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Yoshimura

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 2, 2012
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I ordered the new MacBook Pro 15" and plan to use it with a USB-C hub that provides only 60W. Considering the supplied charger is 85W, anyone knows if maximum performance could be affected?

In Apple document HT207256, they only talk about charging performance.

"MacBook Pro can receive a maximum of 60W of power through the Apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter or USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. For the best charging performance on MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016), connect the power supply directly to your Mac."
 
  • Using a power supply that doesn't provide sufficient power can result in slow or delayed charging...
Yes it drains power from battery under heavy load.
 
But beside the battery and charging, will this affect the maximum performance of the machine?
 
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I wouldn't buy that. I'm in the same boat with a 15" on order. The two things I want (Griffin BreakSafe & a third party USB-C charger) aren't offered yet for this laptop, they were all built for the 12" MacBook. Wait a few weeks and I think we'll see vendors catch up with the new MBPs and offer some properly spec'd stuff.
 
i wonder, since the new 15" MBP has less battery but a bigger 87W charge vs last year 85W, if the new one will charge faster
 
i wonder, since the new 15" MBP has less battery but a bigger 87W charge vs last year 85W, if the new one will charge faster

It's also a relevant question for any kind of USB-C monitor we can buy for 2016 and later MBPs. None seems to power more than 60W through the USB-C ? Should we wait or charging while using the machine is not likely to come soon?
 
I ordered the new MacBook Pro 15" and plan to use it with a USB-C hub that provides only 60W. Considering the supplied charger is 85W, anyone knows if maximum performance could be affected?

In Apple document HT207256, they only talk about charging performance.

"MacBook Pro can receive a maximum of 60W of power through the Apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter or USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. For the best charging performance on MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016), connect the power supply directly to your Mac."
I'd advise against the 60W dock too. Using it every once in a while won't be a big deal, but constant day-after-day charging using 60W could take a toll in the long-term on the battery life. I'm personally pretty particular and just stick to Apple chargers & cables for my MacBooks to ensure longevity. This is probably being too safe, but I wouldn't recommend charging a laptop which is spec'd to charge at 87W daily with a 60W solution.
 
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I do not represent apple, so of course take everything I say with a grain of salt.

With that said, charging speed has a few variables to consider on wear:
1) Quality of the charging device generally -- the cheapo chargers you buy on eBay might have poor regulation and have an unstable voltage, a ripple current, or other noise -- this has a high likelyhood of wearing out your devices. There are some good 3rd party devices, but you should stick to high quality 3rd parties such as Anker, and not just random no-names from eBay, or random counterfeits from Amazon.

2) The number one thing that wears out batteries is high heat, so having your laptop charge while it is sitting on a soft surface, or storing it in a parked car, etc is going to wear it out faster than anything else.

3) Faster charging will lead to higher heat, so in that respect, a 60W apple geniune charger puts less load on the battery

4) Slower charging results in more runtime on the charging circuits in the laptop, and in the charger brick -- so a 60W charger will have slightly more wear than an 87W charger, as will the charging circuits in the laptop if you use a 60W (or lower) charger. If these things are made properly, this shouldn't matter as these things are designed to be solid state. In that respect, I am still using my original iPad charger which I bought with my iPad 1 without any problems

5) Using a lower power charger may result in the battery draining as you are using it, depending on workload. From my experience, a 12W charger will result in slight draining while using moderately (web browsing, email, Terminal.app/ssh, screen at half brightness), which means I could get >24 hours of use in this respect. I use one of these in my kitchen to charge phones, and also to use my laptop without draining the battery on the kitchen bar while I eat breakfast ( https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-T5632-W-Charger-Resistant-Receptacle/dp/B00J3PMU4C ) ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S8GU2OC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

6) Bad USB-C cables can fry your laptop, make sure to use one that is "Benson Approved" ( http://bensonapproved.com/ )

7) Similarly, I use one of these in the car which puts out 15W on the USB-C port, and results in neither charging nor discharging while under moderate use (slightly brighter than half, web browsing, email, Terminal.app/ssh)

8) I don't own a 29 Watt or 60 Watt apple charger, but I would expect both of them to charge the laptop under moderate or even moderately heavy use, and to discharge while under very heavy use.
 
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I'd advise against the 60W dock too. Using it every once in a while won't be a big deal, but constant day-after-day charging using 60W could take a toll in the long-term on the battery life. I'm personally pretty particular and just stick to Apple chargers & cables for my MacBooks to ensure longevity. This is probably being too safe, but I wouldn't recommend charging a laptop which is spec'd to charge at 87W daily with a 60W solution.

Is there a USB-C 87W hub that has either 2 USB-C ports and a USB-A, or a singe USB-C and 2 USB-As. All I can find are 60w Anker hubs.
 
I know its a different computer generation but heres my experience on a 15' 2015:

Under 100% CPU Load the 45W charger will still drop the battery, but slower.
Under 100% CPU Load the 60W charger will hold battery where it is without screen on, will -slowllly- drop the battery with it on
The 85W charger obviously will always charge the device.

The computer only throttles its performance once it hits around 4% battery, if you have more than that it will always run at full performance but will still drain the battery without an adequate charger.
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I'd advise against the 60W dock too. Using it every once in a while won't be a big deal, but constant day-after-day charging using 60W could take a toll in the long-term on the battery life. I'm personally pretty particular and just stick to Apple chargers & cables for my MacBooks to ensure longevity. This is probably being too safe, but I wouldn't recommend charging a laptop which is spec'd to charge at 87W daily with a 60W solution.

This makes no sense. The 60W charger will simply slow the charging process down. There is nothing remotely dangerous about it. In fact if anything its safer as it will charge slower.
 
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I know its a different computer generation but heres my experience on a 15' 2015:

Under 100% CPU Load the 45W charger will still drop the battery, but slower.
Under 100% CPU Load the 60W charger will hold battery where it is without screen on, will -slowllly- drop the battery with it on
The 85W charger obviously will always charge the device.

The computer only throttles its performance once it hits around 4% battery, if you have more than that it will always run at full performance but will still drain the battery without an adequate charger.
[doublepost=1511829571][/doublepost]

This makes no sense. The 60W charger will simply slow the charging process down. There is nothing remotely dangerous about it. In fact if anything its safer as it will charge slower.

Charging more slowly than design (87W) can and will increase charge cycles over time, which can lead to a more quickly deteriorating battery. An example would be performing a task which is going to draw more than 60W. In that scenario, your battery would actually be discharging while it was plugged in. This would absolutely have a negative impact on your battery life. That is a fact evidenced by Apple’s own definition of a battery charge cycle.

I’m not saying it’s a huge issue, because it’s not and the impacts are likely minor to unnoticeable for most users. But it’s a fact that charging the 15” with 60W is not ideal for the reasons stated above and frankly I’m not one to want to take risks with a $3k computer.
 
Charging more slowly than design (87W) can and will increase charge cycles over time, which can lead to a more quickly deteriorating battery. An example would be performing a task which is going to draw more than 60W. In that scenario, your battery would actually be discharging while it was plugged in. This would absolutely have a negative impact on your battery life. That is a fact evidenced by Apple’s own definition of a battery charge cycle.

I’m not saying it’s a huge issue, because it’s not and the impacts are likely minor to unnoticeable for most users. But it’s a fact that charging the 15” with 60W is not ideal for the reasons stated above and frankly I’m not one to want to take risks with a $3k computer.

I am not sure I agree 100% with your logic... but starting to think your conclusion is correct.

A lot of posts in the area of charging with a lower wattage suggest it works (saw 60 watts on a 85 watt Mac), but slower, and if you are running under a light load you are okay... and maybe that was true with older devices, but it appears in the newer 2018 models at least... apple has made the charging circuity more complex than the average bear, presumably for good reason. I know that I have a 60 watt rav power charger (i.e. good quality) I am testing (for travel purposes), and while its hooked up if I click on the power icon it says 'batter not charging', even while acknowledging the power source is 'power adapter' AND its acting like I am running off of battery.. that is there is a constant battery consumption (decreasing power) even under light loads (as evidenced by intel power gadget. i.e. it looks like the 2018 MacBook (maybe earlier ones) is ignoring the 60 watt charger while running.

Oddly it DOES charge while asleep, which I know, seems to be contradictory, which is why I suspect apple has some circuity tricks going on...

oh... and it DOES charge my MacBook Pro while asleep, and other devices, at the same time (has multiple USB ports).

I am typing this to see if anyone else has similar experiences....
 
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