Laptops Is it worth getting a 9 cell battery?

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sunny27

sunny27

Stig's Indian Cousin!!!
Galvanizer
Hi!

I own an MSI Cr laptop. The default 6 cell battery lasts me with 3hours 10 mins with judicious usage and battery management options(which includes video playback of SD and 720p content).

I was thinking of getting a higher capacity 9 cell battery and i have been assured it will last 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 15 mins. Before anyone talks about netbooks - there are apps I run which won't run on a netbook. I do travel quite a bit so having good battery back-up would do me good. Coupled together with my existing 6 cell battery i might get a total of 9 hours of battery backup time.

Now MSI will directly ship the battery from Taiwan to me but will charge me rs.6000 for it. I will get a standard 1 yr warranty with the battery. Are they ripping me off? What would similar 9 cell batteries from Dell/HP cost if bought separately?
 
Batteries from laptop manufacturers are gonna cost a bomb any day, be it from Dell or HP or MSI. You have the option to buy OEM batteries with good reviews (like AGPTek batteries) from sites like Amazon for a much cheaper price, typically at almost 50 to 60% lesser price.
 
wont these oem batteries offer performance lower to that of an original battery and won't these oem batteries be harmful and dangerous? I am unable to find OEM batteries for my laptop on amazon or AGPtek's site.
 
as long as they are providing proper voltage and current and voltage, i dont see a reason why they would damage the laptop.

i had seen a few videos over metacafe (before something happened and all old vids vanished from there) about hacking the battery to add extra cells to your existing battery at a very low cost... that is, only at the cost of additional cells.

im not sure how that can be applicable to all laptop batteries but i will surely post it(if i find it) here for those who can open and try. :)

you can either increase number of cells and put higher number, or use higher capacity batteries.

the issue with generic OEM one would be that their circuitry wont be similar and of the same quality, so you can hack the battery that you have and use other cells in that with original circuit without having to worry much.

follow instructions and take precautions :)

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/479447/laptop_battery_hack_dont_buy_a_new_one/

looking for more.. will post as i find something useful.

some more:

http://www.metacafe.com/results/battery_laptop_hack/
 
sunny27 said:
Now MSI will directly ship the battery from Taiwan to me but will charge me rs.6000 for it. I will get a standard 1 yr warranty with the battery. Are they ripping me off? What would similar 9 cell batteries from Dell/HP cost if bought separately?
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How much does a 6 cell battery from MSI cost ?

Might be cheaper to just get another 6 cell to use (default battery in all laptops so larger quantity sold) with your existing one rather than going for a 9-cell.

If you travel a lot then its a given you carry a spare battery anyway.

sunny27 said:
The default 6 cell battery lasts me with 3hours 10 mins with judicious usage and battery management options(which includes video playback of SD and 720p content).
I was thinking of getting a higher capacity 9 cell battery and i have been assured it will last 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 15 mins.
Click to expand...
A 50% increase in cells yielding a near 100% duration increase ?

Maybe they were a little over enthisiastic in selling you that 9-cell.
 
madnav said:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/479447/laptop_battery_hack_dont_buy_a_new_one/
Click to expand...
Where do you get generic, loose Li-on batteries as mentioned in this vid ?

online from abroad or is it available locally.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---
sunny27 said:
a new 6 cell is 4800rs from msi india and 5000rs from the msi dealership.
Click to expand...
For a 25% increase in cost price you get 50% more capacity, sounds like a fair deal no ?

You could get generic packs for cheaper but i'm not sure how safe that is. Worst case is it catches fire and takes your laptop with it or it might never happen.
 
U can get it Li-ions locally or through dealexteme..

blr_p said:
Where do you get generic, loose Li-on batteries as mentioned in this vid ?

online from abroad or is it available locally.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---



For a 25% increase in cost price you get 50% more capacity, sounds like a fair deal no ?

You could get generic packs for cheaper but i'm not sure how safe that is. Worst case is it catches fire and takes your laptop with it or it might never happen.
Click to expand...
 
how badly do you want the extra hour? For me , The headache of carrying it around and the inconvenience ( it protrudes from the body, making it inconvenient to hold) is only slightly lesser than not having to carry a charger and cords to every hostel room. I can fit in one entire study session in a charge, so I'm kinda glad.

but given the hoops you have to do for the msi battery, I'm not sure, but then again , your juice is in addition to the current 6 cell, so i guess that's a lot of backup :)
 
why don't you try GEB.

well i found OEM battery for my laptop for 3.4k about 1.6k cheaper than what i was quoted from HP Dealer for OEM Battery (with 1 year warranty).

there's more he told me that the price for the retail battery is 7.8k (with 1 year warranty). :P

here's the battery if anyone of you is wondering - Global Easy Buy
 
It's DEFINITELY WORTH IT!

I have purchased from Taiwan. 9 cell batteries do cost about $100 on average [can cost much more]. ~4500 Give or take 1000 bucks.

It's DEFINITELY WORTH IT!
I'm not the penny-saving type, but when you buy something like this.
You will ENJOY the backup time!

9 Cell batteries are heavy. So if weight is a problem, you might want to look into it before your purchase.

:)
 
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