The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    NEW MBP battery setup help please...

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Charivari, Mar 3, 2008.

  1. Charivari

    Charivari Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    53
    Messages:
    361
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hey my new MBP will be at my house in a few hours I have a question about initial battery setup so I can get the most out of it.

    I will use the battery but my MBP will be mostly plugged in...here are my questions:

    1. For battery setup do i charge fully then run it down to 0 then charge fully again to get a baseline?

    2. Is it ok to have my MBP plugged in all the time at my desk? (does it hurt the battery in any way)

    3. When I do use the battery I am sure I wont use it fully...so do I need to use it up each time to get a "cycle"? I tend to use it maybe 1/4-1/2 then just plug it back in.

    Thanks!
     
    Charivari, Mar 3, 2008
    #1
  2. Lithus

    Lithus NBR Janitor

    Reputations:
    5,504
    Messages:
    9,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Read the battery guide.
     
    Lithus, Mar 3, 2008
    #2
  3. Stunner

    Stunner Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    154
    Messages:
    1,141
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Use it about half way or so, just be sure you DO NOT COMPLETELY DRAIN IT(unless calibrating of course)! LI-Ion batteries do not like being completely drained and your battery life will suffer if you do it too many times. You should be charging it back up when it is at 10-20% at the lowest.
     
    Stunner, Mar 3, 2008
    #3
  4. Stone825

    Stone825 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    404
    Messages:
    2,439
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Okay. No offense but I swear apple has like every user worrying about battery charge. I think that most mac users go too much out of their way and worry about "OMG why is my battery only charging to 97%!". Go ahead and read the battery guide though as Lithus recommended.

    Personally, I wouldn't worry about your battery that much, but that's just me.
     
    Stone825, Mar 3, 2008
    #4
  5. Arquis

    Arquis Kojima Worshiper

    Reputations:
    844
    Messages:
    1,688
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Well, 97% is pretty normal since it refuses to charge if it's above 95% :D But I think they've got a legit reason behind their worries... although taking extreme measures to prolong battery life as long as humanly possibly is a little over-doing it (unless you like inconveniencing yourself when laptops are supposed to make things more convenient, but to each their own), Apple Macbook Pro batteries... let's say they haven't had the best track record :(
     
    Arquis, Mar 3, 2008
    #5