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    6-cell or 9-cell battery?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by jkozlow3, Nov 26, 2006.

  1. jkozlow3

    jkozlow3 Notebook Guru

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    Should I order the 6-cell or 9-cell battery for a Z61M? The 9-cell is only $30-40 more, but is it an eyesore sticking out the back? If it's going to look ridiculous, I'd prefer a slightly shorter battery life.

    Anyone had both? Can you comment on looks/life differences?

    Thanks!
     
  2. zachtib

    zachtib Notebook Consultant

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    I have an R51, and the 9 cell battery looks fine, and nearly doubles my battery life (from just over 2 to just under 4 hours). I'd say go for it if you'll be spending any amount of time away from a plug
     
  3. bigtrip

    bigtrip Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have a 9 cell on my R60 and love it. I also get around 4 hours off the charge. It's not too bulky to be an inconvenience...
     
  4. Teranfirbt

    Teranfirbt Notebook Consultant

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    I have the 9 cell on my T60. IBM makes it look good, so you don't need to worry about it. I can get about 4.5 hours on my T60 with the screen brightness all of the way down.
     
  5. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    Teran...is that coming out of hibernate or from off? Something I've found is that for some reason when on battery there is more wattage drain coming out of hibernate than if the computer had been shut off. I ask because I can get about 6.5 hours on my T60 (6 before I upgraded to bios 2.03) with everything set to get the best battery life with a 9-cell (and yes I have the 15" screen) and even with wireless on using the net I still get about 5.5 hours (note, I edit the hours. The old ones I put understated how long the battery lasts a little because I didn't have much experience with the new bios yet).
     
  6. hdave

    hdave Notebook Geek

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    whats the weight difference?
     
  7. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    I forgot to add, go for the 9-cell. I have a T60 with a 15" screen, which to me is slightly more mobile than a 15.4" widescreen which that z60m has. It's not like these are ultra portables (though, I, like I'm guessing you, do carry mine lots of places even though it's a 15" - on planes, at the library, student union, bookstore, park, diner...the only thing I find it too big for is taking notes in class, though I don't do that anyways, and for that I don't think even a 14" would do, I'd want an X60 tablet for that). The 9 cell does stick out the back, but not like a sore thumb. The nice this is that if gives the back end a curved edge, and if you ever carry around your laptop outside it's case, this is nice (make your hand in the shape you would make if you were holding a closed laptop by it's edge, notice your hand is curved, so the 9-cell fills the hand making it very comfortable to hold at your side). The extra mobility is a god send. With my old laptop (which was worse on battery than T60 would be on a 6 cell, but still I think it's a good example), I only got about 2 hrs of battery, so every time I took my laptop some place I had to bring the power cord. With this thing I have never once needed my power cord when away from my room. With the 6 cell I think you'd get just enough to not need to bring your cord with you places, but it would be close.
     
  8. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    There is always the modular battery.
     
  9. Teranfirbt

    Teranfirbt Notebook Consultant

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    Marlinspike: I use hibernate... Are you actually measuring that much time or are you just going by what Windows says?
     
  10. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    I'm actually using that much time...but the difference in battery usage coming out of hibernate vs coming out of shut down is enough to account for the difference. Also the latest bios gave me an extra 30 minutes
     
  11. Fred from NYC

    Fred from NYC Notebook Evangelist

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    Take the bigger battery. I would not give this advice if the battery extended out from the front of the computer, like on some Dell notebooks.
     
  12. Quest

    Quest Notebook Guru

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    This contradicts with some of the previous posters who said that the 9-cell battery DOES stick out. So which is it? Can anyone clear this up for me?
     
  13. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    It does stick out, but it sticksw out the back, not the front.
    [​IMG]
    (bad picture I know, I just wanted to take something quick to show you as I'm on my way to lunch now and in a hurry.
     
  14. Quest

    Quest Notebook Guru

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    marlinspike, thanks a bunch for the picture. if you have time for another one, that would be great.

    another thing, how much does it cost to purchase an additional 6-cell battery? (for those times when you DONT want the extra bulk)
     
  15. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    If you go to accessories on the lenovo website you can see the batteries. The 6 cell is 159, the 9 cell is normally 179 on sale now for 125.30, and the ultrabay batter is 119.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Quest

    Quest Notebook Guru

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    Youre the man. Thanks a bunch for the info and especially the pictures.
     
  17. FiReWoLf

    FiReWoLf Notebook Evangelist

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  18. marlinspike

    marlinspike Notebook Deity

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    I forgot to mention, that's a 15" T60