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MBP on all the time?

MikeCase

MikeCase

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 19, 2009
70
0
Melbourne, FL
Searching and MRoogle brought me to threads years ago and I'm not sure if anything might have changed since then.

I have an '09 13" MBP and since I got the iPad I haven't been using my MBP away from my desk much. I run the battery all the way down once a week to keep it calibrated. When I bought my MBP last year, I thought I would be doing a lot of mobile stuff but now I think I'd be better off with an iMac. Since funds won't allow, it looks like I'll be using the MBP for a while.

Anyways, would it hurt my MBP to keep it on all the time (without sleep)? I'll keep the ritual of running the battery down regularly. I'm just afraid of something hurting, overheating, etc.

Thanks!
 
I'm sure that it'll get rest at night unless you're downloading things..I think we all practice this whether we have a macro or a Mac mini
 
xlii said:
Yes, Apple recommends running the battery down once a month for the sole purpose of keeping it calibrated. Running it down once a week is overkill and will eat through those 1000 power cycles 4 times quicker than once a month.
Click to expand...

Not sure if that was sarcasm. At 1 cycle a week, it will last 192 19 years. At one cycle a month it will last 833 83 years. The battery will obviously die before then even if it is just sitting on a shelf. Keeping the battery cool will help preserve its life, and the best way to keep the battery cool is to turn the computer off. Cycling the battery should also help preserve it, but cycling is different than calibration. Calibration only calibrates the battery life meter, that's it. It is not necessary for the health of the battery. Discharging the battery regularly is good for it if you otherwise have it plugged in all the time, but you don't have to do a full calibration.

Of course, if you have the computer on/plugged in all the time, why would you care about the battery?
 
MikeCase said:
Searching and MRoogle brought me to threads years ago and I'm not sure if anything might have changed since then.

I have an '09 13" MBP and since I got the iPad I haven't been using my MBP away from my desk much. I run the battery all the way down once a week to keep it calibrated. When I bought my MBP last year, I thought I would be doing a lot of mobile stuff but now I think I'd be better off with an iMac. Since funds won't allow, it looks like I'll be using the MBP for a while.

Anyways, would it hurt my MBP to keep it on all the time (without sleep)? I'll keep the ritual of running the battery down regularly. I'm just afraid of something hurting, overheating, etc.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I never turn mine off, although it sleeps quite a lot.
You should not run down battery every week, but rather once a month
 
I left/leave mine on all the time. Partly because my magic mouse, seems to wake up my MBP, or some other issue that prevents it from staying a sleep
 
It may last 100 years (theoretically) with one cycle a month but I would be surprised to see it last more than 3-4 years. I find the batteries seem to degrade more with time than with usage...
 
Set the screen to turn off when you aren't using it though; the light doesn't last forever (apple recommends this too)
 
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