Extended Laptop Battery Makes All of the Difference
Summary
Adding an extended-life battery to your laptop will dramatically
improve your user experience. I have added extended-life batteries to
every laptop I have used, from a Compaq NC6000 to a Compaq Presario V5000/V5305. They
let you work longer without being plugged in, usually 4-6 hours.
Also, they extend the life of your battery by requiring fewer
recharge cycles.
Longer Work Time
The standard batteries that come with many laptops these days only
last an hour or two. This means you frequently have to be plugged
in. Isn't the point of a laptop to be mobile? If you have to be
plugged in often then you are tied to an electrical outlet and can't
move freely.
With an extended-life battery I can get 5 hours out of my NC6000 and 6
hours out of my Presario V5305. This is active use with the display
on, not just sitting around with the lid closed. These times are
2.5-3 times greater than the life with the standard battery.
What to look for
Find out how many Amp-hours your original battery can store. It's
often printed on the battery. For my Presario V5305, the original
battery was 4.4Ah. My replacement battery from AtBatt.com, whom I can strongly
recommend, stores 8.8Ah. AtBatt often has weekend specials, so visit
the site often or sign up for their mailing list to get 10-15% off
specials mailed to you.
Extended Battery Life
Batteries last a certain number of charge cycles. By buying an
extended-life battery, not only can you use your laptop longer before
charging it, but the battery will last longer too. That's because a
battery that lasts 2 hours and will let you run the laptop 600 hours
before needing replacement if it has a life of 300 recharge cycles. A
similar battery with a 6-hour runtime will give you 1800 hours of
laptop usage before needing replacement. If you look at it this way,
the fact that the extended-life battery costs more is canceled out
since you won't need to replace it as often. You'd have to buy 3
2-hour batteries during the life of your 6-hour battery. It is
probably cheaper in the end to buy the 6-hour battery, and you don't
have to pug in as often either!
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