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My mbp is always powered, best battery maintenance?

shaktimage

shaktimage

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 18, 2009
74
4
Hi, i just bought a new 15" mbp after my 2008 model died (motherboard) I use it 90% of the time with external cinema display 23"(no power plug for mbp) external keyboard, mouse etc,... So because of the external display i have to keep the laptop powered all the time. I have been told it kills the battery. So what to do? Disconnect the laptop and discharge the battery completely once a month? Thank you for your advises!
 
nah, so long as you keep exercising the battery, ie. draining and charging it often, you will be fine.
 
It's fine as long as you let it run off the battery once every 2-4 days. With an external monitor plugged in, the battery won't last long anyway.
 
shaktimage said:
Hi, i just bought a new 15" mbp after my 2008 model died (motherboard) I use it 90% of the time with external cinema display 23"(no power plug for mbp) external keyboard, mouse etc,... So because of the external display i have to keep the laptop powered all the time. I have been told it kills the battery. So what to do? Disconnect the laptop and discharge the battery completely once a month? Thank you for your advises!
Click to expand...

Once a month wont cut it...

My girlfriend has a one and half year old laptop that is addicted to the power cable simply because she kept it in all the time to begin with... yes, it will burn down the battery. And this goes for all items. I have an iPod mini that doesn't work anymore because I left it charging too log (yeah... at that time I didnt bother taking it with me, just sat there.)

So bite the dust and stick to recharging once it's down quite a bit.
 
the responses trying to find out why he has it plugged in are funny. If he is using a display and has the computer closed then he has to run it off the wall plug. It will not operate closed with an external display unless plugged in.
 
Doesn't the new MBP's automatically switch to the external power source when the battery is fully charged? So not overcharging the battery, well at least mine says it does...
 
himesh said:
Doesn't the new MBP's automatically switch to the external power source when the battery is fully charged? So not overcharging the battery, well at least mine says it does...
Click to expand...
All Mac portables... not just new ones and not just MBPs... stop charging the battery when it's full.
 
steadysignal said:
so you can leave it plugged in all the time without issue?
Click to expand...
No.
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.
Click to expand...
If you read the Battery FAQ that simsaladimbamba posted in post #7, it really will answer most, if not all, of your battery-related questions:
AppleCare support recommends that if you leave your Mac plugged in most of the time, unplug it every 2 or 3 days and run on battery down to somewhere around 50%, then plug it back in. That keeps the electrons moving.
Click to expand...
 
I got my MBP since june 2009 and it's on power most of the time.
When I travel it's not, obviously, so I drain the battery watching series.

According to coconut my battery is still at 100% with 132 cycles.
 
Just got back online... Thanks for all answers. So to reply to the question: why do i always keep the charger connected when i use the computer? Simply because with a external cinema display 23" it will just not work unless the power adapter is plugged. I live part time in India where power failure is very usual, and i had to plug the laptop through the inverter/UPS so juice will be provided during the power failure.
So no i cannot unplug my computer, this new baby will be connected to power almost all the time. Now i wonder if draining the battery completely one a month (or once a week?) will prevent it from dying too fast
 
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