What kind of battery life can be expected from a 7 cell?

The system I'm considering is an R61 BTW

What I'm looking for is a basic productivity notebook (wireless, word processing and internet). I realize of course that looking for a high battery life notebook will not be cheap even if the specs in the machine are low. That's why I was thinking of an R61. So as the topic said? What can I expect doing at most web browsing but more typically basic word processing or possibly reading an eBook?

 

Well with my T61 with the Nvidia chip I get about 3 hours with screen near full brightness and wireless on using a 6 cell. Id say you could expect anywhere from 3:30 to 4:30 depending on your cpu and gpu.

 

Im pretty sure Im going to stick with a C2D and integrated graphics. This notebook isn't necessarily FOR me, what Im really looking for is something for my mom. She's not necessarily going to be away from her desk for long periods of time but I know she would really appreciate the mobility of a long battery life.

Also, I can freeload off of her >.> Im happy enough with my HP notebook but I have to admit that I kind of wish I would have hung around NBR a little more before buying it because I would have strongly considered a Thinkpad.

Do you have any experience with those expanded batteries? The ones that fit into the optical drive? That seemed like a very cool idea and I also like the idea of having up to eight hours of battery life. I could think of instances where that kind of functionality would be very useful.

 

I don't have any hands on experience with the ultrabay battery. But that + the 7 cell would equal 10 cells. I'd say you could expect maybe 5 hours battery life with that setup.

 

I was kind of hoping I might be able to get an estimate closer to the advertised 8 hours. Still, it is very tempting. I wonder if I should save up some money and see about buying a ThinkPad with an even better battery or just break down and by a cheaper machine that doesn't really have a powerful battery.

 

The Dell D630 cause it has a six cell modular battery might be worth a look. They also offer a nine cell main battery, but it sticks out the fron which I personally would prefer it didn't.

 

advertised 8 hours? i believe the 7 cell is advertised as around 5 hours.

i have a z61t (which is essentially a T61) w/ Merom C2D and integrated graphics, and i'll get around 4 hours. with heavy internet usage, it goes down to about 3.

 

^^ On Lenovo's website they say that with the ultrabay battery you can get up to 8 hours of battery life...I wanted to make this thread so I could get some personal experiences from people who actually own ThinkPads.

I really ~REALLY~ like the case design on the ThinkPad, I love the no frills sturdy office build. I might think about getting a D630 but I think that if I end up springing for a high battery life notebook, then I'd really like to have a Lenovo.

Still, I will take your suggestion under consideration ZaZ. I didn't really want a full bore "What notebook should I buy" thread which is why I just asked about the battery here instead of making a thread in the other forum

 

No argument there.

 

i get 3 hours with a 4 cell battery, i would say around 5 hours with the 7 cell

 

7 cell + 3 cell =

full brightness, wireless on: ~5-6hrs
low brightness, wireless on: ~7-8hrs

on nvidia gfx card. LOVE IT

 

7 Cell + 3 Cell Ultrabay on my T61 with Intel Graphics, T7300 Processor, 2gb RAM:

Low Brightness, Wireless On: 6-7hrs
Full Brightness, Wireless On: 4-5hrs

It all depends what you are doing though as more intensive tasks will eat up battery quicker (aka more hdd activity, more processor activity, etc.). Also different machine specs like Processor, Memory, and Graphics all play a big part into your battery life.

I could probably get more life out of mine if I tried, but I am usually working on it and making it work a bit so I never get the optimum battery life