dell 1420 - 6 0r 9 cell?

Hey guys,

i'm looking to get my 1420 ordered tomorrow. (inspite of all the graininess issues here, i'm willing to take the plunge!)

just a quick question.

the 9-cell sticks out but has longer battery life
the 6-cell doesnt stick out and has shorter battery life

1. can anyone give me a good estimate about what they think the battery life would vary between then?

and

2. do you think the 9-cell sticking out is something that makes it look uglier?

cause i had a 700m with a bigger battery that stuck out, just wondering if the 1420 9-cell sticking out is bad.

thanks

 

I think people get ~2-3 on the 6 cell and ~4-5 with the 9 cell... of course the exact times differ by configuration, but the difference between the two BATTERIES is about ~2 hours.

The second one is probably your own opinion... there are a few pictures of the 9 cell on these forums, just check them out and see.

 

1) Battery life increases fairly linearly with cells, so the 9 cell will get you 50% more life compared to the 6 cell. Particularly if you go with a discreet video card and plan to travel a lot, a 9 cell can be a life saver for working on the go.

2) The 9 sticks out quite a bit and it ugly if you look at it from the back. Now ask yourself how often you plan to look at the back of the laptop...

 

yeh. thats true. i suppose i wont be looking at the back. but the form factor when you are carrying it around, and fitting it into 14.1 inch cases might be interesting right?

hmm. thanks for the info bout the battery life!

 

Order it with both 6 and 9 cell. Its allot cheaper to add BOTH batteries when you configure then to buy the extra battery later.

 

I've got the 9 cell and can get about 5.5 hours out of it with a bit of underclocking and a tiny amount of brightness compromise. While the battery is certainly visible, I don't find it makes it look bad at all. It's still vertically symmetrical and a very sharp looking machine. A bigger issue for me is the weight, and the 9 cell contributes a solid 1lb and some, but that just moves the laptop from "reasonable" to "hefty".

 

ViolentGreen, do you have the x3100 or the 8400GS graphics?

 

I have whatever the intergrated option is...the x3100?