Question on whether or not to replace battery

[neurophysicist]

Hello,

I have an early 2011 MBP that I received the first week of March 2011. So far everything has been super.

My battery condition is listed as 'normal' in the upper right status icon. Right now according to iStat and coconutBattery I am getting about 78% of capacity (fluctuated around ~80% today). I have used about 1196 cycles (see attached). So no major problems now but the capacity is definitely less than before.

I was wondering if it was recommended I replace the battery, or if I should wait until the condition drops below 'normal'. I found the directions to calibrate the battery on Apple's website <http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490> and am currently following step 3 (running down the battery on battery power).

For any other users out there, do you have a similar cycle count (whether or not you have a 2011 model)? Have you noticed a similar drop in capacity, or not so much?

Also, somewhat on a sidenote, but saw in other threads issues where users had batteries that expanded. Are those generally the result of faulty batteries in the beginning, or is that something that can manifest after a long period of time? Thanks.

 

[leman]

My battery condition is listed as 'normal' in the upper right status icon. Right now according to iStat and coconutBattery I am getting about 78% of capacity (fluctuated around ~80% today). I have used about 1196 cycles (see attached). So no major problems now but the capacity is definitely less than before.

I'd say that's fairly good and expected capacity with those stats. Apple describes the battery as retaining at least 80% of charge after 1000 load cycles. As to if you should replace it or not... this solely depends on whether you are satisfied with the current battery time. If 80% is ok for you, then you probably will be able to use it for another 500 or so load cycles without problems. You should definitely replace it once it gets really old (and the capacity starts dropping quickly), as using a too old battery can damage your machine.

 

[thundersteele]

The battery might eventually change status to "service battery." Usually even then it says that the battery is safe to use, just the capacity is not as it was originally.

As long as it reports a normal status, I think you don't have anything to worry about.