Mac uses battery while plugged in

[vmachiel]

Hi forum,

My 2010 MBP drained the battery while being plugged in and fully charged this morning. I was playing diablo 3, so I know that would consume a lot of power. But is it normal to drain while being constantly plugged into the charger?

Thank you

 

[throAU]

Its normal.

the mac can consume something like 90 watts, the charger can supply only 85 watts. I.e., less than the machine can use at full noise...

If you run it at 100% load with 3d video etc then the battery will drain a bit while on AC.

You'd have to play 24hrs straight or more to drain it fully though I'm sure.

My 2011 does the same, also in handbrake.


I wish apple made a bigger charger, so the battery could charge faster while in use, too. If you were to say, plug into ac at 50% and fire up a game it will take forever to charge.

 

[vmachiel]

Its normal.

the mac can consume something like 90 watts, the charger can supply only 85 watts. I.e., less than the machine can use at full noise...

If you run it at 100% load with 3d video etc then the battery will drain a bit while on AC.

You'd have to play 24hrs straight or more to drain it fully though I'm sure.

My 2011 does the same, also in handbrake.


I wish apple made a bigger charger, so the battery could charge faster while in use, too. If you were to say, plug into ac at 50% and fire up a game it will take forever to charge.

Ok thanks for the reply, i'll try lowering the graphics settings i guess

 

[chrono1081]

No need to lessen your graphics settings. All laptops do this. It's normal operation.

 

[GGJstudios]

My 2010 MBP drained the battery while being plugged in and fully charged this morning. I was playing diablo 3, so I know that would consume a lot of power. But is it normal to drain while being constantly plugged into the charger?

It's normal for your MBP to draw power from both AC and battery during periods of extreme demand, such as gaming or other multimedia operations. This can cause your battery to stop charging or even drain. Read the AC POWER section of the following link. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[vmachiel]

Ok, thanks for the helpful reply everybody

 

[kaielement]

Yes ever notice your laptop might be at 80% plugged in but won't charge but may or may not lose battery I have noticed it usally doesn't last long before it starts charging again just something to think about