Power cycle count for new MBP?

[r00t76]

Hello,

I just bought supposedly new MBP from ebay (new sandy bridge one, 17"). The package looked okay - all sealed without any sign of tempering. However, I noticed a decent size ding on the bottom of the unit. Getting suspicious, I did a s.m.a.r.t. check on its hard drive using SMART Utility, and the hard drive had 85 power cycle count. So, long story short, is this typical count for new MBP? I really appreciate it if anyone with new / fairly new MBP post their power cycle count. I used this:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/smartutility.html
(Click "Show All" under disk, and it's ID#12 just in case..)

I want to give the seller benefit of doubts but would like to know all the info I can get.

Thanks for any help!

Joe

 

[gorskiegangsta]

This is what I got, Although I have no idea what it means. This is on MBP 2011 (2 weeks old)

 

[2499723]

Gosh. That seems high. When I sold my mid-2009 MBP to a friend, it only had 37 cycle counts. My TiBook only had about 250 after 7 years, but I tend to keep my laptops plugged in all the time. Still, these machines were JUST released. He would have had to be using it on battery only every day for 12 hours straight with charges in-between in order to have 85 cycle counts. Did he advertise his cycle count on eBay? That's generally the practice by better sellers. Also, did he not advertise the friggin' dent? Seems dubious to me. Sorry, man. Consider contacting the seller about all this.

 

[r00t76]

Thank you, gorskiegansta! That means your hard drive was powered on and off 187 times - as in your mbp was powered on/off or went to sleep/wake 187 times.

mac1984user, I think you're talking about battery cycle. I'm asking for hard drive power cycle count.

Anyone else? Thanks.

 

[2499723]

@r00t76 - Yes, you're right. I thought you meant battery cycles. My bad. =) In any case, I have posted pics of my 'Power Cycle Count' and my 'Battery Cycle Count'. I think you're well within reason for the age of the machine, because mine reads: 112. Have a look at the images below. Please note, I've only had this machine for five days and as you can see, the battery count is 0.

 

[sdneidich]

@r00t76 - Yes, you're right. I thought you meant battery cycles. My bad. =) In any case, I have posted pics of my 'Power Cycle Count' and my 'Battery Cycle Count'. I think you're well within reason for the age of the machine, because mine reads: 112. Have a look at the images below. Please note, I've only had this machine for five days and as you can see, the battery count is 0.

Mine is 23. And r00t, you should have at least one on there. You are probably using your Mac on charger only: And that can lead to an inability to maintain a charge. I would aim to get at least 1 cycle per week.

as for the OP, that does seem high- but it is still possible that it is a new battery as advertised. Check the battery device name, and post it here along with the type of MBP (2011 13, 15 or 17 inch, processor). Hopefully someone here will have the same one and be able to confirm the device name is what it is supposed to be.

 

[sdneidich]

Hello,

I just bought supposedly new MBP from ebay (new sandy bridge one, 17"). The package looked okay - all sealed without any sign of tempering. However, I noticed a decent size ding on the bottom of the unit. Getting suspicious, I did a s.m.a.r.t. check on its hard drive using SMART Utility, and the hard drive had 85 power cycle count. So, long story short, is this typical count for new MBP? I really appreciate it if anyone with new / fairly new MBP post their power cycle count. I used this:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/smartutility.html
(Click "Show All" under disk, and it's ID#12 just in case..)

I want to give the seller benefit of doubts but would like to know all the info I can get.

Thanks for any help!

Joe

Actually, after re-reading it, you need to return that sucker. If it was advertised as new, cycle count would be 2 MAXIMUM, and should be 0 or 1. Your seller is attempting to scam.
I would file a report, try to resolve. If it comes down to it, you should at least get a partial refund and be able to keep the machine. Otherwise, you'll have to return it. :-(

 

[2499723]

@sdneidich Actually, you misunderstood the OP in the same way I did initially. He wants to know 'Power Cycle Count', not 'Battery Cycle Count'. There's a difference. I reckon your Power Cycle Count is much higher than 23. My battery cycle count is zero while my Power Cycle Count is 112. Hope that helps. =)

 

[r00t76]

Thanks everyone for the reply. The seller was actually easy to work with and offered full refund based on the ding alone. I'm still kind of curious about the power cycle count of hard drive for a new MBP - I think I'll try that once I get another MBP.

It's a shame I have to shop/wait for another MBP - I really liked it, and coming from Window world for the first time, it was a pleasant surprise.

Thanks.

 

[GGJstudios]

I've only had this machine for five days and as you can see, the battery count is 0.

You really should calibrate your battery, to make your readings accurate. Also, it's not good for your battery to run on AC power all the time. You should be running on battery for a few hours every few days. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[zwodubber]

In progress of a calibration, waiting for battery to run out of juice

 

[2499723]

You really should calibrate your battery, to make your readings accurate. Also, it's not good for your battery to run on AC power all the time. You should be running on battery for a few hours every few days. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

Yeah, I've heard most of this before and I believe it's probably true. However, my experience has always been that the less I use my battery, the longer it lasts. When I had to sell off my Titanium PowerBook in 2009, the thing could still hold around a 2.25-hour charge. That computer was built in early 2003. That's pretty impressive. I think the final cycle count was like 220 or something - and it wasn't a computer that was advertised as having a 10-hour battery life. I think the 1GHz TiBooks were rated at around five hours or something. Anyone have a figure? On occasion, I would let the battery go all the way down and then charge it, but I pretty much kept it plugged in all the time. Sometimes, I would take the battery out entirely.

The link you posted even said that 'calibrating' your battery will NOT extend its battery life. It just makes the report of its health more accurate. So, ACTUALLY, calibrating simply uses another cycle of my battery's limited life and doesn't do much for improving it. These days, I mostly travel from outlet to outlet and the need to use my computer on battery power alone is greatly reduced. I'll probably calibrate this battery, but I'd rather not push the cycles up too far. I've never had an issue with my laptop batteries, and I've never had one replaced. I'd like to keep it that way, as they can be SO damned expensive. =)

 

[GGJstudios]

So, ACTUALLY, calibrating simply uses another cycle of my battery's limited life and doesn't do much for improving it

Yes, it does use a cycle, but your battery should retain up to 80% of it's capacity up to 1000 cycles, so you can calibrate periodically without much impact on battery life.

These days, I mostly travel from outlet to outlet and the need to use my computer on battery power alone is greatly reduced.

It's not good to be on AC power all the time. You have plenty of cycles available. If you added a cycle every 3 days, it would take over 8 years to use 1000 cycles.

 

[iMackPro]

2 week old notebook, hope this helps.