Studio 17 Battery protrusion

heh, sorry for the weak sauce subject, but couldn't think of any other way to phrase it, and hopefully this'll bear some attention

I'm considering the Studio 17 core i7 + FHD screen, which comes standard w/the 9cell battery. According to the review on this site, that battery protrudes from the bottom of the laptop quite a bit.

I would typically use this system on my lap (or thighs, anyway, sitting on couch w/legs up on table) ... and my concern is that the battery - which judging from the pix, looks quite slim - might tend to dig into one's legs?

For you folks that have the Studio 17, do you think this could be the case? Do you use the 17 on your lap/legs, and if so is this an issue?

Thanks!

 

check out this customer review here

Dell Studio17 17.3" Laptop featuring Intel Core i7 720 QM (S17-7561E) - English - Best Buy Canada

...It has a battery that has a lip which digs into your legs and is very uncomfortable. You might want to sit down at the store and decide if you can live with it or not. I plan on taking it back because it is just that aggravating

not an issue for me as I don't sit with it on my lap (it's my DTR)

 

I don't mean to be a jerk, but the person who wrote that review must be a real anal retentive fusspot. Taking a laptop back for something like that? haha. Jeez, put something between you and the laptop. That way your lap doesn't cook AND whatever discomfort you feel is gone. Anything from a large book to a cooling pad would do the trick.

That's worse than sending a laptop back because of fan noise. I had a Volcano II fan on one of my old desktops and you could hear that thing through closed doors on the other end of the house. Didn't bother me a bit. A small amount of noise to keep my laptop hardware from cooking is not enough to make me think the entire laptop is junk.

There are some people who REALLY love to complain about the smallest things. I'm glad I'm not like that.

 

Agreed - I put it on a writing pad binder if I have it off the desk. I guess some folks like to toast their thighs with nothing between them and their laptop But I remembered that review so thought I'd let the OP know for what it's worth...

 

That's cool. If you have the info, you might as well share it.

My 1749 is supposed to arrive tomorrow. It's sitting in the Orlando FedEx depot right now which is about 2 hours from where I am haha. I'll be amazed if it doesn't make it by tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Anyway, I already went out and got a cooling pad for it so I don't cook my groin region. Using a laptop without separating it from your lap somehow gets VERY uncomfortable and I have a feeling the 1749 would be a bit hotter than what I've used in the past.

 

I have no issues with the battery for my 1747. In fact, when comparing it to my brother's HP dv6000, it's much more slimmer. I don't normally use my laptop on my lap. Once in a while. Not a big issue. It can get hot sometimes though, but that's mainly the reason I don't do it often

 

Thanks, Lex - what cooling pad did you get?

I can see not wanting to have to deal with something like that, though - e.g., I have my 8710p now and set it right on my thighs ... pop down on the couch, grab the lappy and get to computin'. But if I had to pull out a cooling pad, plug it in (or are these things typically USB-powered ... that'd be waaay easier) ... it's just another piece of gear to hassle with, you know?

Maybe I've just been lucky w/my current rig, then, that it doesn't get hot. OTOH, my choice now is down to the Studio 17 or the Studio XPS 16 ... the latter has a flat bottom, but I understand it tends to get hot - so either way (due to the 17's battery, or the 16's heat), I guess I may have to go the pad route.

Thanks for the feedback, folks!

 

For the moment I got a simple Belkin cooling pad from Best Buy. It's a F5L001-BLK. Here's an Amazon link.
Amazon.com: Belkin F5L001-BLK Laptop Cooling Pad (Black): Electronics

There are a lot better cooling pads for the larger laptops. I got this one because I'm in the middle of a 1,000 mile move and I need to conserve cash. I did see one at Best Buy that was suited for big laptops and even had a few more USB 2.0 ports on it. It was $50, though. I'm going to get one, just not right this moment.

Also, I think you can replace the cooling fan in this cooling pad with another Belkin tower fan. I'll look into this more.

Yes, most cooling pads are USB powered. And, if you don't mind putting a few small stickers on the bottom of your laptop, you can get some velcro and that will keep the cooling pad stuck to the bottom of your laptop pretty nicely. That way it's plugged in via USB, it can be detached, but it will be a part of your laptop until you decide otherwise. And the adhesive strips are easy to remove later with some nail polish remover.

 

I've got a 1558 with a 9-cell, same downward protrusion. TBH, it's not all that bad unless you're really sensitive to the weight of it. Having a few pounds sitting on your knees is nothing. Keeping the heat off your thighs easily outweighs the weight issue.

 

one can buy a 6cell battery, though, yes? Would that resolve the issue?