DC Adapter or DC-AC Inverter?

[CycloWizard]

I have an HP Pavilion dv9000 laptop. I also have a Prius, which has a lot of available battery power. I want to use my laptop in the car on long trips, so I need a way to tap into the car's batteries. Obviously, there is a DC adapter from HP, but would there be any potential problems with using a DC-AC inverter? The HP adapter is $80, while the inverter is only $25 and could be used for other things besides just plugging in the computer. The laptop power supply is only 65W, so the inverter should be able to handle it easily. I'm really just curious if there are any reasons why I shouldn't use the DC-AC inverter.

Mods: If this should be posted in the power supply forum, please move it there.

 

[beat mania]

Why would you want to spend an extra $55? Besides, as you said, you can plug in other things. The HP one would be useless once you upgrade the laptop. Proprietory stuff sucks.

 

[CycloWizard]

I don't know much about power inverters, so I wasn't sure if I needed to worry about the consistency of the output or anything. *shrug*

 

[corkyg]

The inverter should work just fine. Some modern cars have them built in. The HP adapter, however, is good for other things such as connecting to aircraft power ports when flying.

This is behind the rear seat of my 2005 Buick Terraza:

AC

 

[WackyDan]

Use an inverter all the time....

No issues.

 

[vshah]

be sure to know the max power draw of the 12v plug where you plug in the inverter. my car (civic) is rated for 120w, enough for a laptop and a few more things.