Gaming Settings For Protecting The Battery Whilst Plugged

You have heard incorrectly. Your Mac will manage charging the battery to extend its lifespan as much as possible, but with consideration for your usage pattern (meaning if you frequently run on battery, it will charge all the way to full).

It’s best to not micromanage the battery, let your Mac do its job. Plug-in when convenient, run on battery when not.

As for heat, the two fans in your Mac should manage that appropriately, even during gaming. Ensure that the vents are not blocked and the Mac is being used on a hard surface.

Mainecoon364 wrote:

Device : Macbook Pro With M4 Pro Chip.

I’ve heard that when you plugged Macbook It bypasses the battery unlike other PC’s.

So It protects the battery.

But heat may decreases the lifespan of the battery.

Question 1) What settings do you suggest for gaming?

Question 2) Should I buy cooling pad (fan) to put below the macbook?

The rule of thumb—if you are near the mains leave it plugged in, if you need the portability then run on the battery only—this is how you help optimize your battery charging and extend the working life of your battery by reducing the cycle count.

I would let the macOS manage the heat.

Your computer performs best when connected to AC power, such as the power adapter. It can use the full output of the Power Adapter AND when doing especially challenging work could also freely "borrow" power from the battery. In some cases, even with the power adapter connected, the charged state may decline during very stressful work.

When used only on battery, your computer has no extra cushion of power, and may perform more slowly. However, for ordinary non-stressful tasks this may not be objectionable (possibly not even noticeable.)

In general, you should ALWAYS connect a power source when it is possible to do so, and only run on batteries (which could be somewhat slower) when no power sources are at hand.

Modern Macs maintain optimum battery charge levels under program control, and will NEVER over-charge. Activate Battery Health Management and do not spend another moment of your time thinking about charging.

I’ve heard that when you plugged Macbook It bypasses the battery ...

That has not been true for well over a decade. Maybe two decades.