You actually can measure (or monitor) how much power is being drawn through the MagSafe port or any other charging port internally. To do so, do the following: 1- Hold Option and click on the Apple logo on the top left of your screen. 2- Select "System Informations" 3- Choose "Power" from the left sidebar (the same place you check your battery cycle count and health) 4- Scroll down to where you can see the power Wattage, the MacBook is drawing from the adapter. Hope you find this helpful!
I use AlDente Pro (version 1.24), and it has a very nice popup which shows up much power is being drawn from the adapter when it is plugged in, and how much of that power is going to recharge the battery, and how much is going to power the CPU. If the Macbook is not connected to power, it will show much power is being drained from the battery. So it's quite nice for showing much power you are using, and how much is getting drained from the battery.
I have a second monitor that has 60W power delivery and always thought to myself that it is quite low, and sometimes I saw battery dips when I was doing demanding tasks for CPU+GPU like you said. I wanted to switch to magsafe for this very reason but I did not know that the Mac switches to MagSafe when you connect two power supplies. Thank you for testing it!
if you install al dente, there is a very nice chart to show you how much power goes into battery, how much goes to Mac itself. you will immediately know whether your charging method provides enough juice to the system.
I own the M1 Max for over a year (bought at the release). I always used MagSafe. Never charged it differently. My battery also shows 87%. What I've noticed with mine - is a few things that weren't optimized and caused CPU temp rise close to 100 degrees. Since then I've started using TG Pro with settings that turn my fans when temps rise above 70 degrees and I think it helps the battery and the laptop is just slightly louder (only during heavy-duty tasks)
even when you connect your mac to a monitor at home/work via usb-c which also charges it, so you connect both usb-c and (redundant in this case) mag-safe?
There is only 1 reason why I use MagSafe almost every time. I want my USB-C ports free for my SSD, and Sidecar display, and sometimes for a Mic and Camera as well. I use an M2 MacBook Air and there are only 2 ports. MagSafe is also a more satisfying way to charge your MacBook because of how easy it is to attach the cable and the indicator lights that tell you when to unplug in case you leave the lid closed.
it's been a while since you wrote this comment but I still want to reply from a different perspective, with all due respect. honestly, I much prefer to have the MagSafe port exchanged for another Type-C. I'm using my MacBook Air in a slightly complicated work environment where I have to connect a USB mouse, an external display via HDMI, an external SSD, an ethernet cable and also have to charge my phone time to time. now add on top of that the fact that I don't want to carry my main MagSafe cable around just for the work, so I need a different charging setup at work for convenience purposes. since a new MagSafe 3 cable costs a hefty $65 in my country where I only make about $625 a month, I have to use a Type-C to Type-C cable; which I struggled a lot doing so because there are only 2 ports. I eventually made it work with a USB hub which does all the things I want (it connects my monitor + mouse + SSD + it charges my Mac with 22W) and a Type-C adapter for ethernet. but if there was another Type-C port instead of the MagSafe 3 port, I could've done these with much less effort; f.e. my SSD could've run at full speed, or my home monitor could've run at full 1440p 165 Hz because I could connect it via a direct HDMI to Type C cable, or I could've charged my MacBook from a different port with more consistent power (that 22W drops to 8W when I try to charge my phone too) etc. etc... it could've opened a lot of opportunities, just one more Type-C port instead of a charge-only port. for charging speeds: since USB PD 3.1 supports up to 240W, I don't think it would've been a necessary problem. I hope Apple gets rid of MagSafe 3 on MacBooks and replaces it with another Type-C, as much as it's iconic, it takes a lot of functionality away.
You can use your USBC power meter with magsafe by plugging it into the power brick end. You can also use coconut battery to see how much power your macbook is taking over time, wether it's coming from battery or not too. from what I understand of MagSafe 3, it's just a proprietary implementation on USB PD, so there wouldn't be any difference between that and using the thunderbolt ports.
Another thing to consider is the size of your machine. If I am not mistaken, the 14” can use the fast charge either way (thunderbolt or MagSafe), on the 16” it doesn’t happen. Only MagSafe get the full wall brick output.
Not sure if the theory holds. I use my M1 Max MBP almost exclusively via USB C, most of the time with a 60W charger, sometimes with a 100W charger and rarely with the 140W Apple Charger via Magsafe. High Power Mode as well. 16 Cycles, 98% Max Capacity according to Coconut Battery. The computer is 12 months old.
Charging with higher wattage is commonly known to be worse for battery health, I don‘t see why this should be an exception here. I see the Macbook preferring the magsafe for two simple reasons: -higher power -dedicated charging port.
@@ILoveTelecasters You do that anyway, as the power is „passed through“. You can see this by looking in the battery health settings or using third party apps. I have used my Macbook for a few months now almost exclusively plugged in, and the battery degrades. It cannot bypass the battery.
@@jayzn1931 The problem with always plugged in batteries is that they naturally lose charge to 99% then get recharged to 100% right away, degrading part of the cells. It's inevitable, even if you can bypass the battery, because the system will connect to it when the charge eventually drops. The only solution is removing the battery altogether.
@@nathandias6771 Modern systems should be smart enough to prevent this. Also there was a time I was using my macbook very regularly a few days in a row and the macbook kept the charge capped at 80% because of optimised charging. If I use it on battery power for a few charging cycles, I know the battery stat will go up again.
@@nathandias6771 I don’t think this is how batteries charge in laptops anymore. But keeping batteries in the highest voltage for long times is not good for them.
So I have an M1Max 64GB Ram. I bought it about 8 months ago and I use it for audio production and video editing almost every day. Since I have also of perifferals I use and external CalDigit TB3 dock which has an external power supply. For the past 8 months I have been mainly keeping the computer plugged it through the day and using the e TB3 port to charge. The result is that I am at 95% Maximum Capacity. Keeping it at Auto Mode. Now I am starting to use the MagSafe more and I am testing out AlDente, which allows me to keep the maximum charge at 80% and can discharge the battery. Let's see in 8 more months.
I’ve been using my 16” M3 Pro Macbook Pro exclusively off of the MagSafe since January. I do work with the mac disconnected from the plug on some weekends until down to 40% (I can never get it to drop any lower because the M3 Pro is just so damn efficient for the battery size of the 16”). 8 months later and 47 cycles, battery health is till at 100%. Optimised charging keeps it at 80% everyday, for the most part.
Thanks for the tip. I've been mostly charging my M2 MBA using thunderbolt out of convenience. Just to be on the safe side I'm going to use magsafe more often, even if this problem turns out to apply to the high powered MBAs only.
I don’t think it will cause any problems on a mba due to its lower power processor. Just make sure you are using a certified brick for the charging and none of the cheap crap you find out there.
I think the condition he is describing is only applicable to the 16-inch MacBook Pros which can be charged up to 140W. For all other models, USB-C can still charge the machines at full speed as long as your cable and power adapter allows it.
its heat... its not the charging method... since you charge and do work and still gaining battery percentage, it means the power draw from the wall is more than the power used by the SoC.... but it does not take into account the heat generated by everything in the enclosed space and the heat generated by charging the battery.... its also probably the usb hub fault... its not using the correct handshake to monitor the battery temps and just shoving it more power when its temps are too high... you need to plug out the cables and plug back in to reset the handshake and correct the charging values every now and then so it could refresh the charging handshake since probably the usb hub does not relay the information both ways so the wall adaptor could adapt and lower the wattage when needed to prevent battery over heat....
Hey Alex! Blender just dropped Blender 3.5 where the viewport is updated from OpenGL to Metal and Blender claims a big jump in performance. I would love to see you test in your macbook and mac studio and maybe compare the difference between performance of Blender 3.4 and 3.5. Love your videos btw! Thanks!
I have a MacBook M2 Pro and it's 1,5 years old and still has 98%. I run it on a daily basis and it still manages to keep up. I play a lot through crossover and other heavy workloads and my 67w Charger is sufficient for most of the time. I also got a 100 Watt charger but I really recommend using al dente. Even the free version provides a charging limit to 80 percent. it's great when using the MacBook a lot on charge. but its also important to get your battery to 20-30% and then recharging. Staying on a constant charge isn't good for the battery either but a healthy mix of driving your mb on a power brick and draining its charge sometimes really keeps your battery healthy. at least in my experience.
MagSafe always overrides anything else plugged which seems to make sense to this theory. The wattage is exactly why you can’t have a high power mode on the 14” since it’s hard limited to 96watts no matter what’s plugged in you simply can’t pull more wattage to the chip. Reason the 38-core graphics on a 14” is about 15% lower then a 16” version. The juice isn’t there. So take the 96w brick to an m2 max 38 gpu 16” and boom you’ll see under heavy load your battery DOES in fact drain a few % before going back up. (Side note 38-core runs cooler then the 30 in the new 14” because it’s the first time it’s hard throttled via software/hardware limitation. Less use = less heat so the folks saying don’t get the 38 in a 14 it’s a hot mess are incorrect it’s better than the 30 in my testing) Of course you need a sustained load of over 5mins straight to do this but you will in fact find it.
The MagSafe charging port “over rides” the Thunderbolt4 port when using both the Magsafe cable & a Thunderbolt4 connected self powered dock (96watt OWC 11 port) for the power source/charging? I’m trying to figure out if it is safe to use my Apple Magsafe 140w power brick while using a 96watt self powered dock at the same time. Thanks.
@@iforgot3942 correct, if you plug both in it will only charge and use the MagSafe and ignore/not take power delivery from the input on the thunderbolt port.
Ive only been using magsafe on my M1 max from april 2022 and its at 93% health, and Im using it heavy every day. It sits mostly on my desk connected to magsafe, and something like 2 times a week its on the road with me for meetings. I have it connected to a 4k monitor through HDMI which changes signal into displayport for 4k 60hz on my monitor (older 40 inch 4k monitor). Not sure how many hours i get now, but I can say in full speed mode, I can work a full day in the office without plugging it in and still have 20-30% left when I get home. For me its vscode, chrome and simulator that eats most battery.
The Mac will simply ALWAYS prefer the solution providing the most energy that is currently plugged in, and only drain energy from once source at a time. So as Magsafe is 140W from your brick (and as Apple used USB PD through the USB C, thus limited to 100W) Magsafe will always be preferred when plugged in. Try to connect a 100W adapter through USB C and a 60W adapter from magsafe and you'll see that the USB C charger will remain in use and the Magsafe one will be unused.
One of the issues is that Apple's Optimised battery charging is a bit flawed, every time you disconnect the laptop from the charger or change the way you use it a bit, it needs time to understand when to stop charging it and will keep pushing it to 100%. I use AlDente to keep my battery from charging over 80% when working at my desk, and let the battery discharge to ~20% once a month. Might be worth checking out
@@agj03921 On my old MacBook I got down to 87% health in 1.5 years relying only on Apple's optimised battery charging. Since I got my M2 Max I've been using AlDente, still very early to say anything but I'm at 100% health.
To measure current on MagSafe port try it on the adapter side. It might be negative to indicate direction but should be more or less same amount if current
Hello there! Usually how do you use your MacBook Pro? Do you leave it all day in charger? Do you shut down or sleep? Do you plug out the MagSafe when you don’t use it like at night? Thanks in advance!
I charge my M1 Max MBP through thunderbolt as it’s mostly plugged in to a dock that also has my monitor attached. It’s at 500 cycles and is at 78% battery but I swear it dies after 2 hours 😭
Perhaps MagSafe is prefered (when multiple power sources connected) just because it's a dedicated port for charging, and there's likely a dedicated charger on the other end. It's a simple decision that may avoid: - Pulling power from a connected USB-C device that has a battery - Charging from a hub/monitor that *may* not provide all the juice it needs and is also trasmitting data - Just charging from an underpowered source when the user clearly made sure to give it dedicated one I think that as long as it's getting the power it needs from USB-C, it's fine. Anecdotally, I powered my 14" with the 87W brick (it comes with a 96W) from my old MacBook for a couple of weeks. Didn't do much heavy lifting but I actually have a couple of pretty hungry devices (custom hardware for work) that feed from my MacBook's USB-C ports, and it was fine. I eventually swapped the charger, just to be sure, but it still goes through a USB-C hub.
Your analysis is spot on regarding mag safe versus thunderbolt. Like you, I preferred the convenience of the thunderbolt. AFAIK, I’m not requiring the MagSafe wattage as long as I’m not training an LLM.
AlDente Pro on my 15-in M3 MacBook Air tells me there's no difference in charging rate when using the Mac's charger connected via USB-C or via MagSafe 3. I specified the 70W charger with my M3.
I think my cycle count is moving faster because im not using MagSafe. Considering switching to using the MagSafe charger. I had a usb c charger from my old Mac and didn't want to break open a new charger
since the thunderbolt5 integration, meaning 140w are supported. is charging via dock and thunderbolt an option again? Or does the dock need to support thunderbolt5 as well?
it doesnt matter if you use c or MagSafe, apples c to c is usually rated for 240watts as long as your wall brick can support 90 or 100 its fine. the reason the brick they provide with the max is 140w is probably to allow use at full power while also charging the battery relativelyquickly. I have an unbinned m2 pro and the max I've seen it draw was maybe 65 or 70 watts (using AlDente to monitor) and it comes with a 91w wall brick
Hello, good sir. I just switched from windows to Mac OS. I am a fresh MacBook user and I am currently watching videos on how to properly take care of my device. There are lot of things that I need to know, I guess, but there is one thing that I wanna know for sure, for now - which is the best method when you are not using for MacBook: 1. just close the lid; 2. put it on sleep mode; or 3. shut it down? I really hope that you'll notice this comment. Thank you.
When powered on, it's key to supply above the peak power usage. Many older chargers were limited to 45W, including some monitors with display over USB C (DP alt mode). USB C Docks are not all created equally with many Mac users needing DisplayLink which are generally not cheap. Everyone likes the idea of fewer wires too so a one wire does everything is always compelling. So a high spec and high wattage charger is key irrespective of it being standalone (simple/cheaper) or integrated (complicated/expensive).
i have a theory and that is thunderbolt port is absolutely for transferring data and not actually for charge and when you plug-in mag-safe for charging logically disconnect from thunderbolt port for better transferring speed.
So is the "clean cable setup" with my M1MBP plugged (closed lid) into my Studio Display via USB for both connectivity and charging a bad thing for my battery?
My MacBook Air M1 doesn't have a MagSafe port - Thunderbolt is the only option. I only use the charger that Apple bundled with the machine, and its bundled cable. I use my laptop like a desktop in my home office - I rarely run the machine on battery, but when I occasionaly do that, the battery lasts around 7 hours - seems fine. And while I do let the machine turned off without charging once in a while, it is usually connected to power. I have seen no issues for now - it will be 3 years with it soon. But there's one kind of charging I don't trust a lot, which is charging with a thunderbolt hub (I've got one from Baseus) that does Power Delivery. Some people say that using a hub is fine, but I suppose it's the same as relying on the thunderbolt port alone, or maybe it doesn't charge as quickly - the Power Delivery might be slower than the machine's capacity. So I basically don't use that because I am affraid it won't charge as quickly or even damage the battery's lifespan in the long run. Thanks for the useful info. Next time I buy a Mac, I'll look for a machine with the MagSafe port.
Pretty sure it prefers MagSafe because if you have peripherals, those could draw power, or maybe it assumes that if it’s plugged into something that’s a dedicated charger, maybe it’s more consistent or something. There’s also the chance that maybe the maximum power input is what is getting from MagSafe and it’s preventing overcharge.
So I have a LG display which supports USB C display output and charging. I've kept my M1 Pro MacBook 14 plugged in all the time and Apple has limited the max charge to 80%. After 4 months of use, the battery health is still at 100%. Let's see how this continues. Another way batteries degrade is if you're charging frequently from a low charge state (0-20%). It will generate more heat initially and heat does degrade the battery. That could also be an issue. I'm interested to find out about your experiment with only using MagSafe. Fingers crossed for better results! 😄
Couldn't you measure the MagSafe power delivery by putting your USB-C power monitor into the Apple wall brick and then plugging the cable into the power monitor? Or does the monitor only work in one direction?
I have been using a 10C M1 Pro for 13 months, and the battery is now at 87%. I usually just hit the CPU really hard during my workflow, and I am also using an OWC TB dock with 60W to charge it.
@@KelvinKMS vim is the most awesome screen-based text editor (some may disagree with this). vim is "Vi IMproved", a clone of vi, a name derived from the shortest unambiguous abbreviation for the ex command "visual".
Interesting. I noticed this with an Intel Mac I had a few years back before M1. I would occasionally use it plugged into my monitor putting out 15w. I had to replace the battery early and I suspect using the 15w contributed to that. With my current M1 machine, I always make sure to plug in the high-wattage brick before plugging in the low-wattage thunderbolt to monitor cable. I’ve checked system info and when I plug it in first, I can guarantee the higher wattage power brick is used over the low one. When I plug them in in the other order, I’m not sure how long it takes the Mac Book to switch from the low to the high power source.
Would it ever be possible to have a MagSafe connection that allows data transfer? If so it’d be great to have that for phones so that there’s no more dust concerns in the port.
very interesting. I used my M1 Pro Max with 80 charger with USB-c for about 6 months. My settings "Automatic" on battery and on power. I still have 100% of health. About two weeks ago, I switched to Apple Dual-usbc 35 watt charger when I am connected / charging at home and use my 140w MagSafe only when I need to charge it quickly on the go. Still 100%. That being said, my loads most often using less than 35watts (monitored it with iStat menus), as I use my macbook at home with lid closed (screen takes about 8-10watts) and not doing much heavy loading (i.e. exporting some longer videos few times per week via Compressor or directly via FCPX, which is using about 35watt at peaks).
I keep my MBP on the magsafe when I'm working and disconnect it when I'm done so not always on the charger. My gut feeling is Apple's battery management can control charging on Magsafe and might not be able to monitor control charging as much on USB-C. Both my MBP and my iPhone the Apple management shuts off charging at about 80% to preserve battery life. Also living in the desert it gets hot in my apartment and Apple battery management will shutoff charging if battery is getting too warm. So seeing all that makes me think the Magsafe give Apple more control of charging.
Yeah, I'm not sure about this one. I've almost exclusively been charging using the MagSafe cable & after 8 months my 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro is down to 87% of it's maximum capacity. So I don't think it's the USB-C thing. I do have a lot of Electron apps open on my Mac at any given time (VS Code, Spotify, Discord, Messanger), so that could be an issue. But it also could be a myriad of other factors...
I am currently using m1 pro 16'. the max tdp i observed on this machine is 60w. so it's showing i need more than 60W to not to drain the battery and charge the battery. If I use the usbc like your experience i get 80W by the anker hub but when i use mag safe i get 140W but do I really need 140w? The answer is no unless you need to charge your mac really fast. For any max m chips, I expect them to have much higher tdp so probably 80w is not enough. but I remember apple introduced new 240w cable that could use full 140w in USB c?
I personally love MagSafe, but most of the time I use my laptops at one of four places docked, which also provides power at the same time. Add in the amazing battery life of these things, and I rarely find myself using MagSafe at all. But if I do need to charge while out, that’s what I have in my bag.
here I am getting around 7.5 hour m1bp {77 cycle count 100% capacity } but on Monterey I was getting around 8.5 / 9 hours , Ventura is indeed is main culprit
I think that macsafe is first choice for apple because if you plug in some usb c cable with less power chargong or display with usb c macos could not recognize charging source properly.
I've bought my 16" M1 Pro in December 2021 and have used it daily, always plugged in on the Magsafe (i never use it on battery). My battery health is currently at 92%. I'm not sure if this degradation is normal for 1 year and 3 months... But I don't care much because as I said, I never use it on the battery.
As a data point, my M1 Pro is 1 year old, it has 90% battery capacity remaining and only 41 battery cycles. I've had it charging via USB-C the whole time. I don't use the GPU in my workload, and at only 41 cycles, there is no evidence of using the battery as supplemental power during heavy use. Maybe the batteries age a lot in the first year regardless of use? Maybe the algorithm used to estimate battery capacity is different or lacking.
I have a MBP 2017 which doesn't have a MagSafe port (I never understood this choice of Apple tbh). For me the total annihilation of the battery came from external HDD passport drives. They totally destroy a laptop's battery. My advice is to get SSD drives or connect them through a hub which has its own power source.
That simply is not true. When it’s slowly drawing some battery when there’s not enough power from external source, it’s not actually adding any recharge cycles. One recharge cycle it’s a full 100-low low-100 cycle. If you really would like the battery to last longer what you need to do is to try as much as you can to keep charge level within 20-80% range. Never discharge it lower than 20. And newer charge it up to a 100 and let it sit long. Battery doesn’t like to be long at those states and it’s aging much faster when it is. Other factor is just randomness. Basically the random battery quality. You can not do anything about it.
You should pay attention to what power can deliver cable itself. I was using Apple 140w adapter with genuine Zens USB-C cable - turns out this cable provide only 60w even if power adapted rated to 140w. I tried another USB-C cable from Baseus and its provided only 96w. So from now on I`ll be using only Apple USB-C to MagSafe as the only cable I have that can charge up to 140w. The wattage of the cable can be visible in System Information -> Power -> AC Charger Information: Wattage (W)
i have a 16 inch M1, i actually avoid the magsafe charger i go USB C with a smaller less powerful charger. I think the 140 watt charging is too much and is gonna ruin the battery the most if thats the only thing you ever charge with.
How are you getting a full days worth of work on m1? I was lucky to get 5 hours on my m1 air if I was using it constantly. Which is still the best battery life I've ever experienced on a laptop, cause my 40w intel laptop before that would get about 2 hours between charges. So for this techy lifestyle of being online all day my m1 would go through like 2.5 charge cycles.
Hey Alex, I've been following your content for a while now, and I absolutely love it! Your videos are always so informative and helpful. I've been thinking, it would be fantastic if you could create a comprehensive guide on using MacBooks. From simple tasks like closing the lid and charging to more advanced features, your expertise would definitely help a lot of people get the most out of their MacBooks. Looking forward to seeing more amazing content from you!
Sitting on a MBP 2021 M1 14" with the m1Pro chip. have been working on it all day. several teams calls. VS code open most of the day 36% battery left now and the estemate is 3:52 of battery left.... Can`t complain. battery health is 95% after 11 month of use.
I have only used the MagSafe on both my Air and Pro. I’ve bothered the Air tends to have better battery life, but I do tend to do less intensive tasks than on my Pro. My MacBook Air tends to last around 19 hours and my MacBook Pro around 13.
If this is 2015, I will definitely still the fan of MagSafe. But after so many years with external hub with PD, I’m ok with both. Probably MagSafe in Laptop mode and 100W PD Hub in clamshell mode.
Just always prefer to use the stock charger whenever you can. Its the safest bet. You can use third party chargers but try to use the stock one whenever you can. I have an app installed balled batfi that lets me pause charging at 80% and when the lid is closed. Just watch out though because your battery manager can lose calibration if you let it sit for a month without cycling the battery.
I see you were using a usb hub to transfer power, how about using a High Quality 2 meter cable from Baseus as compared to Magsafe cable? I use USB type C cable because I also use the Macbook 70W Adapter to charge my Windows Laptop and my Phone and somehow the 70W macbook Adapter charges them with Best wattage.
I have M1 Max MBP and it’s been plugged into a T3Plus dock the whole time and it’s show capacity at 100% Cycle count shows 5. I have settings on Automatic.
I used an M1 Macbook Pro for iOS Development and Xcode for close to a year now, and throughout those time I have been using an external monitor cable (USB C) as my power source. I was shocked to see that my battery maximum capacity went down to 84% with 298 battery cycles in less than a year of usage.
If you know anything about modern batteries, it's that the surest death is cycles. If you're under-powered and over consuming. You have high drain, using yout laptop at 80-90% capacity, but feeding it 60% capacity, it WILL drain the battery. Because physics and math. Drain = cycles. Cycles = death. Heat should be a non issue, but I don't use the GPU on mine so IDK how hot it could get.
I've had an M1 Pro 16" for 1y 6 months now. My battery life is at 93%.. It's my main computer for work. I do storyboarding, animation and video editing. Almost always have it connected to the wall.I only use the MagSafe charger. My laptop keeps charge topped at 76-79% on daily basis.
I’m not understanding why everyone uses chrome. Seems like it has a few major issues to me like being a resource hog and Google scraping your usage in the background.
Interesting theory, how much is your cycle count on your old M1 Max MacBook? It should be really high then. Is the "optimized charging" feature actually working for you? I'm using my MacBook 90% of the time plugged in to my USB-C monitor but after 2 months it didn't recognize that it should stop charging at 80%.
Yeah, unless it's a very high cycle count, it shouldn't be the reason. Keeping the laptop at high voltage (close to 100%) is actually worse than cycling the battery (as long as you don't cycle it to 0%) and yes optimized charging is not great. Al dente works better for that.
Magsafe is just a connector. Your cable is probably the first weak link. You can put out 140W via Type C. There is nothing that Magsafe can do that a type C cable can’t when it comes to power transmission and negotiation.
I always use the auto power mode, using vs code and 10x safari tabs, docker and running intermittent backtests that use about 30% CPU for 5 to 10 mins and I get atleast 12 hours, I only use the magsafe charger... I have deliberately kept my apps as minimal as possible because i am always travelling so battery is priorolity, i only have a few very efficient productivity apps like usage to monitor my loads. Using m2 max 32gb. As an electrician I would say only use magsafe to charge even though I never specialised in electronics or battery storage I still think it wouldn't be great for the battery to use a random charger especially if you're slightly discharging then recharging over and over thats not good at all. Magsafe is probably one of the best features of a macbook anyway.
I have an m2 MacBook Pro. I would like to see your takes on it cause it don’t have MagSafe and In my opinion I feel that it don’t last as long as an m1 Mac book pro.
I might add that I see a lot of people not having a good enough USB charger to allow more than 40-60 watts. Or a cable that also allows higher wattage. USB C seems to lead to confusion here that I have a charger and a cable, it should work right! If you have a nice cable and a nice USB C charger you can get 100 watts easy. I believe the 2023 devices allow up to 140W USB C Fast charging. That should allow to use the correct cable and charger to hit 140W without the need of the magsafe charger. I do believe that the 140W USB chargers are also quite new to market, like in the last 12 months or so.
Awesome info, exactly what I was looking for. Ive been curious about how reliable (or potentially dangerous) charging through thunderbolt was. The magsafe charger's cables have been notoriously flimsy and Id love to eke out as much longevity from them as much as I can. I was thinking of leaving my magsafe charger exclusively for home use, and then a usb-c/thunderbolt cable on a powerbank when using away from home. Would it be safer to use the thunderbolt port for charging while the macbook is *not* in use?
I have a M2 MacBook Air and use it on my lap a lot, because of that I can’t rely on MagSafe because it always gets knocked off so I need a more secure connection like USB-C.
You actually can measure (or monitor) how much power is being drawn through the MagSafe port or any other charging port internally.
To do so, do the following:
1- Hold Option and click on the Apple logo on the top left of your screen.
2- Select "System Informations"
3- Choose "Power" from the left sidebar (the same place you check your battery cycle count and health)
4- Scroll down to where you can see the power Wattage, the MacBook is drawing from the adapter.
Hope you find this helpful!
😎
TIL you can option click on the Apple Logo.
I use AlDente Pro (version 1.24), and it has a very nice popup which shows up much power is being drawn from the adapter when it is plugged in, and how much of that power is going to recharge the battery, and how much is going to power the CPU. If the Macbook is not connected to power, it will show much power is being drained from the battery. So it's quite nice for showing much power you are using, and how much is getting drained from the battery.
For me it just displays the power rating of the adapter, not the current power draw.
@@boshi9 it's probably drawing the full potential of the adapter then?
I have a second monitor that has 60W power delivery and always thought to myself that it is quite low, and sometimes I saw battery dips when I was doing demanding tasks for CPU+GPU like you said. I wanted to switch to magsafe for this very reason but I did not know that the Mac switches to MagSafe when you connect two power supplies. Thank you for testing it!
if you install al dente, there is a very nice chart to show you how much power goes into battery, how much goes to Mac itself. you will immediately know whether your charging method provides enough juice to the system.
Do both the free and the paid versions have that feature?
@ThePC007 No.
I prefer BatFi, I find the free version be better
@@gergelygombai4530 i heard BatFi might damage the battery somehow (i’m not sure) and i have already bought the paid version of Al Dente.
Al dentie is great
I own the M1 Max for over a year (bought at the release). I always used MagSafe. Never charged it differently. My battery also shows 87%. What I've noticed with mine - is a few things that weren't optimized and caused CPU temp rise close to 100 degrees. Since then I've started using TG Pro with settings that turn my fans when temps rise above 70 degrees and I think it helps the battery and the laptop is just slightly louder (only during heavy-duty tasks)
Are those 70 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit?
@@m1ar1vin As most of the world after 1960 I use Celsius ;)
@@TomaszBzymek Thank you, just making sure ;)
so many people praise magsafe but don't use it. of course they're going to drive Apple to remove it yet again. fwiw, i use it exclusively.
even when you connect your mac to a monitor at home/work via usb-c which also charges it, so you connect both usb-c and (redundant in this case) mag-safe?
There is only 1 reason why I use MagSafe almost every time. I want my USB-C ports free for my SSD, and Sidecar display, and sometimes for a Mic and Camera as well. I use an M2 MacBook Air and there are only 2 ports. MagSafe is also a more satisfying way to charge your MacBook because of how easy it is to attach the cable and the indicator lights that tell you when to unplug in case you leave the lid closed.
it's been a while since you wrote this comment but I still want to reply from a different perspective, with all due respect.
honestly, I much prefer to have the MagSafe port exchanged for another Type-C.
I'm using my MacBook Air in a slightly complicated work environment where I have to connect a USB mouse, an external display via HDMI, an external SSD, an ethernet cable and also have to charge my phone time to time. now add on top of that the fact that I don't want to carry my main MagSafe cable around just for the work, so I need a different charging setup at work for convenience purposes.
since a new MagSafe 3 cable costs a hefty $65 in my country where I only make about $625 a month, I have to use a Type-C to Type-C cable; which I struggled a lot doing so because there are only 2 ports.
I eventually made it work with a USB hub which does all the things I want (it connects my monitor + mouse + SSD + it charges my Mac with 22W) and a Type-C adapter for ethernet. but if there was another Type-C port instead of the MagSafe 3 port, I could've done these with much less effort; f.e. my SSD could've run at full speed, or my home monitor could've run at full 1440p 165 Hz because I could connect it via a direct HDMI to Type C cable, or I could've charged my MacBook from a different port with more consistent power (that 22W drops to 8W when I try to charge my phone too) etc. etc... it could've opened a lot of opportunities, just one more Type-C port instead of a charge-only port. for charging speeds: since USB PD 3.1 supports up to 240W, I don't think it would've been a necessary problem.
I hope Apple gets rid of MagSafe 3 on MacBooks and replaces it with another Type-C, as much as it's iconic, it takes a lot of functionality away.
@@Taxiway_Alpha where did you see the word “everyone” in my comment, it’s a question to the OP
"fwiw"...?
You can use your USBC power meter with magsafe by plugging it into the power brick end.
You can also use coconut battery to see how much power your macbook is taking over time, wether it's coming from battery or not too.
from what I understand of MagSafe 3, it's just a proprietary implementation on USB PD, so there wouldn't be any difference between that and using the thunderbolt ports.
Makes no difference what port you use. Except working while plugged in.
Another thing to consider is the size of your machine. If I am not mistaken, the 14” can use the fast charge either way (thunderbolt or MagSafe), on the 16” it doesn’t happen. Only MagSafe get the full wall brick output.
Not sure if the theory holds. I use my M1 Max MBP almost exclusively via USB C, most of the time with a 60W charger, sometimes with a 100W charger and rarely with the 140W Apple Charger via Magsafe. High Power Mode as well. 16 Cycles, 98% Max Capacity according to Coconut Battery. The computer is 12 months old.
good for you :D
You can measure how much energy magsafe is giving in by putting that measuring device on other side of magsafe cable (between cable and brick).
nice idea!
Or just using standard power outlet power meter, power drawn should be close to power output (some losses will occur obvs).
So can you measure please:)?
Or just install Coconut Battery. You can see how many watts are either being charged or being used based on if you're plugged in or not.
@@SIRybka yeah, I'm surprised he doesn't use battery/power tracking apps already.
Charging with higher wattage is commonly known to be worse for battery health, I don‘t see why this should be an exception here. I see the Macbook preferring the magsafe for two simple reasons: -higher power -dedicated charging port.
Sure, but if you end up charging the machine slower than the battery drains, you end up using battery power
@@ILoveTelecasters You do that anyway, as the power is „passed through“. You can see this by looking in the battery health settings or using third party apps. I have used my Macbook for a few months now almost exclusively plugged in, and the battery degrades. It cannot bypass the battery.
@@jayzn1931 The problem with always plugged in batteries is that they naturally lose charge to 99% then get recharged to 100% right away, degrading part of the cells. It's inevitable, even if you can bypass the battery, because the system will connect to it when the charge eventually drops. The only solution is removing the battery altogether.
@@nathandias6771 Modern systems should be smart enough to prevent this.
Also there was a time I was using my macbook very regularly a few days in a row and the macbook kept the charge capped at 80% because of optimised charging.
If I use it on battery power for a few charging cycles, I know the battery stat will go up again.
@@nathandias6771 I don’t think this is how batteries charge in laptops anymore. But keeping batteries in the highest voltage for long times is not good for them.
So I have an M1Max 64GB Ram. I bought it about 8 months ago and I use it for audio production and video editing almost every day. Since I have also of perifferals I use and external CalDigit TB3 dock which has an external power supply. For the past 8 months I have been mainly keeping the computer plugged it through the day and using the e TB3 port to charge. The result is that I am at 95% Maximum Capacity. Keeping it at Auto Mode.
Now I am starting to use the MagSafe more and I am testing out AlDente, which allows me to keep the maximum charge at 80% and can discharge the battery. Let's see in 8 more months.
Could you provide some updates after one year, please?
plz
I’ve been using my 16” M3 Pro Macbook Pro exclusively off of the MagSafe since January.
I do work with the mac disconnected from the plug on some weekends until down to 40% (I can never get it to drop any lower because the M3 Pro is just so damn efficient for the battery size of the 16”).
8 months later and 47 cycles, battery health is till at 100%.
Optimised charging keeps it at 80% everyday, for the most part.
Thanks for the tip. I've been mostly charging my M2 MBA using thunderbolt out of convenience. Just to be on the safe side I'm going to use magsafe more often, even if this problem turns out to apply to the high powered MBAs only.
I don’t think it will cause any problems on a mba due to its lower power processor. Just make sure you are using a certified brick for the charging and none of the cheap crap you find out there.
I think the condition he is describing is only applicable to the 16-inch MacBook Pros which can be charged up to 140W. For all other models, USB-C can still charge the machines at full speed as long as your cable and power adapter allows it.
its heat... its not the charging method... since you charge and do work and still gaining battery percentage, it means the power draw from the wall is more than the power used by the SoC.... but it does not take into account the heat generated by everything in the enclosed space and the heat generated by charging the battery.... its also probably the usb hub fault... its not using the correct handshake to monitor the battery temps and just shoving it more power when its temps are too high... you need to plug out the cables and plug back in to reset the handshake and correct the charging values every now and then so it could refresh the charging handshake since probably the usb hub does not relay the information both ways so the wall adaptor could adapt and lower the wattage when needed to prevent battery over heat....
One year later, is there a follow up video about it?
i believe that in another video he mentioned that it had no affect
@@maximyarmolik1726 thanks
Hey Alex! Blender just dropped Blender 3.5 where the viewport is updated from OpenGL to Metal and Blender claims a big jump in performance. I would love to see you test in your macbook and mac studio and maybe compare the difference between performance of Blender 3.4 and 3.5.
Love your videos btw!
Thanks!
thanks for the heads up
@@AZisk Cool!
@@itiswhatitis-yes BTW, is there a demo blender project I can just download and run/render that would demonstrate the difference?
I use blender3d every day on mac m1 if you have a questions - welcome
@@0versun0 Thanks! same question i guess :)
I have a MacBook M2 Pro and it's 1,5 years old and still has 98%. I run it on a daily basis and it still manages to keep up. I play a lot through crossover and other heavy workloads and my 67w Charger is sufficient for most of the time. I also got a 100 Watt charger but I really recommend using al dente. Even the free version provides a charging limit to 80 percent. it's great when using the MacBook a lot on charge. but its also important to get your battery to 20-30% and then recharging. Staying on a constant charge isn't good for the battery either but a healthy mix of driving your mb on a power brick and draining its charge sometimes really keeps your battery healthy. at least in my experience.
MagSafe always overrides anything else plugged which seems to make sense to this theory.
The wattage is exactly why you can’t have a high power mode on the 14” since it’s hard limited to 96watts no matter what’s plugged in you simply can’t pull more wattage to the chip.
Reason the 38-core graphics on a 14” is about 15% lower then a 16” version. The juice isn’t there. So take the 96w brick to an m2 max 38 gpu 16” and boom you’ll see under heavy load your battery DOES in fact drain a few % before going back up. (Side note 38-core runs cooler then the 30 in the new 14” because it’s the first time it’s hard throttled via software/hardware limitation. Less use = less heat so the folks saying don’t get the 38 in a 14 it’s a hot mess are incorrect it’s better than the 30 in my testing)
Of course you need a sustained load of over 5mins straight to do this but you will in fact find it.
The MagSafe charging port “over rides” the Thunderbolt4 port when using both the Magsafe cable & a Thunderbolt4 connected self powered dock (96watt OWC 11 port)
for the power source/charging?
I’m trying to figure out if it is safe to use my Apple Magsafe 140w power brick while using a 96watt self powered dock at the same time.
Thanks.
@@iforgot3942 correct, if you plug both in it will only charge and use the MagSafe and ignore/not take power delivery from the input on the thunderbolt port.
Ive only been using magsafe on my M1 max from april 2022 and its at 93% health, and Im using it heavy every day. It sits mostly on my desk connected to magsafe, and something like 2 times a week its on the road with me for meetings. I have it connected to a 4k monitor through HDMI which changes signal into displayport for 4k 60hz on my monitor (older 40 inch 4k monitor). Not sure how many hours i get now, but I can say in full speed mode, I can work a full day in the office without plugging it in and still have 20-30% left when I get home. For me its vscode, chrome and simulator that eats most battery.
The Mac will simply ALWAYS prefer the solution providing the most energy that is currently plugged in, and only drain energy from once source at a time.
So as Magsafe is 140W from your brick (and as Apple used USB PD through the USB C, thus limited to 100W) Magsafe will always be preferred when plugged in.
Try to connect a 100W adapter through USB C and a 60W adapter from magsafe and you'll see that the USB C charger will remain in use and the Magsafe one will be unused.
One of the issues is that Apple's Optimised battery charging is a bit flawed, every time you disconnect the laptop from the charger or change the way you use it a bit, it needs time to understand when to stop charging it and will keep pushing it to 100%. I use AlDente to keep my battery from charging over 80% when working at my desk, and let the battery discharge to ~20% once a month. Might be worth checking out
I also use AlDente.
Tell me: did your battery degraded?
Battery capacity?
@@agj03921 On my old MacBook I got down to 87% health in 1.5 years relying only on Apple's optimised battery charging. Since I got my M2 Max I've been using AlDente, still very early to say anything but I'm at 100% health.
@@LuigiSalemme thank you, Luigi 👍
@@LuigiSalemme How about now?
@@boy-hv9fr I'm still using Aldente, 100% battery capacity after 1.5 years on my M2 Max Pro
Awesome content as always 👍🏻
Appreciate it!
To measure current on MagSafe port try it on the adapter side. It might be negative to indicate direction but should be more or less same amount if current
Hello there! Usually how do you use your MacBook Pro? Do you leave it all day in charger? Do you shut down or sleep? Do you plug out the MagSafe when you don’t use it like at night?
Thanks in advance!
I charge my M1 Max MBP through thunderbolt as it’s mostly plugged in to a dock that also has my monitor attached. It’s at 500 cycles and is at 78% battery but I swear it dies after 2 hours 😭
1:49 Is that the icon for the VS Code nightly edition? That might explain why it has leaks or issues.
nah, that's green, this is a custom icon
Perhaps MagSafe is prefered (when multiple power sources connected) just because it's a dedicated port for charging, and there's likely a dedicated charger on the other end. It's a simple decision that may avoid:
- Pulling power from a connected USB-C device that has a battery
- Charging from a hub/monitor that *may* not provide all the juice it needs and is also trasmitting data
- Just charging from an underpowered source when the user clearly made sure to give it dedicated one
I think that as long as it's getting the power it needs from USB-C, it's fine.
Anecdotally, I powered my 14" with the 87W brick (it comes with a 96W) from my old MacBook for a couple of weeks. Didn't do much heavy lifting but I actually have a couple of pretty hungry devices (custom hardware for work) that feed from my MacBook's USB-C ports, and it was fine. I eventually swapped the charger, just to be sure, but it still goes through a USB-C hub.
Your analysis is spot on regarding mag safe versus thunderbolt. Like you, I preferred the convenience of the thunderbolt. AFAIK, I’m not requiring the MagSafe wattage as long as I’m not training an LLM.
AlDente Pro on my 15-in M3 MacBook Air tells me there's no difference in charging rate when using the Mac's charger connected via USB-C or via MagSafe 3. I specified the 70W charger with my M3.
I think my cycle count is moving faster because im not using MagSafe. Considering switching to using the MagSafe charger. I had a usb c charger from my old Mac and didn't want to break open a new charger
since the thunderbolt5 integration, meaning 140w are supported. is charging via dock and thunderbolt an option again? Or does the dock need to support thunderbolt5 as well?
i am new in apple's eco, charging fully m3 air will not harm battery??? I am tired to keep it from 20 to 80
it doesnt matter if you use c or MagSafe, apples c to c is usually rated for 240watts as long as your wall brick can support 90 or 100 its fine.
the reason the brick they provide with the max is 140w is probably to allow use at full power while also charging the battery relativelyquickly. I have an unbinned m2 pro and the max I've seen it draw was maybe 65 or 70 watts (using AlDente to monitor) and it comes with a 91w wall brick
Hello, good sir. I just switched from windows to Mac OS. I am a fresh MacBook user and I am currently watching videos on how to properly take care of my device. There are lot of things that I need to know, I guess, but there is one thing that I wanna know for sure, for now - which is the best method when you are not using for MacBook: 1. just close the lid; 2. put it on sleep mode; or 3. shut it down? I really hope that you'll notice this comment. Thank you.
just close your lid
When powered on, it's key to supply above the peak power usage. Many older chargers were limited to 45W, including some monitors with display over USB C (DP alt mode). USB C Docks are not all created equally with many Mac users needing DisplayLink which are generally not cheap. Everyone likes the idea of fewer wires too so a one wire does everything is always compelling. So a high spec and high wattage charger is key irrespective of it being standalone (simple/cheaper) or integrated (complicated/expensive).
I think you could measure MagSafe plugging that device directly to the charger and then plug the MagSafe cable to the output of the device?
i have a theory and that is thunderbolt port is absolutely for transferring data and not actually for charge and when you plug-in mag-safe for charging logically disconnect from thunderbolt port for better transferring speed.
So is the "clean cable setup" with my M1MBP plugged (closed lid) into my Studio Display via USB for both connectivity and charging a bad thing for my battery?
My MacBook Air M1 doesn't have a MagSafe port - Thunderbolt is the only option. I only use the charger that Apple bundled with the machine, and its bundled cable. I use my laptop like a desktop in my home office - I rarely run the machine on battery, but when I occasionaly do that, the battery lasts around 7 hours - seems fine. And while I do let the machine turned off without charging once in a while, it is usually connected to power. I have seen no issues for now - it will be 3 years with it soon. But there's one kind of charging I don't trust a lot, which is charging with a thunderbolt hub (I've got one from Baseus) that does Power Delivery. Some people say that using a hub is fine, but I suppose it's the same as relying on the thunderbolt port alone, or maybe it doesn't charge as quickly - the Power Delivery might be slower than the machine's capacity. So I basically don't use that because I am affraid it won't charge as quickly or even damage the battery's lifespan in the long run. Thanks for the useful info. Next time I buy a Mac, I'll look for a machine with the MagSafe port.
Hey Alex, which tool do you use for mobile testing? Was that Browserstack?
Pretty sure it prefers MagSafe because if you have peripherals, those could draw power, or maybe it assumes that if it’s plugged into something that’s a dedicated charger, maybe it’s more consistent or something. There’s also the chance that maybe the maximum power input is what is getting from MagSafe and it’s preventing overcharge.
So I have a LG display which supports USB C display output and charging. I've kept my M1 Pro MacBook 14 plugged in all the time and Apple has limited the max charge to 80%. After 4 months of use, the battery health is still at 100%. Let's see how this continues.
Another way batteries degrade is if you're charging frequently from a low charge state (0-20%). It will generate more heat initially and heat does degrade the battery. That could also be an issue.
I'm interested to find out about your experiment with only using MagSafe. Fingers crossed for better results! 😄
Couldn't you measure the MagSafe power delivery by putting your USB-C power monitor into the Apple wall brick and then plugging the cable into the power monitor? Or does the monitor only work in one direction?
I have been using a 10C M1 Pro for 13 months, and the battery is now at 87%.
I usually just hit the CPU really hard during my workflow, and I am also using an OWC TB dock with 60W to charge it.
Solution = vim
What is that?
@@KelvinKMS vim is the most awesome screen-based text editor (some may disagree with this). vim is "Vi IMproved", a clone of vi, a name derived from the shortest unambiguous abbreviation for the ex command "visual".
I recently got suggested helix. After almost two decades of vimming I switched
@@web Helix looks interesting.
What’s vim?
Interesting. I noticed this with an Intel Mac I had a few years back before M1. I would occasionally use it plugged into my monitor putting out 15w. I had to replace the battery early and I suspect using the 15w contributed to that. With my current M1 machine, I always make sure to plug in the high-wattage brick before plugging in the low-wattage thunderbolt to monitor cable. I’ve checked system info and when I plug it in first, I can guarantee the higher wattage power brick is used over the low one.
When I plug them in in the other order, I’m not sure how long it takes the Mac Book to switch from the low to the high power source.
Would it ever be possible to have a MagSafe connection that allows data transfer?
If so it’d be great to have that for phones so that there’s no more dust concerns in the port.
is there a follow up for that video ?
very interesting. I used my M1 Pro Max with 80 charger with USB-c for about 6 months. My settings "Automatic" on battery and on power. I still have 100% of health. About two weeks ago, I switched to Apple Dual-usbc 35 watt charger when I am connected / charging at home and use my 140w MagSafe only when I need to charge it quickly on the go. Still 100%. That being said, my loads most often using less than 35watts (monitored it with iStat menus), as I use my macbook at home with lid closed (screen takes about 8-10watts) and not doing much heavy loading (i.e. exporting some longer videos few times per week via Compressor or directly via FCPX, which is using about 35watt at peaks).
I keep my MBP on the magsafe when I'm working and disconnect it when I'm done so not always on the charger. My gut feeling is Apple's battery management can control charging on Magsafe and might not be able to monitor control charging as much on USB-C. Both my MBP and my iPhone the Apple management shuts off charging at about 80% to preserve battery life. Also living in the desert it gets hot in my apartment and Apple battery management will shutoff charging if battery is getting too warm. So seeing all that makes me think the Magsafe give Apple more control of charging.
Yeah, I'm not sure about this one. I've almost exclusively been charging using the MagSafe cable & after 8 months my 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro is down to 87% of it's maximum capacity. So I don't think it's the USB-C thing. I do have a lot of Electron apps open on my Mac at any given time (VS Code, Spotify, Discord, Messanger), so that could be an issue. But it also could be a myriad of other factors...
So, one year later, what is the answer?
Is it safe to change a MacBook M2 or m3 with usb-c (connected to a monitor for example)?
So what do you do if you have a studio display and use the machine like a desktop attached to it most of the time?
I am currently using m1 pro 16'. the max tdp i observed on this machine is 60w. so it's showing i need more than 60W to not to drain the battery and charge the battery. If I use the usbc like your experience i get 80W by the anker hub but when i use mag safe i get 140W but do I really need 140w? The answer is no unless you need to charge your mac really fast. For any max m chips, I expect them to have much higher tdp so probably 80w is not enough. but I remember apple introduced new 240w cable that could use full 140w in USB c?
I personally love MagSafe, but most of the time I use my laptops at one of four places docked, which also provides power at the same time. Add in the amazing battery life of these things, and I rarely find myself using MagSafe at all. But if I do need to charge while out, that’s what I have in my bag.
that's the most sensible use, I do the same
which framework you use for app development?. I am using flutter from last 3.5 years
Hello brother, My MacBook M1 Pro 16inch have issue with MagSafe Charger, can I charge with usb-c ? and it's effect to battery or not?
here I am getting around 7.5 hour m1bp {77 cycle count 100% capacity } but on Monterey I was getting around 8.5 / 9 hours , Ventura is indeed is main culprit
“Safe Hole?” You’re going to disappoint a lot of non-regulars with that.
😂 hopefully turn them into regulars
Is thunderbolt and USB-C the same thing?
Hey Alex. AS usual a great video. I was wondering what mic you used for this video. Many thanks in advance
why dont u use the built in screen recorder on Mac?
You can use a custom icon for every app in MacOS. He's not using any "special" version of VScode.
magsafe is always the prefered charging port. Only in emergencies will I even consider using a usbc port for charging.
Is there a follow up for this?
I think that macsafe is first choice for apple because if you plug in some usb c cable with less power chargong or display with usb c macos could not recognize charging source properly.
there is an app called al dente, is meant to keep your battery charged in the sweet spot to get the longer life possible for the battery
I've bought my 16" M1 Pro in December 2021 and have used it daily, always plugged in on the Magsafe (i never use it on battery). My battery health is currently at 92%. I'm not sure if this degradation is normal for 1 year and 3 months... But I don't care much because as I said, I never use it on the battery.
I'd say they prioritize magsafe cuz thats the one they ship with the mac. I personally use dell docks. And have had no issues with using only usb-c.
As a data point, my M1 Pro is 1 year old, it has 90% battery capacity remaining and only 41 battery cycles. I've had it charging via USB-C the whole time. I don't use the GPU in my workload, and at only 41 cycles, there is no evidence of using the battery as supplemental power during heavy use. Maybe the batteries age a lot in the first year regardless of use? Maybe the algorithm used to estimate battery capacity is different or lacking.
My m1 pro 14" is 1yr++, 95% battery health, 138 charge cycle, using aldente to limit charge to 80% most of time
I have a MBP 2017 which doesn't have a MagSafe port (I never understood this choice of Apple tbh). For me the total annihilation of the battery came from external HDD passport drives. They totally destroy a laptop's battery. My advice is to get SSD drives or connect them through a hub which has its own power source.
Do you think (on a 14'MBP m3) that does make any difference in speed to charge with 96w or 140w adapter? using Magsafe (and the usb c 240w cable) ?
That simply is not true. When it’s slowly drawing some battery when there’s not enough power from external source, it’s not actually adding any recharge cycles. One recharge cycle it’s a full 100-low low-100 cycle.
If you really would like the battery to last longer what you need to do is to try as much as you can to keep charge level within 20-80% range. Never discharge it lower than 20. And newer charge it up to a 100 and let it sit long.
Battery doesn’t like to be long at those states and it’s aging much faster when it is.
Other factor is just randomness. Basically the random battery quality. You can not do anything about it.
Any update video to this?
You should pay attention to what power can deliver cable itself. I was using Apple 140w adapter with genuine Zens USB-C cable - turns out this cable provide only 60w even if power adapted rated to 140w. I tried another USB-C cable from Baseus and its provided only 96w. So from now on I`ll be using only Apple USB-C to MagSafe as the only cable I have that can charge up to 140w.
The wattage of the cable can be visible in System Information -> Power -> AC Charger Information: Wattage (W)
i have a 16 inch M1, i actually avoid the magsafe charger i go USB C with a smaller less powerful charger. I think the 140 watt charging is too much and is gonna ruin the battery the most if thats the only thing you ever charge with.
How are you getting a full days worth of work on m1? I was lucky to get 5 hours on my m1 air if I was using it constantly. Which is still the best battery life I've ever experienced on a laptop, cause my 40w intel laptop before that would get about 2 hours between charges.
So for this techy lifestyle of being online all day my m1 would go through like 2.5 charge cycles.
Hey Alex, I've been following your content for a while now, and I absolutely love it! Your videos are always so informative and helpful. I've been thinking, it would be fantastic if you could create a comprehensive guide on using MacBooks. From simple tasks like closing the lid and charging to more advanced features, your expertise would definitely help a lot of people get the most out of their MacBooks. Looking forward to seeing more amazing content from you!
@AZisk have you tried apps like BatFi or Aldente to keep battery state on ~80% and consume only energy from adapter or usb-hub?
Sitting on a MBP 2021 M1 14" with the m1Pro chip. have been working on it all day. several teams calls. VS code open most of the day 36% battery left now and the estemate is 3:52 of battery left.... Can`t complain. battery health is 95% after 11 month of use.
I have only used the MagSafe on both my Air and Pro.
I’ve bothered the Air tends to have better battery life, but I do tend to do less intensive tasks than on my Pro.
My MacBook Air tends to last around 19 hours and my MacBook Pro around 13.
If this is 2015, I will definitely still the fan of MagSafe. But after so many years with external hub with PD, I’m ok with both. Probably MagSafe in Laptop mode and 100W PD Hub in clamshell mode.
Just always prefer to use the stock charger whenever you can. Its the safest bet. You can use third party chargers but try to use the stock one whenever you can. I have an app installed balled batfi that lets me pause charging at 80% and when the lid is closed. Just watch out though because your battery manager can lose calibration if you let it sit for a month without cycling the battery.
Makes no change which port you use. Except working while plugged in should be deliver more power than you use.
I see you were using a usb hub to transfer power, how about using a High Quality 2 meter cable from Baseus as compared to Magsafe cable? I use USB type C cable because I also use the Macbook 70W Adapter to charge my Windows Laptop and my Phone and somehow the 70W macbook Adapter charges them with Best wattage.
I have M1 Max MBP and it’s been plugged into a T3Plus dock the whole time and it’s show capacity at 100% Cycle count shows 5. I have settings on Automatic.
I used an M1 Macbook Pro for iOS Development and Xcode for close to a year now, and throughout those time I have been using an external monitor cable (USB C) as my power source. I was shocked to see that my battery maximum capacity went down to 84% with 298 battery cycles in less than a year of usage.
If you know anything about modern batteries, it's that the surest death is cycles. If you're under-powered and over consuming. You have high drain, using yout laptop at 80-90% capacity, but feeding it 60% capacity, it WILL drain the battery. Because physics and math. Drain = cycles. Cycles = death.
Heat should be a non issue, but I don't use the GPU on mine so IDK how hot it could get.
I've had an M1 Pro 16" for 1y 6 months now. My battery life is at 93%.. It's my main computer for work. I do storyboarding, animation and video editing. Almost always have it connected to the wall.I only use the MagSafe charger. My laptop keeps charge topped at 76-79% on daily basis.
I’m not understanding why everyone uses chrome. Seems like it has a few major issues to me like being a resource hog and Google scraping your usage in the background.
Brave/Firefox ---> Chrome
Was there ever a follow up video for this? I don't see it in the show notes and it wasn't suggested as an end card
Interesting theory, how much is your cycle count on your old M1 Max MacBook? It should be really high then.
Is the "optimized charging" feature actually working for you? I'm using my MacBook 90% of the time plugged in to my USB-C monitor but after 2 months it didn't recognize that it should stop charging at 80%.
Yeah, unless it's a very high cycle count, it shouldn't be the reason. Keeping the laptop at high voltage (close to 100%) is actually worse than cycling the battery (as long as you don't cycle it to 0%) and yes optimized charging is not great. Al dente works better for that.
@@_Digitalguy Thanks I will try Aldente. It's a bit sad that you need the Pro version for Clamshell support.
Magsafe is just a connector.
Your cable is probably the first weak link.
You can put out 140W via Type C. There is nothing that Magsafe can do that a type C cable can’t when it comes to power transmission and negotiation.
do some research
so this is about the charging speed and not magsafe itself?
I always use the auto power mode, using vs code and 10x safari tabs, docker and running intermittent backtests that use about 30% CPU for 5 to 10 mins and I get atleast 12 hours, I only use the magsafe charger... I have deliberately kept my apps as minimal as possible because i am always travelling so battery is priorolity, i only have a few very efficient productivity apps like usage to monitor my loads. Using m2 max 32gb. As an electrician I would say only use magsafe to charge even though I never specialised in electronics or battery storage I still think it wouldn't be great for the battery to use a random charger especially if you're slightly discharging then recharging over and over thats not good at all. Magsafe is probably one of the best features of a macbook anyway.
I have an m2 MacBook Pro. I would like to see your takes on it cause it don’t have MagSafe and In my opinion I feel that it don’t last as long as an m1 Mac book pro.
USB-C powered ZenScreen is my most power hungry need. It was not listed as a significant power drain. Accessory use needs to be listed.
I might add that I see a lot of people not having a good enough USB charger to allow more than 40-60 watts. Or a cable that also allows higher wattage. USB C seems to lead to confusion here that I have a charger and a cable, it should work right! If you have a nice cable and a nice USB C charger you can get 100 watts easy. I believe the 2023 devices allow up to 140W USB C Fast charging. That should allow to use the correct cable and charger to hit 140W without the need of the magsafe charger. I do believe that the 140W USB chargers are also quite new to market, like in the last 12 months or so.
Awesome info, exactly what I was looking for. Ive been curious about how reliable (or potentially dangerous) charging through thunderbolt was. The magsafe charger's cables have been notoriously flimsy and Id love to eke out as much longevity from them as much as I can. I was thinking of leaving my magsafe charger exclusively for home use, and then a usb-c/thunderbolt cable on a powerbank when using away from home. Would it be safer to use the thunderbolt port for charging while the macbook is *not* in use?
He just changed the icon of his VSCode.
I have a M2 MacBook Air and use it on my lap a lot, because of that I can’t rely on MagSafe because it always gets knocked off so I need a more secure connection like USB-C.