AC cord universal for all magnetic macs?

[samintx]

It seems to me I remember that in the old days electric cords were specific to certain models. Can I use the magnetic AC cord on the modern macs universally? on all my macs.

[Racer X]

The power adapters with the MagSafe plugs? Yeah, for the most part. They have 3 different current outputs, but all will work safely. The lower wattage ones will charge more slowly, or in the case of a Macbook air 45 watt PS trying to power and charge a MacBook Pro (which uses the 85 watt one), it might actually not keep up, and the battery will still drain VERY slowly. I don't know this for a fact.

[testcase]

There are TWO power levels (that I know of). 60W and 85W. The 60W will allow you to run a 17"MBP but won't charge it. I don't know if there is something less than 60W for the MB Air models.

[Gareth]

Sort of. You can use an 85W Magsafe adapter with any Magsafe laptop.

You can use a 65W Magsafe adapter with any Magsafe laptop, however, it might be overtaxed on a 15" or 17" and the 15/17 may not be able to charge the battery during heavy processing, or it will charge slower and it will not boot with a completely dead battery and a 65W adapter until the battery is charged up again.

You can use a 45W (from the Air) on a 15" (which I've done for short periods of time) and presumably a 17", but the same caveats from the 65W adapter apply. Also overtaxing a smaller adapter might shorten the lifespan of the adapter itself.

[RAMd®d]

The 65W and 85W are the same price from Apple.

If you need to buy an adapter, I'd recommend the 85W. It's a little bigger than the 65W, but it runs much cooler on my MacBook than the MB's 65W adapter.

And as Gareth said, you can use it with any 'Book that uses a MagSafe connector.

I'd be concerned about using an MBA adapter on anything else. It might be ok with a 13" MacBook/MacBook Pro, maybe even a 15" MB/MBP. I don't know about using it with a 17" MBP. If it got really really warm, I'd stop. The only real danger is toasting the adapter.

As mentioned, the smaller adapters won't simultaneously charge and run a Mac that's bigger than the adapter was designed for. Once you turn the 'Book off, it will charge.

[Mike V]

Yeah, get the 85 W one.