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Philbergstein_

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2024
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I have a 12" MacBook Retina and its battery is dead. since the battery is preventing it from booting, will the macbook function without the battery?
 
I have a 12" MacBook Retina and its battery is dead. since the battery is preventing it from booting, will the macbook function without the battery?
It should function normally when you have the PowerCable plugged in - are you saying that it doesn't because the battery is dead? That doesn't sound right - it seems like something else is wrong.
 
I have a 12" MacBook Retina and its battery is dead. since the battery is preventing it from booting, will the macbook function without the battery?
It may function but it will run at about half speed or less so it's far from an ideal setup.
 
It may function but it will run at about half speed or less so it's far from an ideal setup.
Why would a plugged-in laptop run at "about half speed"? I've never heard this before or experienced that. The opposite might be true for older devices.

And to the OP: I don't understand the question: Why is the battery "preventing it from booting"? Have you plugged it in and tried? Or what is the problem exactly?
 
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Why would a plugged-in laptop run at "about half speed"? I've never heard this before or experienced that. The opposite might be true for older devices.

And to the OP: I don't understand the question: Why is the battery "preventing it from booting"? Have you plugged it in and tried? Or what is the problem exactly?

Because Intel Macs run things through the battery, and so without one they'll throttle.
 
Why would a plugged-in laptop run at "about half speed"? I've never heard this before or experienced that. The opposite might be true for older devices.
Exactly as explained in the post above mine. Mac portables (and many Windows computers too) can draw more power than the AC adapter can provide at times of high load, so to prevent an unexpected shutdown, the maximum speed is capped at about 800MHz.
 
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Because Intel Macs run things through the battery, and so without one they'll throttle.
Mac user since 1993 and I've never heard about this before. Had a look at Apple's support forums and for anyone else wondering: Yes, this is a thing. It seems these laptops are constructed in a way that assumes the power supply and the battery are both there for peak performance. If the battery is missing, the system is throttled.
 
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I concur with the performance statements above. Typically if a battery has died from old age, the MacBook has been able to power-on (though slow).

I have had one exception: one MacBook refused to power-on, which contained an off-brand battery that had failed. That one MacBook had an extensive history of physical damage and repairs, so I do not know if something in the computer's history was the culprit or the use of an off-brand battery. Regardless, it regained full functionality when I replaced the battery.
 
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