MBP Runs Slow after Battery Replacement

[NemoMac]

Hey folks, I'm hoping to get some advice on a recent problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a 15-in, Early 2011 MacBook Pro, 2 GHz i7, 8 GB RAM, OSX 10.9.4

About 6 months ago I was getting sick of my machine running a little slow and the battery was completely consumed (I could get 20 minutes without the power adapter), so I ordered a new Crucial SSD and Anker replacement battery.

WOW! It was like I had a brand new computer. Everything ran great and I was back to at least 3 hours of battery life. However, over the last 3 months, my battery life was decreasing quickly. About a week ago I contacted Anker Customer Support and asked them to send me a new battery for warranty, because I was only getting 45 - 60 minutes of usage on my computer from the battery. I also noticed that my fan was running a lot, but my computer did not seem to be overheating, it was keeping cool.

I put in the replacement battery on Friday and now my computer is running with a ton of lag. I have lag as I'm typing this message, in fact, which is not good at all. I have also noticed that my fan never runs. My computer is not overheating at all, in fact it's as if something is holding back the processor and forcing my computer to run slowly so that the fan will not have to run.

I have tried messing with the Energy Saver settings, resetting the SMC, resetting the PRAM, any trick I could find, but nothing seems to help. The next step I can think of would be to wipe the drive and restore from Time Machine backup with the latest Mavericks version.

Before I go to that drastic and time-consuming measure, is there anything else I could try?

 

[konradsa]

I put in the replacement battery on Friday and now my computer is running with a ton of lag. I have lag as I'm typing this message, in fact, which is not good at all. I have also noticed that my fan never runs. My computer is not overheating at all, in fact it's as if something is holding back the processor and forcing my computer to run slowly so that the fan will not have to run.

Can you install the Intel Power Gadget to see if your CPU scales up and down as expected under load?

 

[NemoMac]

Can you install the Intel Power Gadget to see if your CPU scales up and down as expected under load?

Installed.

I have tried a few different things, including playing a video file on VLC Player while surfing the web.

Power stays steady around 5 W, IA: 1-2 W and Temperature stays steady at 60 C.

I don't know what any of that means... but it's what's happening!

 

[konradsa]

Installed.

I have tried a few different things, including playing a video file on VLC Player while surfing the web.

Power stays steady around 5 W, IA: 1-2 W and Temperature stays steady at 60 C.

I don't know what any of that means... but it's what's happening!

So you can tell from the middle graph that your CPU is throttled and doesn't scale up, it stays at the lowest frequency continuously.

I noticed the same thing with my Macbook yesterday when the battery charged dropped to 5%. So it looks like something may not be working right related to your battery. I would make a Genius appointment to see what they have to say before wiping and reinstalling everything. They may know a solution.

 

[NemoMac]

I have put the old battery back in. Frustratingly, the processor goes back to working full speed. My closest Genius Bar is a 2-hour drive... Which I may be able to do on Friday and make a trip to visit friends out of it.

 

[konradsa]

I have put the old battery back in. Frustratingly, the processor goes back to working full speed. My closest Genius Bar is a 2-hour drive... Which I may be able to do on Friday and make a trip to visit friends out of it.

Well, looks like the new battery you got is bad. Is this a genuine Apple battery, or some after-market thing?

 

[x3n0n1c]

I have put the old battery back in. Frustratingly, the processor goes back to working full speed. My closest Genius Bar is a 2-hour drive... Which I may be able to do on Friday and make a trip to visit friends out of it.

Just take it to apple and get them to replace the battery. It might cost you $100-$200 or so (not sure), but you won't have to worry about issues like this as you will be getting a genuine part and a warranty.

 

[simonsi]

Bad battery, not an Apple issue. If the battery isn't present or working then the cpu throttles to stay within what the mains power adapter can provide.

Return the Anker for a refund if you can and fit a genuine Apple batt.

 

[NemoMac]

Yeah, an Anker replacement battery is 1/2 the cost of an Apple OEM Battery.

Perhaps there is a reason why...