Battery Life vs Weight

Was looking at the reviews for the 1520, and the 9 cell battery brings the weight to over 7lbs? I am kind of wondering, I am going to order either the 1520 or the Vostro 15inch, either would have th 8600m GT, but I also am going to be transporting the thing. Probly backpack on a bike, then use at class and sitting around gaming a bit. The 1520 review didn't really mention battery life for a 6 cell vs 9 cell. I know the weight with a 9 cell is 7+, but can anyone tell me the weight with a 6cell? and what the battery life comparison is between the 2?

If I am getting the 8600, should I seriously consider the 9cell over the 6? even if the weight will be more? I saw in teh review that hte 1520 is rather large, do you think the Vostro will be equally so? I am trying to get a good mix of portability (can take to class all day) battery life (2-4 hrs) and power (to game on at night... and maybe in class lol)

Thanks, so far this forum has been a great find!

 

if you will be taking this to class, i would consider the 1420. it is not all that fun toting around a 15" screen laptop to classes in addition to the other crap that you will bring with you. i just got out of college in december and most people who brought laptops to class had 14" screens and less, like tablets. in addition, i sold IBM's part time in the campus bookstore and the biggest concern was bringing a 15" screen laptop to class. just be aware of what you are getting yourself into. i think a 1420 would suit your needs better and still be adequate for gaming.

 

a 1520 with a 6-cell battery will weigh around 3kg (6.6 lb acc. to dell) and the battery life of a 9-cell will be around 45-60 min. more than a 6-cell battery (depends on a lot of things). I too think that inspiron 1420 will be better for you but opt for 9-cell battery as you'll be taking it to your classes.

 

I would guess that the 6 cell is roughly 1/2 the weight of the 9 cell. I don't have an actual scale, but i would guess that the 6 cell is ~ a pound lighter. This was just from me holding each one in each hand, not to accurate.

 

Can Vostro 14 inch have a 8600 in it? Do you notice the loss of screen size? If i use it at home I would connect it to my 20inch monitor so there its not so big of a deal, but i just did'n't know if i would lose a lot with a 14 inch monitor over a 15

 

15.4" is around 20% bigger in area than 14.1" so the 15.4" notebooks tend to be 20 - 25% bigger in volume in addition to the extra weight. And, being bigger, they also need more desk space.

John

 

I have no problem carrying my 15.4" Sony around with me, Its 6lbs though, not 7. I went with the Asus V1s which is still lighter than the 1420 XD. The cells in the battery should be the same, Therefore, Divide the battery life of the 9 cell by three, then times by 2 and you have your answer for the 6 cells battery life.

 

I looked, you can't configure a 14 inch with the 8600, thats somthing that i would really like since my desktop is going to be replaced for a while, since the 8600 will be better than my 9800 pro. So i guess its still a battery question. I know the review says bout 3 - 4 on the 9 cell. So i would guess teh 9 cell is 50% better than teh 6, which would bring me down to 2-2.5 hours? that a safe bet?

 

i had 3 laptops in college, my experience over the years suggest ultra portable or thin and light is the way to go, dragging a big laptop from class to class really BLOWS. In the end I really enjoyed taking my 700M around with me everywhere I went.

Smaller the better for me, I rather spend the extra money to get a really light and small laptop and get a xbox360 or ps3 for gaming. at least its a more social form of gaming than computer gaming.

on top of that, I really found my self to not have much time for video games in college anyways

 

amen to that! i ditched my i8200 the end of my soph year when the 700m came out and boy was it a Godsend to take that machine around to classes. on top of that, i always got compliments on the size and sleekness.

as for computer gaming, that is when i decided to build a custom desktop PC dedicated for gaming and CAD work.

 

yeh i would tend to agree, but im looking for the laptop to pull double duty to game on and use portably. so a UP isn't gonna handle the games. is 7lbs really that heavy lol. i have a 6.4 lb laptop and i wouldn't call it heavy

 

I have the 1520 with the nine cell battery and I am using a laptop backpack.... it does not feel heavy at all.... i was concered like you were but i put a few textbooks and binders in with the computer and it was very manageable..... just make sure you get a decent bag with some padding on it

 

I'm picky when it comes to batteries. I cannot stand how 9 cells will stick out. Thats why I ordered my Vostro with only the 6 cell, even though I sprung for the 8600m GT. I don't plan on bringing my notebook to class and stuff that much and it will usually be plugged in all the time.

 

Hey ant1029, what backpack do you use? I'm looking for a bag that can fit a laptop in additional to books and binders like you.

 

Lets test your theory. You know a V1s with a DVD drive weighs 6.5 lbs. A Dell 1420 with a DVD drive and no battery weighs 5.1 lbs plus the 9 cell battery 1.04 lbs equals 6.14 lbs

Dell Inspiron 1420 weighs 6.14 lbs
V1S weighs 6.5 lbs

 

Uhm.. I think the thread is about how heavy the 1520 is... 1420 is small enough that the weight isn't an issue...

 

The other thing to consider is the 1520 adds more bulk as well compared to many other 15". So its not just weight.. but bigger dimensions all around. The 1520 is not even remotely close to being thin. I would think that a 1520 and a A & P plus a few lab books might be unbearable lugging across a large campus like SDSU LOL.

I am going to start clinicals next January for my Radiology.. Thus I got the 1420. But I don't think I will bring it to classes.. Definitely not to the clinical sites. But I think the 1420 is a perfect size in portability/screen size. I have a desktop so its not going to replace that. If I were serious about lugging it around a large campus I probably go shop for Sony TX that still runs XP Pro. Brilliant screen.. nice utraportable and under 4 lbs. But forget gaming completely on that.. It still uses a solo Intel processor but gets over 4 hours for under 4 lbs puts it in a class of its own.

 

You can use the travelers draw to make it 5.9lbs and it comes with a 8 cell battery, In my mind it is still lighter because as a student typing in a lecture I really dont need a DVD rom.

 

True, but the Dell 1420 is lighter with its Travel Lite module.

EDIT: I should add the 1420 also has longer battery life.

 

what is the weight of the 1420?
and how long does a 6 cell last on the 1420?

 

It weighs 5.4 pounds with a 6 cell battery and 6.14 pounds with a 9 cell battery. I am not sure what the battery life is with the 6 cell battery.

 

Yes but your comparing a 8 cell machine to a 6 cell machine, The 8cell to 9cell is more correct.

 

I know, I already made that comparison. The 1420 weighs 6.14 pounds with a 9cell battery and the V1S weighs 6.5 pounds with an 8 cell battery.
Further more, the Dell 1420 is lighter with its Travel Lite module than the V1S with its travel drawer.

 

I have a Gateway M680 (17 inch display) and its not a big deal lugging it around. Granted, I wouldn't be bicycling with it, but I carry it with a spare battery and whatever law book I need for that day and my notes and the weight isn't really an issue for me.

usually carry the laptop, notes, and batteries in my backpack, and my book in hand