Unanswered newbie questions

[zcor]

Hello guys,

I've been lurking in the forums for quite some time. This weekend I made the big jump and bought a MBP 2.5Ghz from the previous generation for a great price: €1300. I am immensely happy with the switching and the computer itself.

However I still have a couple of questions that weren't answered by the "search" function. I use the computer mostly at home running on AC power alone. I already know it underclocks the CPU, however so far the speed is great for casual use. Should I need to do any serious rendering, I just plug the battery back in.


So first things first, can I insert and remove the battery while computer is in use? I have heard from users on the internet that this is okay, but haven't read anything from Apple about it.

Secondly, if I understood the problems about the Nvidia 8600 correctly , they are caused by bad materials in conjunction with excessive temperatures. If the CPU is underclocked most of the time the temperature inside the machine remains lower correct? Wouldn't this help save "life expectancy", so to say?

Also, when I put the computer in sleep mode and remove the AC power (remember, no battery in), apparently it shuts down after a couple of seconds, but when I plug it back in, it shows a little loading bar and then gets back to where I was... How is this possible? Is it advisable to do this, say if you have to move from one room to another?

Bear with me if these are silly questions. I used PCs for way too much time

Best regards,
José C.

 

[clyde2801]

I think there was a similar thread on the boards a day or two ago, but I can't remember the gist of it. Try doing a quick search. Good luck!

 

[kastenbrust]

So first things first, can I insert and remove the battery while computer is in use? I have heard from users on the internet that this is okay, but haven't read anything from Apple about it.

You can insert and remove it while the computer is in use, but if you leave the battery out of your computer when your running on AC power you will make its life shorter than if you leave it in. Especially if you leave it out of your computer with 100% charge for long periods of time, thats like begging it to slowly die.

Secondly, if I understood the problems about the Nvidia 8600 correctly , they are caused by bad materials in conjunction with excessive temperatures. If the CPU is underclocked most of the time the temperature inside the machine remains lower correct? Wouldn't this help save "life expectancy", so to say?

No it wouldnt make a difference to the temperatures inside your computer, infact it would make the inside hotter. Let me explain, your processor is "Dual Core" i.e. it has 2 cores on it. When you take the battery out the computer automatically shuts down one core, it doesnt 'underclock' it, it just shuts down one core so the other core has to do ALL the work, and this can make it run hotter than it would if 2 cores were sharing the work. This will also wear out your processor quicker, (twice as fast).

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332

Also the problem with the Nvidia 8600 GPU is very rare, i wouldnt worry about it, its just people who have the problem write on this forum a lot, so you may be tricked into thinking its a common problem but its really not.

Also, when I put the computer in sleep mode and remove the AC power (remember, no battery in), apparently it shuts down after a couple of seconds, but when I plug it back in, it shows a little loading bar and then gets back to where I was... How is this possible? Is it advisable to do this, say if you have to move from one room to another?

You know on PC you have Hibernation as well as sleep? well what your describing here is Mac's version of hibernation. When you remove the battery, the computer quickly saves the data about what you were doing in a file on the hard drive, and when you plug it back in and turn the computer on, the computer quickly loads that file again.

 

[zcor]

kastenburst,

Thanks for the enlightening reply

All the best,
José C.

 

[cathyy]

You can take out your battery while it's plugged in, but it's okay to leave it inside because the battery stops charging when it detects that the battery is charged. The only problems that you will face are decreased clock speed, and a potential problem if someone happens to knock your power cable out. (it happens really easily!)

Also, a downclocked CPU may result in higher temperatures for the GPU. It's weird, but it happens to me when I play older non-CPU-intensive games. The computer detects that the CPU temperatures are fine, so it doesn't set the fans spinning even the GPU temps are about to reach 90. In contrast, my GPU temperatures never hit past 83 C when playing the latest games because my fans are spinning at full speed.

Anyway, if your GPU is defective, it's probably gonna die even if you don't do anything that's graphic-intensive. I'd rather mine get spoilt, have it replaced, rather than try and prolong it's life and having it die after it's warranty ends.

Let me explain, your processor is "Dual Core" i.e. it has 2 cores on it. When you take the battery out the computer automatically shuts down one core, it doesnt 'underclock' it, it just shuts down one core so the other core has to do ALL the work, and this can make it run hotter than it would if 2 cores were sharing the work. This will also wear out your processor quicker, (twice as fast).

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332

Not true. It downclocks both cores, but they are both active and running. I just took my battery out and took this screenshot. Both CPUs are still active and running. (doesn't show the clock speed though. I was kinda lazy =/)