Battery life T400 to T500

[Sean123]

Just a question. If I was to go down to a T400 with a 9-cell would I see better battery life then my T500 that does have the LED screen. Thinking of getting a T400 to save on the jucie. However if it will only save me an hour or so not really worth it. I could just get a spare battery.

Thanks

[Randle]

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4565
"Unlike the T400 which saw a massive jump in battery life over the previous generation 14" notebook as a result of the LED-backlit screen, the T500's battery life was in line with the 15.4" T61. While the 9-cell battery in the T400 gave 7-8 hours of battery life, the same capacity in the T500 barely manages six hours. The key differences between each notebook are the screen size, backlit technology, and graphics card model, as all of the other options are identical.

In dedicated graphics mode, the screen brightness set to 60%, and wireless active the T500 managed 5 hours and 6 minutes before it shut itself down at 5% remaining. Even though it is still way under the T400 by a couple of hours, it is still very impressive for a 15" notebook. In integrated grahics mode with the same settings, the system squeezes out an hour and a half more, bringing the average consumption from about 13 watts down to 11 watts. The 9-cell battery gives you more than enough time to watch a movie or two on a flight, or even get some work done."

[Randle]

If you went the separate battery option you'd probably need an external battery charger & an ac adapter for this in addition to the extra battery (maybe US$380 total)...

...an ultrabay battery may give you the extra time for only US$120 but some people don't like the way they drain before the main battery.

A T400 plus an ultrabay battery would definitely give you heaps more time, but who wants to buy a new computer for extra hours?! I'm pretty sure that the LED screens aren't yet at the level where they save power due to the amount of LED's in them...

How many hours are you getting at the moment? What is your usage, that you don't have a place to recharge (like in the car or leeching a power point)?

[Sean123]

Currently i'm getting between 6 to seven hours on light use. Word processing and internet. Also on the intagrated graphics. Not that bad.. I might get another 9-cell just to have in the case I need it. For the most part I really only need 4 hrs of battery time before I'm near a plug. I do like the larger monitor with the T500 and with my LED screen in it. I do not think the T400 would buy me that much extra time.