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The power adapter simply isn't able to provide the full power required to run the entire laptop with the CPU at full speed. The battery in that case is acting a
by X-Istence 13y ago
The power adapter simply isn't able to provide the full power required to run the entire laptop with the CPU at full speed. The battery in that case is acting as a large capacitor and in most cases when running at full tilt is actually discharging even when plugged in.
When the battery goes bad and a notice pops up stating that it should be serviced they don't want to cause any possible issues such as the battery catching fire or exploding. Better safe than sorry.
Also, this is all hardware controlled, and happens not just on MacBook's but on plenty of other machines too. Had an old Toshiba that when the battery was removed it would limit itself from 2.4 Ghz to 1.2 Ghz max.