in fact more ineffective to recharge a battery all the time instead of just keeping it charged when possible since there's a efficiency factor when charging the battery.
 
bolen said:
The energry doesn't become more efficient if it's drained from the battery instead of the power adapter.
Click to expand...

Unless you're charging it at work or somewhere else you don't have to pay for power you use. No, seriously. Some people actually try to only charge out of their place :eek: .
 
aleksandra. said:
Unless you're charging it at work or somewhere else you don't have to pay for power you use. No, seriously. Some people actually do it :eek: .
Click to expand...

Well, that's true. But that doesn't make it more efficient by technology.

I guess there's some that will need to save in on things like electricity after paying the big bucks for the MBP. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back