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alphaumi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 9, 2012
5
0
So my battery is dead, it only lasts for half an hour or something. It's already over 1000 cycles. I don't mind using my macbook with power adapter. But I sense that there has been a significant drop in performance even when plugged in. The battery status is on "service battery". And i am getting the message: "Apps using significant energy" and some apps are listed there even while plugged in. Is there any other solution than getting a new battery? I am using the latest version of macOS 10.14.2, I also have plenty of free memory, more than 25%.
 

BrianBaughn

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2011
9,684
2,437
Baltimore, Maryland
I don't know about a performance hit with a bad battery while plugged in. Perhaps someone else can shed some light.

Looking at the iFixit.com instructions for replacing the battery I can see that it's a bit of a challenge. However, a bad battery can be troublesome or even dangerous. Best to replace it.
 

crammedberry

macrumors regular
I had the same problem you’re having over the last few months. Apple laptops downclock when the battery is removed because the power adapter isn’t always able to provide enough power on its own for the computer to run at full speed. With a bad battery, particularly for cases of complete battery failure like mine, the computer acts as if the battery isn’t even there, resulting in the throttling you’re experiencing.

I replaced my battery with a generic one and it isn’t extremely laggy anymore like it used to be when the battery failed. The performance is back to normal. The iFixit instructions are handy, but some of the steps they describe aren’t absolutely necessary. I found the following video helpful (it also walks you through the battery replacement in fewer steps than iFixit):

If you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself, you could also get it serviced at an Apple store or authorized repair center.
 
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