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M1 16" MBP w/ 65w monitor - OK?

81Tiger04

81Tiger04

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 11, 2009
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I've got a M1 16" MBP that I currently use with the Dell S2722QC monitor. I like to minimize the number of wires on my desk so I only have the monitor plugged into my laptop.

However, it just occurred to me that the monitor I use provides 65w. Is this a problem? Will it damage my MBP battery?
 
81Tiger04 said:
I've got a M1 16" MBP that I currently use with the Dell S2722QC monitor. I like to minimize the number of wires on my desk so I only have the monitor plugged into my laptop.

However, it just occurred to me that the monitor I use provides 65w. Is this a problem? Will it damage my MBP battery?
Click to expand...
it won't damage your mbp but there might be extra wear and tear on your monitor.
 
I won’t damage anything. However, if you are running an intensive task that is using a lot of the CPU/GPU, if 65w can’t provide enough power, it will start using the battery as well to make up the difference. So basically, the only thing you can’t do with this setup, is run a multi-hour encode that would eventually drain the battery.
 
curnalpanic said:
Will it? How? Surely the monitor is meant to supply 65 W for extended periods of time. It will just charge more slowly.
Click to expand...

If the MBP needs 100W, guess where it will get the missing Watts from? Yes, the battery.
 
ilikewhey said:
it won't damage your mbp but there might be extra wear and tear on your monitor.
Click to expand...
Not true. Monitor will put out exactly 65w as before.

The OP's MBP might have to steal power from the battery if he/she is doing something that exceeds 65w of power use -- probably hard to do on a M-series machine, but can happen if Pro apps are running the CPU & GPU full-tilt for an extended period of time -- but it can in no way cause the monitor to draw more power than it's designed to. And the 16" MBP will charge to full more slowly than if it were plugged into a 96w or 140w power supply of course, but that also cannot hurt the battery. Hell, you could charge the MBP off a USB-C iPhone charger if you wanted... you'd just be waiting a good long while for it to finish.
 
Won't damage anything, it just may have to use the internal battery for intensive tasks. This would be the case even with a higher watt 99W monitor, given the the fact the 16" MBP comes with a 140W power brick(Of course, with the higher watt monitor, this much less likely to happen). With a Windows PC, it's going to bitch about the power output being too little but it will work fine, just charge slower.

Power output is a detail that is often glossed over when it comes to USB-C Monitors, but it's how they achieved a cheaper price.(I know because when I was 4k USB-C monitor shopping myself, for some monitors the output wasn't the easiest thing to find) I was looking at your monitor, but owning a MBP and a work laptop, I had to eventually bite the bullet and spend the extra money for the U2720Q. There was just no way around it.
 
TechZeke said:
Won't damage anything, it just may have to use the internal battery for intensive tasks. This would be the case even with a higher watt 99W monitor, given the the fact the 16" MBP comes with a 140W power brick(Of course, with the higher watt monitor, this much less likely to happen). With a Windows PC, it's going to bitch about the power output being too little but it will work fine, just charge slower.

Power output is a detail that is often glossed over when it comes to USB-C Monitors, but it's how they achieved a cheaper price.(I know because when I was 4k USB-C monitor shopping myself, for some monitors the output wasn't the easiest thing to find) I was looking at your monitor, but owning a MBP and a work laptop, I had to eventually bite the bullet and spend the extra money for the U2720Q. There was just no way around it.
Click to expand...
Yep. Even the Apple Studio Display only puts out 96w. Less than the 140w brick the higher-end 16" MBPs come with.
 
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