X60s battery life

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toomak · #1 Post by **toomak** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:11 pm

I keep reading about how the X60s has an amazing battery life, but I don't seem to find it. While the extended battery gives me 5-6 hours, the original one lasts less than 2, usually ~90 minutes. I replaced the battery at Lenovo, but nothing's changed. Is this normal or is this something wring with my X60s?
Thanks

thibouille27 · #2 Post by **thibouille27** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:16 pm

Probably something wrong.
However keep in my Wireless enabled when not needed will lower autonomy and specially Bluetooth which is a Watt eater it seems.

Of course, after about a year of use, the batteries really do not provide anmore 4/8 hours of autonomy.

toomak · #3 Post by **toomak** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:22 pm

Of course, after about a year of use, the batteries really do not provide anmore 4/8 hours of autonomy.

Oh, how I wish. ...
Let's say I fully charge each battery and let it run with the WiFi/BT switch turned off, what should I expect on a 4 month old laptop?
Any other tests I can run?

Thanks

thibouille27 · #4 Post by **thibouille27** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:39 pm

My X60 in the first months (but earlier BIOSes seemed better on an autonomy point of view) with 8cells batery, Intel wireless ON and Bluetooth OFF, screen to minimum usable (surfing in my bed ^^) I obtained about 7 hours. Maybe only 6.5 hours.

Yeah when you see that you really really surf the whole night LOL

Even playing WOW I can stay about 3 hours with the 8cells battery and Wifi ON

toomak · #5 Post by **toomak** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:54 pm

maybe it's different over there, but here the X60s are sold with a tiny battery. I don't know how many cells, but it's definitely not 8.
Thanks

thibouille27 · #6 Post by **thibouille27** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:24 pm

4 cells slim battery. Should hold 3-3.5 hours.

sugo · #7 Post by **sugo** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 6:09 pm

The battery that sticks out from the back of the thinkpad is an 8 cell "High Capacity battery".

The flat one that makes the laptop much thicker is what Lenovo calls extended battery:
X60/s Extended battery

With 8 cell on my X60s, LCD brightness at 5/7, Intel WiFi on, Windows shows 7 hours battery life while surfing the net.

nefertari · #8 Post by **nefertari** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 12:17 am

My x60 lasts 6-7 hours with 8 cell battery.

gunston · #9 Post by **gunston** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:07 am

X60s can last 1.5 extra hr slightly longer than x60.
well, it is totally depends on your usage

Wolfie · #10 Post by **Wolfie** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:26 pm

The key is in the screen brightness of the screen. Only way to get anywhere near 8 hours is to use the lowest screen brightness setting.

thibouille27 · #11 Post by **thibouille27** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:50 pm

Wolfie wrote:The key is in the screen brightness of the screen. Only way to get anywhere near 8 hours is to use the lowest screen brightness setting.

Yeah I second that. I usually use minimum+1 brightness setting.

toomak · #12 Post by **toomak** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:57 am

A strange thing is that while the green meter is showing 93%/1h39m the blue one in the system tray is showing 92%/1h59m... both are too optimistic, but which is supposed to be more reliable?

thibouille27 · #13 Post by **thibouille27** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:36 am

The IBM one (green one) is way more reliable than the default windows meter (little blue icon in system try area).

I ask windows to always hide this blue icon: don't care the heck anymore

jamess · #14 Post by **jamess** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:09 am

thibouille27 wrote:4 cells slim battery. Should hold 3-3.5 hours.

Even when it was new, my X60s lasted about 2h 40min max (with wifi), basic word, excel and a bit of surfing...

toomak · #15 Post by **toomak** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:05 am

jamess wrote:
thibouille27 wrote:4 cells slim battery. Should hold 3-3.5 hours.
Even when it was new, my X60s lasted about 2h 40min max (with wifi), basic word, excel and a bit of surfing...

never got to 2...

pdudas · #16 Post by **pdudas** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:16 pm

thibouille27 wrote:4 cells slim battery. Should hold 3-3.5 hours.

I had x60 and now have x60s. X60 lasted longer than x60s from the "small" battery. X60 lasted about 3 hours from the 2600mAh battery.

X60 lasts only 2:40 from the 2000mAh slim battery.

(both of them was measured with the same brigthness settings and browsing through the wifi)

Maybe the 2.07 bios consumes more power than 1.07 (i had in the x60).

The wifi card is the same type (atheros) , and the XP too (restored from the acronis true image backup).

I hate this 'flat' slim battery... cylindric has 30% more juice in it

AFAIK the cylindric cant be used in X60s...

techflavor · #17 Post by **techflavor** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:29 pm

I usually get 7-7.5 hours with my screen brightness all the way up and with wifi on.

FYI - I have an 8 cell battery.

pianowizard · #18 Post by **pianowizard** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:27 pm

techflavor wrote:I usually get 7-7.5 hours with my screen brightness all the way up and with wifi on.

And I got about 10 hours from my X60s with the screen brightness all the way down. That's for an 8-cell battery with about 16 cycles.

thibouille27 · #19 Post by **thibouille27** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:38 pm

pdudas wrote: AFAIK the cylindric cant be used in X60s...

You can. The only thing you can't do is the opposite: using the slim 4cells on a X60. Any other combination of batteries <-> X60(s) is possible.

aabram · #20 Post by **aabram** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:38 pm

thibouille27 wrote:4 cells slim battery. Should hold 3-3.5 hours.

Really? Mine does ~2h, give or take some. Definitely not 3h.

smvp6459 · #21 Post by **smvp6459** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:18 pm

I can get 3+ hours on the 4-cell slimline if I'm on the lowest brightness setting, WiFi is turned off, I'm not doing anything processor intensive, and I'm not accessing the harddrive much (i.e. the harddrive is spun down most of the time).

sugo · #22 Post by **sugo** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:47 pm

Do you all use your thinkpads while waiting for shooting stars at night?

I use my X60s under office lighting conditions. I would go blind if I turn LCD to minimum brightness.

smvp6459 · #23 Post by **smvp6459** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:54 pm

When I'm on battery, I normally use 1 bar of brightness unless I'm desperate for battery power. Normally when I'm someplace indoors with bright lighting I can find a power strip.

thibouille27 · #24 Post by **thibouille27** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 6:04 am

smvp6459 wrote:When I'm on battery, I normally use 1 bar of brightness unless I'm desperate for battery power. Normally when I'm someplace indoors with bright lighting I can find a power strip.

Same here.

tyanlion · #25 Post by **tyanlion** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:50 am

For those who had 8 hours battery life what bios did u use?

smvp6459 · #26 Post by **smvp6459** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:31 pm

tyanlion wrote:For those who had 8 hours battery life what bios did u use?

I think 1.04, 1.11 (which was removed from the website), and 2.07. I haven't updated to the most recent bioses yet.

codek · #27 Post by **codek** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:32 pm

I'm thinking about getting the x60s well probably will pull the trigger this weekend. Is the x60s slimness worth it? what I mean is, is the slim battery make the whole laptop that much skinnier? I'm guessing the .2 inch difference in height is only at the back where the battery is and I'm assuming the front has the same thickness?

x60s or x60? what do you guys think?

btw. I'm not a heavy road user and this will stay plugged in about 50% of the time but I'd like the freedom to be unplugged for awhile but thinness is the most important factor to me but .2 inches? I don't know if that is enough to make it worth it.

edit. I will never go back to desktops. I live next to work on the weekdays and go home home on the weekends and need to transport between the two places.

tyanlion · #28 Post by **tyanlion** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:57 pm

x60s for mobility and x60 for less mobility and more power. If you are not attempting to do a 7 hr unplug sessioin do not buy the x60s. btw I believe that laptops were created for the main purpose of mobility. If you have the money(you should have if u can buy an x60s) you should just buy a desktop if you want power and a thumbdrive to move information back inforth between pcs(provided your information u need is small). If you have a lot of info however I guess you would have no choice but to pick the x60s but today's thumbs are at 4-8gig so really unless your some kind of graphics professional its not really necessary I feel.

Back to subject.

Forgot to ask about if u had a ul screen when u got that type of battery life because my non ul x60s can barely make 6.5 hrs with the 8 cell with LCD brightness high and wireless on. Maybe its the anti virus programs??? or did you start with a fresh installed os with little or no drivers?

thibouille27 · #29 Post by **thibouille27** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:38 am

6.5 with LCD set to max is about normal IMO.
I'd be you I would (when unplugged) put LCD to the minimum you're confortable with.

When I use it in my bed (yea, happens when my wife's sleeping already) I set LCD to minimum or minimum+1. Doind office-type work in this situation with Wifi On (but BT off) it will do 7.5-8.5 hours (even latest bios)

X60s battery life

X60s battery life

8 cell

which meter to believe?

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