[iwicked]

Hi folks.

So, this might sound strange to some people, I apologise for that. I had always wanted to own a Macbook and after saving up for a while I finally got myself a Macbook Pro Retina 2013 (Late). I baby it around and I'm an extremely happy user so far.

I intend to use it easily for another 2/3 years. I used to be an avid gamer before but my previous laptop's (Lenovo) battery stopped holding charge at all after a year - I used to play games on it extensively. I do not like the idea of having to open my Macbook and changing its battery. So, now I don't play any games at all. But recently I read somewhere that using your Macbook while plugged in draws power from the adapter and there is no battery usage.

I want to know the validity of this. Is this true? I would like to play few old games like Civilisation 5, Warcraft, etc. on my MBP while keeping it plugged in. Will this keep the battery safe from any adverse effects? This is a bit long and I'm sorry for that. But I would really appreciate any insight on this matter.

Thanks so much!

[Darth_Bane]

I want to know the validity of this. Is this true? I would like to play few old games like Civilisation 5, Warcraft, etc. on my MBP while keeping it plugged in.

If its plugged in, then the apps you use, be they games, or productivity apps will have no impact on battery longevity. The only thing that will kill a battery is deep drains. If you consistently run the battery down to zero, then that will have more negative impact then if you avoid such habits.

[iwicked]

If its plugged in, then the apps you use, be they games, or productivity apps will have no impact on battery longevity. The only thing that will kill a battery is deep drains. If you consistently run the battery down to zero, then that will have more negative impact then if you avoid such habits.

Thanks for the response. That's a relief to know. One thing though, how damaging is heat for battery life? I mean, during gaming the MBP will invariably heat up, I'm just wondering how much damage that would do to the battery.

[Darth_Bane]

I mean, during gaming the MBP will invariably heat up, I'm just wondering how much damage that would do to the battery.

As long as the fans ramp up to manage the heat, I think you'll be ok. I use iStat Menus to display the temp of my Mac. Its a handy utility, that reports a number of metrics including temperature, and fan speed. Its not needed but if you feel your mac getting warm, you should start hearing the fans getting louder to manage the heat.

[iwicked]

I use that app as well. Usually my CPU temp hovers around 55 degrees but ramps up to over 70 during video editing. Its a quite a handy app. Thanks for your insight maflynn. Much appreciated.

[Darth_Bane]

Yeah, my MBP runs in the mid 40s to low 50s for most common tasks, but if I start doing intensive work, it can get into the 70s and 80s.

Conversely, my iMac is running much cooler. Its in the low 32 range.

[Closingracer]

Gaming on Windows, Linux or OS X will drain the battery one very quickly and probably the quickest way to do so or close to it.

[iwicked]

Yeah, my MBP runs in the mid 40s to low 50s for most common tasks, but if I start doing intensive work, it can get into the 70s and 80s.

Conversely, my iMac is running much cooler. Its in the low 32 range.

I played Civilization for a couple of hours and kept checking the temperature now and then. Though it didn't go over the 70s, the fan did seem to make some noise. Presumably it was running faster than usual to keep the temp down.

[iwicked]

Gaming on Windows, Linux or OS X will drain the battery one very quickly and probably the quickest way to do so or close to it.

I assume you mean gaming on battery on Windows or other systems will drain the battery rapidly. I understand that and my question was what if I game while plugged in? That takes the strain off the battery apparently.

[Closingracer]

I assume you mean gaming on battery on Windows or other systems will drain the battery rapidly. I understand that and my question was what if I game while plugged in? That takes the strain off the battery apparently.

Doesn't matter than.... I could take out my battery on my windows laptop and if plugged in it will still work.