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    XPS 15 and the 9 cell battery

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by blang, Jan 23, 2011.

  1. blang

    blang Notebook Enthusiast

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    About how much battery up time would the XPS 15 with the 9 cell battery have just web surfing, with the display at half brightness?
     
    blang, Jan 23, 2011
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  2. Cap

    Cap Notebook Consultant

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    With the i5, over 5 hours. With the i7, I think it's been reported for at least 3.5 hours somewhere on the forum but I can't say for sure.
     
    Cap, Jan 23, 2011
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  3. ProdigyUser

    ProdigyUser Newbie

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    You'll need to throttle down everything to get 3.5 hrs. out of it using the I-7 1.73 ghz processor @ half - brightness. Based on my experience 2:45 hrs. is closer to true life.

    I don't think I have ever come close to 3.5 hrs.

    One thing to note, there is not a linear progression between the 6-cell and the 9-cell. For instance the 9-cell does not last 50% longer than the 6-cell. It's more like 100% longer. I don't know why that is, but that's been my personal experience.

    Keep in mind the following, which applies to any multi-celled battery pack: a battery pack is only as strong as its weakest cell. If you have 1-weak cell in your 9-cell battery, your battery will run out of juice the moment that "weak" cell starts to loose juice. There is technology that can work around this, but it is not used within Dell battery packs to the extent of my knowledge (please correct me, if I'm wrong on that point).

    If anyone has opened up a 9-cell battery pack and put in a "timed" and "matched" cell set, that would be very interesting. You could probably get 30% to 40% longer run time, using top of the line batteries. They're standard C-cell batteries. They can be picked up at hobby shops. High quality packs can be in the $120.00 range or $10 to $15.00 per cell. I'd love to open up a pack and see what brand and type of lithium ion cells Dells is using.

    I'd believe 5 hours can be achieved with the I-5 and a 9-cell pack, if all the settings powered WAY back, the screen setting is dim. If you're playing a game, that will be impossible, but if you're watching a movie or surfing the web, you can probably get pretty close.
     
    ProdigyUser, Jan 23, 2011
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  4. sprtnbsblplya

    sprtnbsblplya Notebook Deity

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    The 1080p screen is pretty bright, so I find even 20-25% brightness is very sufficient in everything but brightly lit rooms.
    If I turn the brightness to 20% w/ power settings to "Power Saver", I can get around 4 hours on my i7 rig and 9-cell.
     
    sprtnbsblplya, Jan 24, 2011
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