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    Do I need a new battery?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by The Streets, Jun 8, 2009.

  1. The Streets

    The Streets Notebook Consultant

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    Laptop is in my sig. It's 2 and a bit years old.

    Battery is a 9-cell. Had it about a year (maybe?) as a replacement for the 6-cell model the laptop originally came with.

    I recently did a battery life test. I charged the battery to full and then left it standing to see how long it would last on battery power alone.

    Conditions: Full screen brightness. Display-off, screensaver and standyby turned off. Wi-Fi and background processes such as anti-virus programs are turned on (idle).

    Basically I wanted to (roughly) replicate always-on usage, and I got 3.5 hours, is this reasonable or should I have expected more and if so, how much more?

    Thanks
     
    The Streets, Jun 8, 2009
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  2. Cin'

    Cin' Anathema

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    3.5 hours for a 9cell battery that is approx. 1 years is pretty nice (my opinion).

    On my 9 cell for my 1530 (received new 1/09) I get 4+ hours on it...if that helps you at all.


    Cin ;) :)
     
    Cin', Jun 8, 2009
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  3. Fragilexx

    Fragilexx Get'cha head in the game

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    3.5 hours is plenty.

    Have you tried undervolting to save a little battery power? It doesn't save massive amounts on it's own, but it does have fringe benefits of running cooler, which in turn also means less fan action which also means more battery.

    We're not talking tons and tons here, but it could be up to 10 minutes.

    Take a look at this thread if you want more info:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824

    Otherwise, 3.5 hours from a 9 cell with all of that happening is pretty good to be honest after a year of use.
     
    Fragilexx, Jun 8, 2009
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  4. Cin'

    Cin' Anathema

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    I think if you are happy with the 3.5 hour's, don't worry so..as I stated above..that's pretty good for a 1 year old battery.

    Or, do some tweaking if you want...But I say *if it aint' broke, don't fix it* :D

    Your decision! ;)


    Cin ;) :)
     
    Cin', Jun 8, 2009
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  5. The Streets

    The Streets Notebook Consultant

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    So you consider the 3.5 hours it lasted reasonable? Remember, I never touched it the whole time, just left it to drain away.. If so, maybe have to reconsider replacing it..
     
    The Streets, Jun 8, 2009
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  6. Fragilexx

    Fragilexx Get'cha head in the game

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    The answer here is simple:

    I personally consider 3 hours to be reasonable. However, if this is not suitable for your needs then replace it. If it still works for you then leave it.
     
    Fragilexx, Jun 9, 2009
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  7. Cin'

    Cin' Anathema

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    As stated, 3.5 hours for a one year old battery is very good!

    I would not even consider replacing at this point... ;)

    Choice is yours and what you are comfy with, of course!

    Cin ;) :)
     
    Cin', Jun 9, 2009
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  8. The Streets

    The Streets Notebook Consultant

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    Think I'll stick with it for the time being. Cheers guys.
     
    The Streets, Jun 9, 2009
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  9. Cin'

    Cin' Anathema

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    I think you've made a good decision! :)
    I hope that my 9Cell get's 3.5 hours after one year! ;)
    Keep us advised if anything changes! :cool:



    Cin ;) :)
     
    Cin', Jun 9, 2009
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