6 Cell or 9 Cell??

macgowan

What is the difference in battery life and how much of a protrusion are we talking here?

Dell has a free upgrade option... Is it worth it?

AlmightyCushion

It should close to double battery life. As for the protrusion it depends on the model. The 9 cell battery in my inspiron 9400 doesn't protrude at all.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Coming from somebody who has a 6 cell battery in my toshiba laptop and the battery life is AWFUL, definately get the 9 cell battery!

macgowan

Double?? Nice. So for Dell Studio 15 on average usage, what's that? Like 5 hours?

Alanstrainor

It's free, why not! It wont protrude that much and you'll thank yourself when you're away from your desk for long periods.

Overheal

Extenstion in battery life largely relies on the model in question; the tasks performed; the screen size; the power settings; the internet connection; etcetera. It could give you an extra 5 hours, or it could give you an extra 90 minutes. Obviously though you can reasonably expect to see at least a 33% boost. Either way, its worth it.

AlmightyCushion

Alanstrainor wrote: »

It's free, why not!

Well the 9 cell batteries are a bit heavier than the 6 cells. If weight is a concern then you might want to skip the offer. If not then go for it.

TheZenWithin

i have a 9 cell upgrade in my 1501 and with good power management with vista(somehow) i can get up to 4hrs.on my old laptop alos a 1501(replaced under warranty) it was only 6 cell and managed to last about 2hrs

Jonathan

I have both the 6 and 9 cell. The 9 cell will NOT give you double the life of the 6 cell ceteris paribus. I use the 6 cell for nearly everything, only using the 9 cell when going on a trip or somewhere I dont think i'll have access to a socket.

Esel

Free = nobrainer, tbh.

TheZenWithin

jmccrohan wrote: »

I have both the 6 and 9 cell. The 9 cell will NOT give you double the life of the 6 cell ceteris paribus. I use the 6 cell for nearly everything, only using the 9 cell when going on a trip or somewhere I dont think i'll have access to a socket.

what laptop have you got?cause i seem to have gotten alot more out of my 9 cell than 6 cell...im confused....

Jonathan

TheZenWithin wrote: »

what laptop have you got?cause i seem to have gotten alot more out of my 9 cell than 6 cell...im confused....

Vostro 1400

It will give you about 60% more life. 56Ah v 85Ah

smoc

If you buy Dell I hope you like your waiting in very long phone ques for a tech support guy and end up speaking to some indian idot who will ask you the same question 4 times because hes either thick or cant understand you and vise versa. rant over.

I'd personally go for a very small screen laptop if your looking for good battery life. Oh and the new processors like the core 2 duo mobiles are the best for power consumption. The celeron's are crap. Yes the bigger cells are worth the cash and so are the true life screens.

AlmightyCushion

I'm not a fan of those glossy screens.

Overheal

ah theyre bollox in daylight but inside they provide a nice crisp display.

AlmightyCushion

Even inside I can't stand them. I want to look at the screen not my reflection.

drunkmonkey

Overheal wrote: »

ah theyre bollox in daylight but inside they provide a nice crisp display.

+1 Definatly worth having.....get truelife...

Back to the batterys... does the 9 cell battery get a lot hotter than a 6 cell, i've 2 dell laptops and the 9 cell burns the balls off you very quickly....

Any tips for keeping it cool on your lap....

Jonathan

drunkmonkey wrote: »

+1 Definatly worth having.....get truelife...

Back to the batterys... does the 9 cell battery get a lot hotter than a 6 cell, i've 2 dell laptops and the 9 cell burns the balls off you very quickly....

Any tips for keeping it cool on your lap....

It shouldnt. If there is, there is something wrong.

Ensure that you arent blocking the air intake.

drunkmonkey

jmccrohan wrote: »

Ensure that you arent blocking the air intake.

how do you manage that with a laptop on your lap....

Jonathan

drunkmonkey wrote: »

how do you manage that with a laptop on your lap....

Just know where the air intake is and dont block it. Angle it or something.

Gary ITR

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Even inside I can't stand them. I want to look at the screen not my reflection.

I'd say thats a horrible sight alright

drunkmonkey

jmccrohan wrote: »

Just know where the air intake is and dont block it. Angle it or something.

In order for me not to block it, i'd have to cut off my legs....the heat still goes through 2 cushions....it burns my leg and cooks the you know whats....can't find a solution....

omb0wyn5ehpij9

drunkmonkey wrote: »

In order for me not to block it, i'd have to cut off my legs....the heat still goes through 2 cushions....it burns my leg and cooks the you know whats....can't find a solution....

That isnt right at all!

drunkmonkey

BrynW wrote: »

That isnt right at all!

Do you reckon I should get on to Dell, there is serious heat off it, If you had it on your lap for over half an hour it would start to burn your leg....I thought every lad had this problem.....

Jonathan

You shouldnt have it on your lap. I bet you have no problems if you have it on a table where air can get in to cool it down?

drunkmonkey

jmccrohan wrote: »

You shouldnt have it on your lap. I bet you have no problems if you have it on a table where air can get in to cool it down?

it's fine on a table but I didn't buy a tabletop, I bough a laptop......I want to be able to put it on my lap....

TheZenWithin

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Do you reckon I should get on to Dell, there is serious heat off it, If you had it on your lap for over half an hour it would start to burn your leg....I thought every lad had this problem.....

i have this problem too and they'll actually give you a replacement if ur windows sticker is burnt through on the back.

oddly though,my 1501 overheats like Fek but my mams 6400 doesnt even break a sweat.im AMD and shes intel...make a difference?

but seriously the 9 cell battery does add to the weight a bit if u do a comparison

Jonathan

drunkmonkey wrote: »

it's fine on a table but I didn't buy a tabletop, I bough a laptop......I want to be able to put it on my lap....

Put it on a tray then so that air can still get to the intake.

Esel

drunkmonkey wrote: »

In order for me not to block it, i'd have to cut off my legs....the heat still goes through 2 cushions....it burns my leg and cooks the you know whats....can't find a solution....

Cushions are almost guaranteed to block the air intakes.

Alanstrainor

Drunkmonkey, something sounds very wrong to me, it shouldn't be heating up that much. Get on to Dell. By the way, what's the laptop? There should be intakes on the side as well as the underside for ventilation. Perhaps you should check the fans for excessive dust ect.

Jonathan

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Drunkmonkey, something sounds very wrong to me, it shouldn't be heating up that much. Get on to Dell. By the way, what's the laptop? There should be intakes on the side as well as the underside for ventilation. Perhaps you should check the fans for excessive dust ect.

The exhausts are generally on the side. Intakes underneath.

drunkmonkey

I must check the fans........might extend the waranty before calling Dell....

it's a dell 6400....

Alanstrainor

jmccrohan wrote: »

The exhausts are generally on the side. Intakes underneath.

ay. right you are:)

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I must check the fans........might extend the waranty before calling Dell....

it's a dell 6400....

Yeah i'm using the same machine but with the 6 cell. Not the best machine for distributing heat, but not as bad as you describe. Have a look at the fans if you can before doing anything.

FreeOSCAR

I got the 9cell on my XPS 1530. Only a 0.75 inch protrusion out the back. Actually helps the tilt of the XPS a bit aswell.