Notebook AC Adapter for the Car

Hey guys, in less than 2 weeks, I'm about to be in a 18-hour car drive... I know, my family is crazy. But anyways, once I get my new notebook, I will need to have an AC adapter for the car. Now I'm wondering, how many watts will I need to withhold my notebook, with the following specs:

Screen: 15.4" Anti-Glare (1280x800)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 Ghz
RAM: Soon to be 2.5 GB's DDR2/667
Video Card: GeForce 8600M GT 256 MB
HD: 120 GB 5400 RPM
Battery: 9 Cell
OS: Vista Home Premium

 

I expect that your notebook will come with a 90W PSU to give enough power for that GPU.

If you just use the computer to play DVDs then you can probably get away with a 75W inverter, but if the computer is used for 3D games in the car then you should get an inverter rated for at least 100W.

John

 

Okay thanks.

What would happen if the adapter doesn't have enough power to power the laptop? Would the laptop just take a much longer time to run out of batteries? Would this hurt a notebook battery in any way?

 

bump............

 

The power inverter would overheat and shut down, leaving you running solely on battery power. The notebook would be fine, but it could damage the inverter.

 

Depends. If the inverter has is badly designed, it will overheat badly, fire hazard possible. If it is half bad designed, it will shutdown/power up again with a short duty cycle, causing rapid on/off/on/off/on/off cycles to go to your notebook. Not a good thing for your notebook.

If it is well designed, then it will shutdown with some hysteresis and leave your notebook on battery.

A nice way to reduce the power used is to set your performance profile to mobile or battery or something.

Last warning: heavy gaming on your cars battery when your car is not running will deplete you car's battery in a few hours time.

 

Alright, I don't think I'm going to be doing heavy gaming, but probably just setting all of my stuff that I need on my computer because I'm only going to have my notebook for a day before we leave, if not the day of.

 

First of all an 18 hour drive? EIGHTEEN HOURS? Yes, your family is crazy. I think that's why they invented airplanes and trains.

Secondly, skip the AC/DC inverter. Those are bulky, noisy, unreliable, PITA. Forget about it. (Not to mention the fact that you'd be converting DC to AC and then back to DC, which is just plain stupid)

You want a DC/DC adapter. Very small and light weight. Here's the one I use:
http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...=120_Watt_Notebook_Universal_DC_Power_Adapter

It's smaller than a deck of cards and lighter than a deck of cards. It delivers 120W so it can power even the biggest notebooks. You do heavy gaming for hours on end with it. There are no fans, and it doesn't get hot. I bought mine at CompUSA for $79 (on sale). Make sure you get this Kensington brand one. (There are others out there that are junky, bulky, and not nearly as good).

Also, since you use this instead of your notebook's own power brick, make sure it includes the right plug tip for your notebook. Click the 'Which notebook power tip...' link here to check. (FYI most similar models take the same tip, for example, the hp dv9000 notebook takes the same tip as my dv9500, so if your Dell 1520 is not listed, maybe there is a 1500 model or 1530 model or something that uses the same tip, in which case it will work):
http://us.kensington.com/html/6330.html

Very well made, works well, small, and lightweight.

 

Hey that product has some good reviews! Would I need to get a smart tip for my Dell 1520?

 

You don't want AC/DC. You want DC/DC.

If you get an AC/DC inverter, it converts the car's 12vdc to 120vac. Then your notebook's power brick converts the 120vac back to 16vdc (or 17vdc or something in that neighborhood).

A dc/dc inverter skips the conversion to AC (which is why it's much more efficient, it's smaller, it doesnt get hot, etc). It converts directly from the car's 12vdc to the dc voltage required by your notebook. Easy peasy.

Edit: the product includes about a dozen different tips. Use the link I provided in my message above to verify that it has a tip for your model. Note that if your 1520 is a newish model, it may not be listed, although it might list a 1510 or a 1500 which most likely uses the same tip as your 1520, so it would work.

 

Ok. Thanks a bunch!