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Should I replace my battery?

I

izzy0242mr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 24, 2009
746
524
Before anyone replies with a typical "you're the only one who can decide if you need to replace your battery," let me explain:

I'm a college student. My 13" MacBook Pro Early 2011 (MacBookPro8,1) battery currently reads at about 82% capacity with 657 cycles (I know it's rated for 1000 cycles to stay above 80%). That means it has about a 4700 mAh capacity versus the 5700 mAh capacity it came with.

If I'm working at home/in my dorm, I'm pretty much going to have my computer plugged in. If I'm in class, I will have it unplugged. I can usually get about 3~ hours out of the computer before I need to charge it again. My typical settings for battery use include: having WiFi on, screen at mid-brightness, 10–15 tabs open in Google Chrome, with about 4 of those being Gmail tabs (I know, I know…Chrome is a hog), and a word processing app like Pages open. I have 8 GB of RAM, and a hybrid hard drive.

So, my question basically is this: how much more real world time (roughly) do you think this battery would give me (please speak up especially if you've replaced your Mac's battery) or should I just wait until the battery life gets even worse? I'll probably stick with this machine for a while unless it gets broken or something terrible. The mAh rating is 20% more than what I have now, so would it give me roughly a 20% length increase, and would the lower lifespan rating be worth it?
 
izzy0242mr said:
Before anyone replies with a typical "you're the only one who can decide if you need to replace your battery," let me explain:

I'm a college student. My 13" MacBook Pro Early 2011 (MacBookPro8,1) battery currently reads at about 82% capacity with 657 cycles (I know it's rated for 1000 cycles to stay above 80%). That means it has about a 4700 mAh capacity versus the 5700 mAh capacity it came with.

If I'm working at home/in my dorm, I'm pretty much going to have my computer plugged in. If I'm in class, I will have it unplugged. I can usually get about 3~ hours out of the computer before I need to charge it again. My typical settings for battery use include: having WiFi on, screen at mid-brightness, 10–15 tabs open in Google Chrome, with about 4 of those being Gmail tabs (I know, I know…Chrome is a hog), and a word processing app like Pages open. I have 8 GB of RAM, and a hybrid hard drive.

So, my question basically is this: how much more real world time (roughly) do you think this battery would give me (please speak up especially if you've replaced your Mac's battery) or should I just wait until the battery life gets even worse? I'll probably stick with this machine for a while unless it gets broken or something terrible. The mAh rating is 20% more than what I have now, so would it give me roughly a 20% length increase, and would the lower lifespan rating be worth it?
Click to expand...

If you are only getting about 3 hours usage out the battery then that is a good sign that it is time to replace the battery. If it were me I would go with the Apple OEM battery.
 
Cheap replacement batteries are almost never a bargain, be sure to read the customer reports. They seem typical of cheap batteries - "works good at first, but loses charge more quickly."
All you need is to get part way through your school year, and the battery starts to die - leaving you in the same position much sooner than you might hope ...
I don't trust 'em.
Get your battery from Apple. (period)
 
Put an SSD in to replace the HDD if you haven't already. That should lower the power draw somewhat, letting you get some more time out of a full charge.

3+ hrs for a 2011 MBP isn't that bad. Compared to current gen MBP's, yeah it sucks, but 3+ hrs is still less than an hour from being full range for a 2011, if I remember right.

If it were me, I would hold onto the cash for now ... Not even get an SSD. Use it for the first 4 or 5 weeks and see how it goes. If it's not going to cut it, then get it replaced with a genuine Apple battery.

Of course there is the fact that batteries can appear to be fine for years at a time, and then go "poof" one morning when you turn it on, or gracefully peter out over a long period. I've had both happen to me before. So, basically, with a 4 year battery, there's no denying that you are living on borrowed time by this point.
 
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duervo said:
Put an SSD in to replace the HDD if you haven't already. That should lower the power draw somewhat, letting you get some more time out of a full charge.

3+ hrs for a 2011 MBP isn't that bad. Compared to current gen MBP's, yeah it sucks, but 3+ hrs is still less than an hour from being full range for a 2011, if I remember right.

If it were me, I would hold onto the cash for now ... Not even get an SSD. Use it for the first 4 or 5 weeks and see how it goes. If it's not going to cut it, then get it replaced with a genuine Apple battery.

Of course there is the fact that batteries can appear to be fine for years at a time, and then go "poof" one morning when you turn it on, or gracefully peter out over a long period. I've had both happen to me before. So, basically, with a 4 year battery, there's no denying that you are living on borrowed time by this point.
Click to expand...

The specs on the 2012 13" MacBook Pro for the battery is 7 hours: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP619?locale=en_US. Only getting about 3 hours out of the battery is a good indication that it needs to be replaced.
 
Your only getting 3 hours due to your stated usage. Even with a brand new battery your only going to see 5 hours with the above.

So you have two options as I see it. Adjust your usage and get 5 hours with the current battery and wait for the service indicator to recommend a new battery or change the battery and stick with your current usage pattern and see 5 hours. The choice is yours.

Side note tho. Don't use a third party battery unless it's from somewhere like ifixit. I've seen to many third party battery's expand for my liking. And when they do they cause massive amounts of damage.
 
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Wouldn't touch that battery: "Up to 500 cycles", well "3" fits that statement so basically it is unrated.
 
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