Macbook Pro loses power even when plugged in

[rob1bynum]

Hi all,

I am running v4 3.2 Free FG on my Macbook pro and even plugged in I lose power while running the applications. I have to close everything out and only run FG when we play and even then I will run out of power after about 4-5 hours of gameplay.

Any solutions/suggestions out there that could help me?

Thanks!
Rob

[Trenloe]

Welcome to the FG forums.

Some Macbook users have reported that the GPU runs at full and so uses a lot of power. You can try the /vsync chat command to reduce this - see step 2 in this Wiki article: https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/1638006786/Reducing+GPU+Usage

[rob1bynum]

Thanks Trenloe,

I have tied the vsync and imagequality commands, and it is what is getting me to the 4-5 hour mark. I am hoping for a solution, if one is availble.

[Nylanfs]

Have you double checked and made sure that your transformer powering the Macbook is in good condition?

[rob1bynum]

Hi Paul,

Yes, I even purchased a new one that is 140 watts instead of the standard 96. Thanks.

[Trenloe]

I have tied the vsync and imagequality commands, and it is what is getting me to the 4-5 hour mark. I am hoping for a solution, if one is availble.
Do you have a way of measuring/indicating what the FPS (frames per second) rate for FGU is? I'm not sure what's available for a Macbook. Checking what the actual FPS is might give us other options if it's still higher than 60 or 30 FPS.

[rob1bynum]

Not that I am aware of. I have BenQ EW327OU 32" monitors that I stretch the app across, they have variable (40 - 60Hertz) refresh rates.

[Trenloe]

Not that I am aware of.
You can usually download a FPS app. Doing a quick Internet search, here's an example: https://www.addictivetips.com/mac-os/view-fps-on-macos/ This is me just doing a search, I don't have a Mac so I can't specifically recommend an app. You could install an app and then uninstall after using it.

[rob1bynum]

Got it, thanks! Looks like it does fluctuate from around 55 - 65 FPS.

[Trenloe]

Got it, thanks! Looks like it does fluctuate from around 55 - 65 FPS.
Can you play around with the vsync settings and see if you can get it nearer 30 FPS? Then try that for your next game and see if there's any improvement in how long the system lasts.

[rob1bynum]

Thanks, I have set it all the way down to 30 fps and it does give me a little more play time... but ultimately the 4-5 hour mark is when my system is completely drained even plugged in. It is really causing an issue since we tend to play our games for quite a long time during sessions.

[BronzeDodger]

Forgive the aside: is this a design choice around a Mac that it pulls from the battery even when attached to A/C power? I've never heard of a computer draining while on wired power before, so my initial thought was "that can't be right" but maybe just something I've not encountered in Windows land?

[Moon Wizard]

I've never encountered this either. If a computer is plugged in, then it shouldn't be shutting down or there is a hardware problem. You might need to talk to Apple support about that.

Regards,
JPG

[JohnD]

Forgive the aside: is this a design choice around a Mac that it pulls from the battery even when attached to A/C power? I've never heard of a computer draining while on wired power before, so my initial thought was "that can't be right" but maybe just something I've not encountered in Windows land?

Was scratching my head over that one as well.

[Nylanfs]

Heat related maybe?

[BronzeDodger]

Oh that could be - if it's running the CPU flat-out for that long it may be damage prevention.

[Nylanfs]

Questions how old is it? Have you taken a can of air to it and blown out any vents? You could also look into getting a Targus cooling pad (https://us.targus.com/collections/laptop-cooling-pads/products/17-inch-laptop-lap-chill-mat-awe55us).

[rob1bynum]

I never had this issue either, which is why I am so confused by it honestly. And it is definitely Fantasy GRounds that is causing the issue.

[rob1bynum]

I have a cooling pad, and the fan does not come on continuously. So I assume it is not a heating issue.

[rob1bynum]

Questions how old is it? Have you taken a can of air to it and blown out any vents? You could also look into getting a Targus cooling pad (https://us.targus.com/collections/laptop-cooling-pads/products/17-inch-laptop-lap-chill-mat-awe55us).

It is a 2019 MacBook Pro 16", it is pretty beefy and has no issues running other applications.

[bmos]

What sort of dock or adapter are you using to hook up the external monitors?
Is the charger plugged directly into the MacBook Pro?

[rob1bynum]

What sort of dock or adapter are you using to hook up the external monitors?
Is the charger plugged directly into the MacBook Pro?

I have plugged it directly in to the Mac, and I have also used some docks, but the dock is an Apple one that has a USB, HDMI and USB C.

[Sulimo]

I have used a few MacBook Pros (2019) 16" as well (I manage a handful of them for work), and they do behave oddly in regards to power and battery.

If the battery is completely dead on the MacBook Pro, they will not power on until the battery is sufficiently charged. It's certainly odd, but I can confirm it does happen. I'm using Apple's provided power supply for the MacBook, and still it won't power on while plugged in if the battery is completely drained.

I've not used the MacBook for FG though, except as a basic install to test a few things here and there, so I have no idea how much it might drain the battery while it's plugged in.

EDIT: As a quick test, I've had one MacBook Pro plugged in and FG running. It started at about 96% battery, but it's been slowly charging, it's now at 99%. I'm do not have users connected though, just FG running.

[damned]

I wonder if this article is useful... https://kalharatennakoon.medium.com/is-your-macbook-pro-battery-draining-while-plugged-in-d626559ac15