DV2 or DV3 to fit my needs.

Well, I'm heading off to school, and these stylish, affordable notebooks have caught my eyes. The only problem is that I only get 2-3 hours of battery life on these notebooks although I can buy an extra battery. What I"m mainly doing is word processing, spreadsheets, iTunes, and web browsing but not all at the same time. Here are my main questions and concerns:

• Do these notebooks have good build quality?
• Is there any other way to charge the battery without having it in the notebook?
• Do they get hot?

I may have more questions to ask later.
I am buying this notebook in Canada.

**EDIT**
Seeing that the battery tests I've seen on some reviews, they are surfing the internet with Wi-Fi on. I will not be, I'll usually be word processing. Should it last maybe 3 hours?

**EDIT**
How long does the 9 cell last on the DV3?

 

I have a DV2, sand looked at the DV3.

The DV2 has way better build quality, it's solid as a rock. I have never had a notebook that has felt this solid.

It does get a little hot at times, I have undervolted mine, and that has helped with heat, and improve battery life. Getting about 3.5 hours on the battery with wifi on.

The DV2 will do everything you listed, the DV3 has way more power. My feeling is why have the power if you don't need it.

Keep in mind that the optical drive on the DV2 is external, i never bring mine with me.

Either model you decide to buy, I recommend going to Costco. They had the best price (from my research), and the best return policy (90 days) and they add another year to the warranty.

 

I'm thinking about getting the dv2, I have a few questions. Does dual core version of the dv2 get worse battery life than the single core one like the one that you have (I'm guessing that you have the single core one?) Do you think the newer 6 cell batteries have better battery life than the one that you got (For instance, if I ordered it from Hp's website customized). Finally, would a new bios for the dv2 help it to run any cooler?

 

From what i can gather,it seems like the dual core ship doesn't use much more power. I do have the single core model.

I don't see why a newer battery would improve the battery life, i would bet they are all the same.

There have been several bios updates, but to be honest they haven't seemed to make much difference in the amount of heat generated.

 

The dv2 was released with a 4-cell battery which has since been upgraded to 6-cell--these were initially sold with the dual-core dv2s. Even though power consumption is a smidge higher, the higher-capacity battery improves battery life over what is shown in early reviews.

 

How can I tell if I have the 4 or 6 cell battery? I bought mine in July.

 

My single core model, bought in may has the 6 cell. It varies by model.

 

Look at the specs that are that are one your battery.

32wh = 4 Cell
55wh = 6 Cell

 

You might get a student discount if you bought it at the school. Also if you order online see if there's an option to purchase under education. You might have to provide an "*.edu" email.