Extended Battery question.

[Slicedbread]

Since its almost back to school and I will be on campus for around 9 hours a day, I was thinking about purchasing this battery for my notebook which is on sale until saturday, it is significantly cheaper than HP's price of 179.99 and I would like to know some of the cons of getting it.

I know it sticks out more and is slightly heavier but I have also heard that they have less recharge cycles than their lower-cell counterparts, is this a true or a real problem at all?

 

[deathwalker]

Hey...if you need it..get it. I assume you have done your competitive price comparison and its a good deal. I know of ablsolutely no truth to the fact that having more cells reduces recharge cycle life. This is a Lith-ion battery, latest technology and the battery does not have a recharge level memory like the old Nicads meaning...you dont have to intentionally cycle the batteries to get them to charge properly..although you should do it a couple of times so your laptop battery control knows the peek level of the battery for proper charge management.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Slicedbread
Since its almost back to school and I will be on campus for around 9 hours a day, I was thinking about purchasing this battery for my notebook which is on sale until saturday, it is significantly cheaper than HP's price of 179.99 and I would like to know some of the cons of getting it.

I know it sticks out more and is slightly heavier but I have also heard that they have less recharge cycles than their lower-cell counterparts, is this a true or a real problem at all?

If you're going back to school why not try to see if you get ERP from HP?
Last time I checked the very same battery (I have a Compaq V2710Z) was $109 ERP pricing, and if you're spending that much money anyways wouldn't you be better off getting it directly from HP?

 

[Slicedbread]

What exactly is ERP? As far as I know, my school only has a deal setup with Dell.

 

[corkyg]

When I bought my dv1000 from HP, I got both the 6 cell and the 12 cell batteries. I use 'em both - rotate periodically. The weight difference is not really significant, but the 12 cell does add about 3/4-in of height at the back - actually lifts the rear and opens up air space under the laptop which may enhance cooling. I notice no difference in their capacities after a year and a half of use.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Slicedbread
What exactly is ERP? As far as I know, my school only has a deal setup with Dell.

Never mind, my bad. It's actually the ARP:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1892617&enterthread=y

Well try that out?

 

[Slicedbread]

I just bought it, it is a genuine HP battery. I brought the laptop with me and used the HP battery check utility to verify that it was in good condition and that was not one of those batteries affected by HP's recall a few months ago.

I will test how long it lasts when its done fully charging and post it here. I do have a question though, should I let the laptop shutdown when its out of power or stop it at 1%? When I have completely discharged the 6-cell in the past NHC showed a 3% increase in wear level.

BTW, the APP shows me the special price of 170.99 down from 179.99.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: Slicedbread
I just bought it, it is a genuine HP battery. I brought the laptop with me and used the HP battery check utility to verify that it was in good condition and that was not one of those batteries affected by HP's recall a few months ago.

I will test how long it lasts when its done fully charging and post it here. I do have a question though, should I let the laptop shutdown when its out of power or stop it at 1%? When I have completely discharged the 6-cell in the past NHC showed a 3% increase in wear level.

BTW, the APP shows me the special price of 170.99 down from 179.99.

Yeah, the APP was nothing special. 6% discount on laptops I believe.

That 12-cell should do wonders for your battery life. My gf's dv1000 has had one from day one and gave her 6+ hours on a 400MHz FSB Dothan. I wanna say she's had the notebook around 1.5 years now, maybe close to 2 years, and the battery is just starting to show reduced life for her. Only good thing about her Best Buy warranty is she can get a free battery every year, but they're not genuine HP.

 

[Parasitic]

In that case then $109 for genuine HP part is a good deal.
Maybe I should get one too.

By the way, for some reason NHC says that my battery has a 33% wear but it hasn't been maybe 2 months since the new 6-cell batery was issued - however it passed the HP Battery Check program. Should I be worried about it?

Is there anything I can do by asking HP?