[hannah_dru]

Hi guys,

My laptop battery decided that after 4 and a half years it would die last night so the laptop can only run on the mains now. I'm not sure whether to just replace the battery or get a new computer and wondered your opinions.
Edit: OK I actually think it's not completely dead yet, it can't make its mind up. For about 3 days it was stuck on 1% even when it was plugged into the mains and today I've had notifications saying "no battery detected" before its actually slowly charged itself to the full level.

I'm put off buying a new laptop because:

1) I just moved to a different area which is more expensive and have only been at my new job for a few days so money is very tight and I don't really like the idea of spending a large sump sum right now.
2) Apart from freezing quite a lot for a few minutes this computer is still fine to use and the memory level isn't too bad. It seems a bit of a waste to just get rid of it. I don't know how much longer it'll last though as I used it all through uni and still use it a lot when I'm not working.

but:

1) Even if I buy a new battery (£75-£115) it will still only last an hour before it needs recharging so it could do the same thing again Looking at new laptops, they can run for 6 hours now.
2) I may need to put translation software on my current laptop if I work from home and the memory doesn't seem much compared to new computers. I don't want to slow my current comp down any more and then have problems with my work.

I don't know whether to keep running it off the mains for a bit and then get a new one or whether to just buy a new battery and see how it goes? What do you guys think is the better (if possible, cheaper) option andwould be more worthwhile in the long term?

[rose.3445]

my laptop battery ran out and i got a new one (dell) and it works for so much longer than it did before. I'd get a new battery because even one hour is good, and do some research on the internet to find a reasonably priced one- wait til your feeling secure to buy a new one..i thought about it and im glad i didnt in the end

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by rose.3445)
my laptop battery ran out and i got a new one (dell) and it works for so much longer than it did before. I'd get a new battery because even one hour is good, and do some research on the internet to find a reasonably priced one- wait til your feeling secure to buy a new one..i thought about it and im glad i didnt in the end

One hour is really bad in terms of what I use my computer for though, that's the problem I did find more reasonably priced batteries on Ebay but there's not always warranties on them and I doubt I could return them.

[M4LLY]

I'd just buy a new one

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by M4LLY)
I'd just buy a new one

Battery?

[M4LLY]

Yeah battery, should have put that in

[rainbow drops]

I bought a new laptop battery a while ago and it only cost me around £25

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by rainbow drops)
I bought a new laptop battery a while ago and it only cost me around £25

Where did you get it from?

[rainbow drops]

(Original post by hannah_dru)
Where did you get it from?

Play.com.

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by hannah_dru)
Where did you get it from?

I'd buy a new laptop. There are lots of companies that do the 'buy now - pay 6 months later interest free' and then only usually charge you £20 extra for 'early settlement fee' so that could be useful in your situation?

[meow444]

Just keep it running off the mains? How often do you actually need to use it without it being plugged in?

[mfaxford]

A new battery should last more than an hour. But over time the length a battery will last will decrease.

At this point it really depends on how soon you want to replace the laptop and what you do on it. At 4 1/2 years you might find more bits on the laptop start failing - but then it could also last for another 5 years.

If you don't do anything that intensive then getting a netbook might be an option but they're only really good for email, basic web browsing, office apps etc. If you need something with a bigger screen and/or a bit more power then a netbook probably isn't suitable. New netbooks are likely to cost £200-£300, a new laptop £400+ depending on specs.

[VBQ]

Battery life naturally decreases as the battery itself get's older. A new battery, provided it is compatible with your laptop and all other relevant coponants are working fine should last much longer than an hour.

[Rest]

Get a new macbook pro 7 Hours battery life guarenteed..

[Kevmeister]

(Original post by Rest)
Get a new macbook pro 7 Hours battery life guarenteed..

So, they say 'money is tight' and you recommend one of the most expensive laptops on the market? Logic?

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by rainbow drops)
Play.com.

Just looked on there but unfortunately they've only got adapters for my laptop

(Original post by hassi94)
I'd buy a new laptop. There are lots of companies that do the 'buy now - pay 6 months later interest free' and then only usually charge you £20 extra for 'early settlement fee' so that could be useful in your situation?

Thank you! That would be a lot easier than paying it all at once.

(Original post by meow444)
Just keep it running off the mains? How often do you actually need to use it without it being plugged in?

If I was working from home, practically all day because I have to be literally glued to my screen in case any jobs come through. I liked being to unplug it for an hour to not waste the electric.

(Original post by mfaxford)
A new battery should last more than an hour. But over time the length a battery will last will decrease.

At this point it really depends on how soon you want to replace the laptop and what you do on it. At 4 1/2 years you might find more bits on the laptop start failing - but then it could also last for another 5 years.

If you don't do anything that intensive then getting a netbook might be an option but they're only really good for email, basic web browsing, office apps etc. If you need something with a bigger screen and/or a bit more power then a netbook probably isn't suitable. New netbooks are likely to cost £200-£300, a new laptop £400+ depending on specs.

I won't be replacing it immediately due to my finances. I'd use it for memory heavy translation software (so would need a large screen so I could view multiple windows) and then just the internet and e-mail really. Thanks a lot for your advice!

(Original post by VBQ)
Battery life naturally decreases as the battery itself get's older. A new battery, provided it is compatible with your laptop and all other relevant coponants are working fine should last much longer than an hour.

The exact model I need only lasts an hour so I guess I'd be looking at other batteries I could use with this computer. Not very knowledgeable in that area...

[mfaxford]

(Original post by hannah_dru)
If I was working from home, practically all day because I have to be literally glued to my screen in case any jobs come through. I liked being to unplug it for an hour to not waste the electric.

In terms of the power used that's not going to make any difference. When you plug it back into the mains it will use the mains to run the laptop and charge the battery.

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by mfaxford)
In terms of the power used that's not going to make any difference. When you plug it back into the mains it will use the mains to run the laptop and charge the battery.

I know, but running it for that length of time is expensive when the battery lasts one hour.

[mfaxford]

(Original post by hannah_dru)
I know, but running it for that length of time is expensive when the battery lasts one hour.

I'm not sure how running off the battery makes it any less expensive in terms of using electricity.

Running off the mains will use an amount of power to run the laptop and an additional amount of power to charge the battery. When the battery is full it will only require the power to run the laptop (and not the additional power to charge the battery). When you run from the battery you're not using the mains power but you're using the power stored in the battery so when you plug the laptop back into the mains it will require both the power to run the laptop and the power to charge the battery (rather than just the power to run the laptop). So overall the power usage is the same.

Electricity is billed by the amount used (number of units or kilo watt hours - kWh) not by the amount of time it's being used for. So pulling more power in shorter bursts (charging the battery then running from battery) will cost the same as continous use with less power (running from mains without using the battery).

[hannah_dru]

(Original post by mfaxford)
I'm not sure how running off the battery makes it any less expensive in terms of using electricity.

Running off the mains will use an amount of power to run the laptop and an additional amount of power to charge the battery. When the battery is full it will only require the power to run the laptop (and not the additional power to charge the battery). When you run from the battery you're not using the mains power but you're using the power stored in the battery so when you plug the laptop back into the mains it will require both the power to run the laptop and the power to charge the battery (rather than just the power to run the laptop). So overall the power usage is the same.

Electricity is billed by the amount used (number of units or kilo watt hours - kWh) not by the amount of time it's being used for. So pulling more power in shorter bursts (charging the battery then running from battery) will cost the same as continous use with less power (running from mains without using the battery).

True. I just mean the amount I use it could get expensive on top of everything else, especially from the point of view of buying a new battery and then maybe having to get a new computer eventually anyway.