Are you able to save the cycles of the macbook by having it plugged in at full battery charge. I've been told this but would like more confirmation and opinion of others? Any tips or knowledge would be very much appreciated, thank you in advance.
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Saving cycles on Mbpr?
- Thread starter AnneLane
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GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
You don't need to worry about cycles. Your battery should retain up to 80% of its original capacity for up to 1000 battery cycles. Run on battery whenever you need to and plug it in whenever you can. You can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery.
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions, including tips for maximizing battery performance. If you havent already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it. But I want my macbook to last for like the next 10 years. I just bought my macbook pro retina mid 2014 for like 1.2 k. I've never spent that much money in my life before on something so I want it to last me for a very long time.
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
It's very unlikely your battery will last 10 years. Batteries are consumable items and will die over time, no matter how you treat them. You will very likely replace your computer long before then, as it would have grown quite obsolete by then.
So are you saying that if I don't use the 1000 cycle's in a couple of years, the battery itself will just start to die regardless of how much I still have left?
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
Yes. Batteries are not designed to last forever. Even if you don't use them at all, they will die over time. Your best approach is to forget about the battery and just enjoy your Mac. Run on battery power when you need to, and plug in when AC power is available. It's that simple.
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
Yes, you should use your battery, but there is no need to drain it to a certain percentage.
poiihy
macrumors 68020
Not exactly %50, but somewhere around that. What you shouldn't do is drain all the way down and recharge. This hurts the battery.
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
It doesn't even need to be near that. As I stated earlier, you can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery. It doesn't matter if you drain it to 90%, 55%, 30% or 10%. As long as the battery gets some exercise, it's fine. Apple does not recommend draining to any particular percentage before recharging.
acctman
macrumors 65816
i worried about cycles for about a month but i'm a programmer and love to be mobile. I realized it's just $129 and that I should enjoy my laptop not baby it 24/7. The three websites i've created with this laptop can purchase 100+ new battery. Now I have three iOS apps in the works... so enjoy it, you have a good 2yrs before you really have to worry about it another battery.
just my two cent.
just my two cent.
simonsi
Contributor
I have a 3.5yr old MBP and a 2.5yr old MBA, both have a battery health of approx 90%, the MBP has 923 cycles but the MBA only has 300 or so. I'd class the MBA has had the battery under-used, too much time on charger power.
The MBP is still just great with still up to 5.5-6.0hrs genuine usage on a full charge.
The MBP is still just great with still up to 5.5-6.0hrs genuine usage on a full charge.
This is not physically possible. Your battery will be dead in max 5-6 years, no matter how well you treat it. Your SSD will be dead after 8 years max, possibly earlier.
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
Batteries are a consumable product, and the fact that they'll not last if they remain largely unused. I think you need to ignore the cycle count, use it, enjoy it and not worry. When the time comes to replace the battery, then go for it, and not worry that it didn't last 10 years.
JHUFrank
macrumors 6502a
Right on. Quit worrying. When the battery goes out, replace. We have a 7 year old macbook, and 2 5 year macbooks in our family that are still running fine. Battery is finally going out in my wife's. I think its going to be about 200 to replace. No big deal for such a long running computer.
It may physically last 10 years, but by then the battery will be long dead no matter how well you treat it.
Add to the fact that it'll probably feel downright slow in 10 years' time.
I say you shouldn't even bother worrying about this, you'll have upgraded to a new computer then.
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Pretty much. A battery isn't much more than a chemical reaction. With time that chemical reaction degrades and battery life does too.
simonsi
Contributor
It possibly will but just like a car and tyres, some parts are consumable and have a shorter life expectancy, laptop batteries are just such a part.
As others have said, you will likely change it well before 10yrs in any case.