Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: notebook, extended, battery | Themes: Laptops and Notebooks
5. Size, Weight, and Portability
Batteries can be hefty. Your svelte .95" thin notebook may be light at 3.95 lbs., but if your uber-capacity battery adds another pound and a half to its weight and you need to carry it around in one hand all day, suddenly your "light" notebook becomes unattractive and bulky.
Taking my HP dv4t again as an example, the six-cell and extended-capacity six-cell are both exactly the same size, and weigh 0.7 lbs. each. It’s generally safe to assume that the notebook weight that is quoted by the manufacturer will include the standard battery, but some manufacturers may list the battery weight separately—watch out for that.
The 12-cell from HP, however, packs an additional 0.7 lbs. and sticks out an inch on the bottom along the rear of the notebook. If I buy the 12-cell, my notebook will get great battery time, but will feel heavier and somewhat larger.
There are several advantages to a large, 12-cell battery. Because the back becomes lifted when you place the notebook down, you get a slightly elevated keyboard that is now slanted, creating better typing comfort. The angle also allows for better airflow to the fan on the bottom, making the notebook run a notch quieter and cooler. Lastly, I’ve found that extra one inch sticking out lets me hold the notebook more securely when I grab it to move it or pack it away, almost like a handle.
I should mention that HP gave me the option to get both a six-cell and the larger 12-cell battery when configuring my system. That’s good if you want to keep your notebook small and light, but still gives you the flexibility of having a second, bigger battery available when you need the extra power.
Portability
You want a solution that will let you move freely, but at the same time give you the power you need without anchoring you to one spot.
If you are traveling light, chances are you’ll only carry your notebook and a spare battery to switch midway through the day. This works fine for many folks, especially since that extra battery can be stashed inside a jacket pocket. The smaller and lighter your notebook is, the easier it will be for you to get around. If you want to carry more than just a spare battery, you will be looking for a case to hold everything from mice to power adapters.
If your choice of case is for a form-fitting sleeve, make sure you take your notebook along and try it for size with your extended battery attached, since batteries that stick out may not fit well for certain sleeves.
Sometimes, a smaller notebook with two batteries works better than a larger notebook with the biggest battery. Many road warriors also fall into the trap of taking a bunch of stuff with them “just in case,” yet could be just as productive by carrying only the bare essentials.
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There aren't any options in the bios so is there software to undervolt my notebook's CPU?
They rate Amp-hours per cell. I.e. 2.2amp hours is only for one cell of a multi-cell battery? Confusing.
w4ffles: I use RMClock myself (there should be a free version online). It lets you set profiles so you can specify the maximum speed and voltage of your CPU (and various other levels depending on CPu usage). I use it to underclock and undervolt my desktop when not in use, but to crank the CPU up to max when doing heavy loads (which the application detects automatically and adjusts on the fly).
It can take a learning curve to use, but even the free version is very powerful.
Just something to point out, DDR3 is a power saving component in notebooks right now since it runs at a lower Voltage than DDR2. The difference isn't particularly significant, but DDR3 will give you maybe 5-10% more runtime.
Most people think of DDR3 as a perfomance increase, but with the limited frequencies of current soDIMMs, DDR3 for laptops is only on par with current DDR2 notebook RAM, if that.
My Compaq V5000 is still going strong after 5 years. I chose to go with Sempron and the matte screen (I planned to work outside and the glossy was brighter by default). Also got the 12 cell. I play Starcraft, Diablo 2 so the ati 200M worked perfectly, and then work related stuff (lasts about 6 hours watching downloaded media).
Great article, these were the things I considered when choosing components for my laptop, as I never knew when I would be close to an outlet.
andetghddn -
P.S. The v5000 laptop also cost about $450 direct from hp.
They rate Amp-hours per cell. I.e. 2.2amp hours is only for one cell of a multi-cell battery? Confusing.w4ffles: I use RMClock myself (there should be a free version online). It lets you set profiles so you can specify the maximum speed and voltage of your CPU (and various other levels depending on CPu usage). I use it to underclock and undervolt my desktop when not in use, but to crank the CPU up to max when doing heavy loads (which the application detects automatically and adjusts on the fly).It can take a learning curve to use, but even the free version is very powerful.
RMClock is the defacto software in use on notebooks at the moment, and what I would recommend. While I don't want to get into a full-blown guide here, it is also important to stress the CPU while testing your voltages before you really play with RMClock. It does take some learning, but anyone with the skills can do it.
Cool - now I can get a 30% off coupon at HP. Nice article!
I always enjoy having a laptop battery that doesn't start a fire.
I have a busniess notebook for work and aside from the programs I use everyday, don't know that much about computers. The biggest thing for me with buying an extended battery was the price. HP wanted a boat load for it, which is really a rip off. I checked different site for about 2 1/2 days and ended up getting one from NoteBatt.com for like half or something close to it. Couple of other sites were the same way. It's just nuts to think that other companies are selling pretty much the same battery for much less. Oh, and it has been completely bug free since I got it, something HP told me would not happen.
Even with 30% off coupon I think HP batteries are very expensive. I also was scared about fire when I started looking for a new battery for my HP and I found a very high quality batteries at www.newpcbattery.com. I chose that site because battery manufacturer located in USA, not in China.