60W vs 85W Macbook Charger
If you are looking for a replacement Macbook charger, you may be facing the dilemma of choosing between the 60W Macbook charger and the 85W Macbook charger. The two chargers will both be able to charge your Macbook so you should not worry about choosing the wrong one. Despite that, there is still a major difference between the 60W and 85W Macbook charger. It is the amount of power they can deliver to the laptop. It delivers 25W more power or 40% more than the 60W charger.
An increased amount of power delivered to the Macbook lets you charge at a faster rate. Even if you are using the Macbook while charging or even if you are charging another device via its USB port. Of course, charging faster is a good thing, especially when you are always on the run. It lets you stay on the outlet for a short a time as possible and get back on the move as quickly as you can.
But there is also a downside to having a fast charger. The faster you charge a battery, the more heat it generates. Heat is the number one killer of laptop batteries, including the Macbook. Using the 85W charger may hasten the degradation of the Macbook’s battery. The Macbook does have safety precautions to prevent damaging the battery, so the effects are often negligible.
The general rule with power supplies is to always have more power than what you really need. In this manner, you do not force the power supply to operate beyond its limits. This also applies to the 60W and 85W Macbook chargers. If you have a Macbook that uses a 60W charger, then you can safely replace it with an 85W charger without worrying about any problems. On the other hand, if your Macbook uses an 85W charger, you cannot replace it with a 60W charger. If you do, one of three things may occur: your Macbook will charge at a much slower rate, it may not charge at all, or the charger may run too hot and fail.
Summary:
- The 85W Macbook charger delivers more power than the 60W Macbook charger
- The 85W Macbook charger may be able to charge your Macbook faster than the 60W Macbook charger
- The 60W Macbook charger is replaceable with the 85W Macbook charger but not the other way around
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I used my daughter’s 40 watt charger on my 15′ macbook pro with absolutely no excess heating of unit and it seemed to charge just as fast as my 85 watt charger.
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