Laptop Batteries (6+ Hours or More)?

[SOLDIER]

So I finally found an affordable laptop:

http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4374296&sku=S445-150028&sku=A180-8040&SRCCODE=WEBSLFA139&cm_mmc=Email-_-Main-_-WEBSLFA139-_-Deals

I'm really enjoying it with one exception: the battery life is a rather paltry 2 and a half hours.

I was wondering if they sold a battery, either official or third party, that would increase the laptop life to at least 4-6 hours. I'm not sure how to search for laptop batteries. A few searches listed some for my model, but didn't specify the battery life.

Help me out, please.

[souljah420]

Well, you are running a dual core with Windows Vista 64 bit. The battery it ships with is a 6 cell, more than likely they make a compatible 9 cell. (maybe its an 8 cell but same difference, bigger battery equals longer life). Considering the power of the system, which continually increases, you would think they would have better batteries by now. Unfortunately, they don't. If you want 6+ hours with a dual core running a hog of an OS like Vista 64 bit, you better download one hell of an interesting screen saver.

[SOLDIER]

so the bigger the cell, the longer the battery life, huh?

How much of an increase would I get with 9 cells?

[souljah420]

i would say you could expect an increase of anywhere from 33% to 50%, the 9 cell batteries usually go for like $100 to $150. Just remember not to keep your laptop plugged in, it will totally rape your battery

[Teqonix]

i would say you could expect an increase of anywhere from 33% to 50%, the 9 cell batteries usually go for like $100 to $150. Just remember not to keep your laptop plugged in, it will totally rape your battery

What? Lithium Ions have built in logic to stop charging when the laptop is plugged in (at a certain point). You do not need to worry about keeping laptop plugged in all the time these days (back in the days of NiMh and NiCad batteries this was a concern). I keep my XPS M1530 plugged in nearly 24/7 and the battery is still in tip top shape - it's draining the battery completely that will damage it.

[rmb]

Good luck. I did a quick search and couldn't find an extended life battery for this model. You may be able to find a 3rd party one that works but I would stay away from ebay, especially if from China.

[Puffoluffagus]

I replaced my battery earlier this year (from a 6-cell to a 9-cell). Comparing the initial life of both batteries, I went from 3.5 hours to 5 hours with all the settings on low (but still running wireless). I bought a 3rd-party battery for ~$50 because as mentioned above the OEM run around $100-150.

Unfortunately for you, I didn't see any 3rd party batteries for your system. The cheapest I saw from a seller than had some good seller ratings was here: http://www.shopforbattery.com/product_ref/M-7315U/SFB-GTM150H3304.aspx

[JolietJake]

With larger higher power laptops, you won't get great battery life. There are external batteries you can buy which plug in through the charger port. These usually last quite a while, but are rather large and bulky.

[Kerig]

Someone please change the title from baterries to batteries. It's annoying the juice out of me...

[shrike4242]

You won't find a single battery to run that laptop for 6+ hours. At most, you'd be getting 3-3.5 hours off a larger laptop battery, if there's even a bigger one available for your laptop.

You'd need to add something like this into the mix:
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=UPB90&tab=models

Review:
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/reviews/18779.aspx

Another option:
http://www.batterygeek.net/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1

[mis0]

What? Lithium Ions have built in logic to stop charging when the laptop is plugged in (at a certain point). You do not need to worry about keeping laptop plugged in all the time these days (back in the days of NiMh and NiCad batteries this was a concern). I keep my XPS M1530 plugged in nearly 24/7 and the battery is still in tip top shape - it's draining the battery completely that will damage it.

Can you elaborate on this? My shitty dell battery lasts a meager 30 minutes away from the charger now. Before I started plugging into the wall constantly to game and do papers on, it lasted about 3 hours.

[m6oo]

In the long run, two things kill Lithium Ion batteries...heat and time. You can't do anything about time. Lithium Ion batteries start deteriorating as soon as they are manufactured. Regarding leaving batteries installed, my understanding is that leaving the battery installed in a laptop at all times is "bad" for the battery because it exposes the battery to more heat, not because it is being "overcharged."

Running a Lithium Ion battery all the way down is bad because it can cause the battery pack to fail entirely.

Here is a great site for techie information on batteries:

http://www.batteryuniversity.com