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What should I do as far as charging the MBP?

S

Shadow Zujed

macrumors member
Original poster
I mean, the thing seemed to lose battery quickly after I got it. Is it better to just leave it plugged in when I am using it, or even away from it?

How about when I play Starcraft 2? Should I leave it plugged in while playing? Or will leaving it plugged in all the time be bad for it?

I just want to do whatever is better for the battery. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!
 
I leave mine plugged in whenever I am sitting on my desk. I use it a lot without AC plugged in and I just put the AC back on when I need to charge.

Don't really have any OCD with batteries.

Basically I charge it when it needs to.
 
See http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

Excerpt:

Standard Maintenance
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.


I'm one of the occasional use people. Some months, I'll put 1 charge cycle on for the whole month. Others, I'll put 2-3 (heavy use) a day on my battery.
I've been this way since I got my computer a year and a month ago, and it has 185 Charge cycles and 98% health currently.
 
If you didn't calibrate soon after you bought your MBP or don't do so about every month, you should notice good results from calibrating.
 
^ I just got it today, so I guess I should calibrate it.

Um, so I am about ready to go to bed. I just want to double check and make sure it is fine if I leave the computer in sleep mode with it plugged into the wall. Won't hurt it right? I did see it in the FAQ, just wanting to make sure. 😉
 
Shadow Zujed said:
^ I just got it today, so I guess I should calibrate it.

Um, so I am about ready to go to bed. I just want to double check and make sure it is fine if I leave the computer in sleep mode with it plugged into the wall. Won't hurt it right? I did see it in the FAQ, just wanting to make sure. 😉
Click to expand...

You're good. 🙂
 
Shadow Zujed said:
^ I just got it today, so I guess I should calibrate it.

Um, so I am about ready to go to bed. I just want to double check and make sure it is fine if I leave the computer in sleep mode with it plugged into the wall. Won't hurt it right? I did see it in the FAQ, just wanting to make sure. 😉
Click to expand...
It won't hurt it at all.
 
How about this -- Don't worry about the battery. If your laptop battery runs low, charge it. If you're at a desk and it's convenient to have it plugged in, then plug it in. If you want to use the laptop away from power, be sure it's charged and go use it without power.

All the worrying about battery life is overrated.. enjoy the computer and when the battery no longer has the life that you want out of it, have it replaced.
 
In my experience if you take care of the battery only the first few full charges, then afterwards I don't think it matters.
 
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