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New Macbook: leave it on?

A

amc382

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 4, 2003
102
0
So I have my new macbook, and here's my question:

When not using it for long periods, should i just let is sleep or turn it off? And if let it sleep, unplugged or plugged? Will this have any effect on the battery life?

I don't want to continually charge it if means making my battery goto hell.

Thanks
 
It has been one month since the last time I turned off my MB. Which is almost all of the time plugged in to the wall.

There is no problem in letting you MB sleep while connected to the wall.

The only thing to do, is to calibrate the battery once a month.
 
I haven't turned off my MBP in about 6 weeks. Everything seems ok...I'm addicted to raising my ratio as much as i can oink oink ;)
 
I leave mine on all the time...just close the lid when not in use...however it stays plugged in when I am not going to be using it for a few hours....:)
 
but....

leaving it on all the time should eventually deplete the battery, right?

I mean, being on all the time versus periods of rest must further wear on something more with a finite lifespan to begin with... I don't mean after a month or so, but after a year or two.
 
G4 left on for four years... all good.

I just replaced my 1.33GHz 17" G4 Powerbook with a brand new 17" HD SR MBP. Previously, the G4 PowerBook was left on continuously at my work for four years straight. I was running a mail server and web server on the G4 so it had to remain on, albeit with the screen saver running.

The battery now reports that it has 75% of the original charge capacity using Coconut Battery. Not bad for four years continuous use with next to no battery "maintainence".

The only thing I noticed is that the screen is slightly less bright than my new MBP, even on full brightness. Given that it has been running the RSS screensaver for the better part of that four years I think this is pretty good going.

For all those people worried that their non-LED MBP may not get as much life as the LED models, please keep my experience in mind. If your new 17" MBP is still completely working in four years I think you would be very happy. Most of you guys seem to get a new mac every year or so anyway.

My old G4 PowerBook is now being shipped to my dad as it will serve him very well for many more years to come.
 
Good to know. I've had my 17" PB G4 for almost 2 years now and it only get shutdown and unplugged when i travel, which is about every 6 mo (give or take). I've never had any problems and my battery still give me 3 hours+ depending on if I'm using BT or WiFi. I think that's pretty good.
 
amc382 said:
leaving it on all the time should eventually deplete the battery, right?

I mean, being on all the time versus periods of rest must further wear on something more with a finite lifespan to begin with... I don't mean after a month or so, but after a year or two.
Click to expand...

I think a recommendation of the wise would be not to worry about the battery. The chances are that if you follow the perfect care for the battery you only would achieve an extra 2-3 months of life.

I prefer not having to worry about taking care of it, and maybe in 3 years change it.:)
 
amc382 said:
So I have my new macbook, and here's my question:

When not using it for long periods, should i just let is sleep or turn it off? And if let it sleep, unplugged or plugged? Will this have any effect on the battery life?

I don't want to continually charge it if means making my battery goto hell.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Depends what you mean by "long periods." If what I think you mean is "I'll only be using it for short periods during the day and then it'll just be sitting there", then you'll be better off simply letting the computer go to sleep. Sleep mode is one tiny step above completely off as far as power consumption is concerned, so you shouldn't have problems with ruining your battery health. If you mean "I'm gonna store it somewhere for days/weeks/months", then obviously you would turn it off. Also, I believe Apple recommends discharging the battery to about 50% and removing it from the computer if you're storing for extended (days/weeks/etc) periods of time.
 
Honestly, I NEVER turn off my computers. My MacBok has been on since the day I got it. It doesnt goto sleep, it just stays on. It is still fine and never had any issues. I do reboot the system because of system updates, but other then that, the sytem is ALWAYS on.

I dont plan on changing any of my habits for my SR MPB either. :)
 
You could do what I do. I turn it on in the morning, and then let it sleep throughout the day, even if it's hours at a time when I won't use it. Then at night, I turn it off. Since the bootup time is fast, sleep doesn't provide much of benefit for overnight resting.
 
Don't worry about battery life, even after 5 years my computer has had no problems, however by turning it off I saved £30 a year in electricity bills. £150? Could go towards an iPod...
 
Have I gone too far?

Sbrocket said:
Depends what you mean by "long periods." If what I think you mean is "I'll only be using it for short periods during the day and then it'll just be sitting there", then you'll be better off simply letting the computer go to sleep. Sleep mode is one tiny step above completely off as far as power consumption is concerned, so you shouldn't have problems with ruining your battery health. If you mean "I'm gonna store it somewhere for days/weeks/months", then obviously you would turn it off. Also, I believe Apple recommends discharging the battery to about 50% and removing it from the computer if you're storing for extended (days/weeks/etc) periods of time.
Click to expand...

Hello, a pc owner and then a mac answer I got googling suggested unplugging and taking my Macbook battery down to 50%, removing when using my laptop plugged in at home and then reinserting, charging back up if I want to take to travel with it.

I almost always just use my laptop at home here in Korea, plugged in. A couple of times it's been accidentally unplugged or I forgot and it went down to 0 but plugging it back in eventually brought it back up to 100%.

I did take the battery out, but after reading this forum, my questions are: when the battery is out, is there no cover plate to put back over the hole where the battery was? and 2. do I need to do this, or is it just a pc thing/or a mac superstition?

I usually have my laptop on a fake plastic chair and so wonder about the bottom exposure without the cover plate. I don't want the laptop to overheat or get dust, etc inside where it shouldn't.

Also, the battery went down to 50% unplugged pretty quickly, maybe 45 minutes or so.

thank you for any insights/info,

Angilu
 
When it is not in use for long periods I just let it fold :)

Remember, if your MacBook fails during your 3 year Applecare you get a free new computer.

Hence, if it dies within 3 years, you win. Otherwise, you lose!
 
anjilu said:
I did take the battery out, but after reading this forum, my questions are: when the battery is out, is there no cover plate to put back over the hole where the battery was? and 2. do I need to do this, or is it just a pc thing/or a mac superstition?

I usually have my laptop on a fake plastic chair and so wonder about the bottom exposure without the cover plate. I don't want the laptop to overheat or get dust, etc inside where it shouldn't.
Click to expand...

i'm not 100% sure about this, but i think the macbook will only utilize one of the two processor cores when operating without a battery. either that or the clock speed is limited by half. something like that.

also, what's fake plastic? :confused:

*edit*
so it does look like apple reduces the speed on macbooks without batteries. article here.
 
siurpeeman said:
i'm not 100% sure about this, but i think the macbook will only utilize one of the two processor cores when operating without a battery. either that or the clock speed is limited by half. something like that.

also, what's fake plastic? :confused:

*edit*
so it does look like apple reduces the speed on macbooks without batteries. article here.
Click to expand...

Fake plastic in this case means "fake leather", i.e. plastic.:eek:

So far, in 3 days without the battery, the clock is still right on and speed is pretty normal.

Do you leave your battery in all the time? My laptop is basically a home computer, but because of bringing it to Korea, I needed a laptop. As far as "calibrating" the battery, that seems a bit much to expect a user to do regularly if you're not a techno-person. What is the life expectancy of a Macbook battery?

Anjilu
 
amc382 said:
So I have my new macbook, and here's my question:

When not using it for long periods, should i just let is sleep or turn it off? And if let it sleep, unplugged or plugged? Will this have any effect on the battery life?

I don't want to continually charge it if means making my battery goto hell.

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's a UNIX based system, it is designed to be left running for aeons. (long time periods :) )

I would advise that you adjust the power profiles to automatically put the screen to sleep after about 15 minutes of inactivity and set the system to sleep after about 30 minutes of inactivity. It won't hurt the battery to leave it in for extended lengths, just calibrate once every few months (as mentioned by a previous poster).

Personally my PB G4 has had periods of constant up times measurable into the three and four month time periods. Never had a problem.

Sopranino
 
iMacBook said:
Do I HAVE to do this every month?
Click to expand...

No, you actually don't have to do it at all. I would save yourself some hassle and only do it every 2-3 months. All it does is help your computer display accurate info about how much battery life you have left, the health of your battery, etc.
 
a lot of electronics are known to run better/longer the longer they are left on. for example - audiophiles leave their equipment running as long as possible, and they dont even bother to use their equipment (not just analog equipment, digital too) until its on for days. on the other hand - high performance electronic equipment (supercomputers, ultra sensitive equipment) is never turned off because the shock (no pun intended) and wear is far more damaging to the equipment than just letting it run.
 
thanks for your advice guys.

i guess i'll be leaving mine asleep when not in use.
 
23027 said:
Hey, don't forget to take into consideration; It's a battery. They are replaceable..
Click to expand...

You know something? That is probably one of the most sensible statements I've seen. We all tend to get caught up in this 'must keep battery healthy' mode, completely forgetting that it is intended to be used, and replaced when it wears out......

Great point there 23027

Sopranino
 
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