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Using MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) as a Desktop

R

reddevil0728

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 19, 2010
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Anybody using this mac as a desktop? I got it as a gift so I didn't have a choice of getting iMac. I primarily using it as a desktop so neither do I shut it off or disconnect it from the charger.

Heard that doing this is extremely bad for the battery. Just wondering if anybody who use laptops as desktop got any suggestions on how to overcome this issue of not wanting to shut it off hence not disconnecting it from the charger, but at the same time maintain the battery?

Cause seems like the battery is getting bloated and making the underside of the mac uneven.
 
reddevil0728 said:
Anybody using this mac as a desktop? I got it as a gift so I didn't have a choice of getting iMac. I primarily using it as a desktop so neither do I shut it off or disconnect it from the charger.

Heard that doing this is extremely bad for the battery. Just wondering if anybody who use laptops as desktop got any suggestions on how to overcome this issue of not wanting to shut it off hence not disconnecting it from the charger, but at the same time maintain the battery?

Cause seems like the battery is getting bloated and making the underside of the mac uneven.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about it. The battery will last 3-5 years regardless of how you use it.
 
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T5BRICK said:
I wouldn't worry about it. The battery will last 3-5 years regardless of how you use it.
Click to expand...

So you wouldn't be concern about the uneven underside which might suggest possible bloated battery which might be a potential safety hazard?
 
reddevil0728 said:
So you wouldn't be concern about the uneven underside which might suggest possible bloated battery which might be a potential safety hazard?
Click to expand...

I may have misread your original post. :eek:

If your battery is already swelling, take it in to Apple.
 
justywusty said:
Yeah that's not normal. Take it in to the Apple Store as batteries would only do that if they're really old and haven't been used in a long time. So yours must be defective.
Click to expand...
This mac ain't that old, probably a year and a half to 2 years max. so ya probably gotta get it checked.

T5BRICK said:
I may have misread your original post. :eek:

If your battery is already swelling, take it in to Apple.
Click to expand...
oh right...

That issue aside, anybody who use ur macbook pro as a desktop, do you guys constantly keep it charged all the time?
 
reddevil0728 said:
This mac ain't that old, probably a year and a half to 2 years max. so ya probably gotta get it checked.

oh right...

That issue aside, anybody who use ur macbook pro as a desktop, do you guys constantly keep it charged all the time?
Click to expand...

I would get apple to look at the battery ASAP

I dont leave my rMBP 13" 2015 on charger I charge it and then disconnect.

Apparantly its okay to keep on charge though - but advisable to disconnect every so often.
 
deany said:
I would get apple to look at the battery ASAP

I dont leave my rMBP 13" 2015 on charger I charge it and then disconnect.

Apparantly its okay to keep on charge though - but advisable to disconnect every so often.
Click to expand...
Do you use it like a desktop where u don't shut it down and keep using it at home without moving it around that kind?
 
I have done this for a long time without problems with several generations of MBP. If you close the lid and use a second screen as I do, they have to be plugged in!
 
reddevil0728 said:
Do you use it like a desktop where u don't shut it down and keep using it at home without moving it around that kind?
Click to expand...

I don't shut it down except for updates.
I dont move it around too much.
If you are worried about leaving it charged why not do what I do?
Love the rMBP 13"
cheers
 
reddevil0728 said:
That issue aside, anybody who use ur macbook pro as a desktop, do you guys constantly keep it charged all the time?
Click to expand...

My 2015 13" rMBP is plugged in most of the time and I never shut it down. I do close the lid occasionally.

I'll have to check, but I'd guess I have less than 50 cycles on the battery.
 
i used my 2008 MBP for a desktops for years, and now have a new MBP that i am using in place of my iMac i sold recently. no problems yet to report
 
I use my mac as a desktop, having it hooked to charger for the past five years. I do shut it down when I go to sleep. Battery did die months ago with less than 100 cycles, but that's a whole five years of charging.
 
I wasn't aware that the newer glued in batteries had bloating issues like the older removable batteries.

I have a late 2015 15" rMBP (2499 model) and it's connected to a 27" Thunderbolt Display most of the time unless I get cabin fever and head to a coffee shop (I never use my charger in my backpack). I work remote so I just keep it like that but I do move around the house a few times a week also, so it gets close to 0% time to time. I've never had any issues, FWIW here is a screenshot of my battery health.

battery.png
 
iPaintCode said:
I wasn't aware that the newer glued in batteries had bloating issues like the older removable batteries.

I have a late 2015 15" rMBP (2499 model) and it's connected to a 27" Thunderbolt Display most of the time unless I get cabin fever and head to a coffee shop (I never use my charger in my backpack). I work remote so I just keep it like that but I do move around the house a few times a week also, so it gets close to 0% time to time. I've never had any issues, FWIW here is a screenshot of my battery health.

View attachment 642623
Click to expand...
may I know what app is that?
 
I bought my 15" mid-2015 rMBP in December 2015 and immediately put it on a sturdy Twelve South stand which gives it plenty of air under the machine, breathing space, and supplied it with the newest versions of the Magic Trackpad, keyboard and mouse. Bingo -- instant desktop replacement! :) I had intended at some point to buy a monitor to connect to it if I felt I needed more screen landscape and space, but so far I've been very happy with the 15" screen on its own. I keep the machine plugged in most of the time and then every now-and-then when I think of it, unplug it for a while and let the battery run down. I do shut the machine completely down at night or when I am going to be away from it for more than a couple of hours. Also, of course, when there is thunder and lightning going on!

For me this is a much better and more flexible solution than buying a 21.5" retina iMac would have been; back in late November/early December I spent quite a bit of time analyzing which would be the best purchase. This works for me and I have been more than happy with it. When I've needed portability, easy enough to unplug, tuck the machine into a protective case and go. I have a couple of external drives that are used for backup which I only plug in when I'm ready to do a backup, and of course everything else is wireless, including my BT headphones. I also have an external SSD that I use as a supplementary drive so that I don't fill up my internal 512 GB SSD in the machine, and this works well; it's interesting how many folders and files one really doesn't need to have permanently stashed on a computer's hard drive! When I need a file or folder, I simply plug in that external drive, look at or retrieve the item, and I'm done. Again, I don't leave that device plugged into the machine all the time.
 
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Clix Pix said:
I bought my 15" mid-2015 rMBP in December 2015 and immediately put it on a sturdy Twelve South stand which gives it plenty of air under the machine, breathing space, and supplied it with the newest versions of the Magic Trackpad, keyboard and mouse. Bingo -- instant desktop replacement! :) I had intended at some point to buy a monitor to connect to it if I felt I needed more screen landscape and space, but so far I've been very happy with the 15" screen on its own. I keep the machine plugged in most of the time and then every now-and-then when I think of it, unplug it for a while and let the battery run down. I do shut the machine completely down at night or when I am going to be away from it for more than a couple of hours. Also, of course, when there is thunder and lightning going on!

For me this is a much better and more flexible solution than buying a 21.5" retina iMac would have been; back in late November/early December I spent quite a bit of time analyzing which would be the best purchase. This works for me and I have been more than happy with it. When I've needed portability, easy enough to unplug, tuck the machine into a protective case and go. I have a couple of external drives that are used for backup which I only plug in when I'm ready to do a backup, and of course everything else is wireless, including my BT headphones. I also have an external SSD that I use as a supplementary drive so that I don't fill up my internal 512 GB SSD in the machine, and this works well; it's interesting how many folders and files one really doesn't need to have permanently stashed on a computer's hard drive! When I need a file or folder, I simply plug in that external drive, look at or retrieve the item, and I'm done. Again, I don't leave that device plugged into the machine all the time.
Click to expand...

Those twelve south stands are very cool - I can't quite work out the two screens together it looks great, I'd love to know how you went from one screen to the other. and apart from 'effect' - looks great what the point is
lovely site they have too.
 
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Clix Pix said:
I bought my 15" mid-2015 rMBP in December 2015 and immediately put it on a sturdy Twelve South stand which gives it plenty of air under the machine, breathing space, and supplied it with the newest versions of the Magic Trackpad, keyboard and mouse. Bingo -- instant desktop replacement! :) I had intended at some point to buy a monitor to connect to it if I felt I needed more screen landscape and space, but so far I've been very happy with the 15" screen on its own. I keep the machine plugged in most of the time and then every now-and-then when I think of it, unplug it for a while and let the battery run down. I do shut the machine completely down at night or when I am going to be away from it for more than a couple of hours. Also, of course, when there is thunder and lightning going on!

For me this is a much better and more flexible solution than buying a 21.5" retina iMac would have been; back in late November/early December I spent quite a bit of time analyzing which would be the best purchase. This works for me and I have been more than happy with it. When I've needed portability, easy enough to unplug, tuck the machine into a protective case and go. I have a couple of external drives that are used for backup which I only plug in when I'm ready to do a backup, and of course everything else is wireless, including my BT headphones. I also have an external SSD that I use as a supplementary drive so that I don't fill up my internal 512 GB SSD in the machine, and this works well; it's interesting how many folders and files one really doesn't need to have permanently stashed on a computer's hard drive! When I need a file or folder, I simply plug in that external drive, look at or retrieve the item, and I'm done. Again, I don't leave that device plugged into the machine all the time.
Click to expand...
have a picture of the stand?
 
deany said:
Those twelve south stands are very cool - I can't quite work out the two screens together it looks great, I'd love to know how you went from one screen to the other. and apart from 'effect' - looks great what the point is
lovely site they have too.
Click to expand...
Sorry.....you've lost me. Maybe you misinterpreted something I wrote? I have just the rMBP15" on the Twelve South stand.....no additional monitor. One screen -- the one that's on the rMBP15. A lot of people do use two or even three monitors, but that's not anything I've tried.
[doublepost=1469921867][/doublepost]
reddevil0728 said:
have a picture of the stand?
Click to expand...

It is the Hi Rise:

https://www.twelvesouth.com/store/product/hirise-for-macbook

41iuBDyob3L._AC_US320_QL65_.jpg
 
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