Macbook Pro battery question

compulsiveguilecompulsiveguile
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Searched the boards and couldn't find any info (though I'm sure it's there) about this so here it goes. I just officially joined the Mac family this afternoon with my purchase of a MacBook Pro , and I now have a couple of questions regarding the battery. Is it bad to keep my laptop plugged in whenever I use it? Should I charge completely->drain almost completely->charge completely? Any help would be great, thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    sopraninosopranino Posts: 28member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by compulsiveguile View Post


    Searched the boards and couldn't find any info (though I'm sure it's there) about this so here it goes. I just officially joined the Mac family this afternoon with my purchase of a MacBook Pro , and I now have a couple of questions regarding the battery. Is it bad to keep my laptop plugged in whenever I use it? Should I charge completely->drain almost completely->charge completely? Any help would be great, thanks!



    Battery breakin procedure:

    1) Charge until the charge adapter indicator changes to green. (You can use your computer during this time so long as it remains plugged in)



    2) Unplug the charger from the computer and run the computer until it goes to sleep.



    3) Leave the computer in sleep mode for a minimum of 5 hours (more doesn't affect the process)



    4) Recharge the battery.



    5) The above process calibrates the battery and should be done about once every three months.



    Hope that answers your question



    Enjoy the new MBP



    Sopranino
  • Reply 2 of 4
    shiato stormshiato storm Posts: 55member
    on a similar note is it ok to leave MB/MBPs just in sleep mode most of their life? i.e. just shut the lid rather than shut-down and leaving it left plugged in (I don't mean during a battery refresh)...

    or would it be best to shut down if I don't intend using it for extended periods (e.g. over-night) and left unplugged?
  • Reply 3 of 4
    gwoodpeckergwoodpecker Posts: 367member
    The procedure Sopranino described is a "calibration cycle". This should be done about once a month.

    My good experience is to leave the charger plugged in all times and shut down (or sleep) the MacBook over night. When you're using the MacBook on the road, charge it up as soon as you have the chance to. Li-Ion batteries don't like big charge cycles too much. Sleeping or shutting down the computer doesn't hurt it in any way. I wouldn't pull the plug out every night because the battery discharges a little bit over the night, and when you plug it back in again, it will unneccessarily charge up again (if the battery level fell below 95%).



    (I do shut down all my computers at night due to high electricity costs here in Switzerland - and also in order to save energy in general.)
  • Reply 4 of 4
    compulsiveguilecompulsiveguile Posts: 153member
    Thanks so much for all the help!
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