Looking for raw (non-charging) power consumption stats for my E1705 laptop to calculate long-haul battery usage. Most info is marketing.
2 months ago.
14 comments so far
actual laptop power usage usually varies wildly depending on
what you're doing - I can get an extra 1/2hr on mine just by
turning the screen brightness down, for instance
It certainly does vary; I get wildly different run times with
the screen turned down and doing light coding vs having the screen
all the way up, and running LOTRO with the graphics card at full
juice.
I'm looking at external batteries, and am really trying to
figure out how long one will last in light coding on a trip to the
USA.
At the moment the best I've done is come up with ball-parks
based upon the capacity of my internal battery, how long it lasts
doing "light coding", and comparing that to the capacity of an
external battery. It looks like one external holds about the same
charge as 2-3 internal batteries (depending upon the type in
question).
I'm halfway tempted to see if I can bring a sealed lead-acid
battery rig on the plane, which should give me plenty of laptop
time, and has the added advantage of being able to start a car if
the need arises. ;)
grats for lotro - I got into AoC beta the other day, so have
been stalled while I look at that ;) I suspect airlines might get a
bit nervous about lead-acid batteries on flights - and flying into
US with anything even vaguely strange strikes me as, um, brave
;)
susan swears by her eee - but it's not got a longer battery life
than mine, and I'm not sure I'd be able to code on it personally.
She uses it as an e-book + web, basically. Oh, and we used it for
skype when she was in Perth recently with a 3G dongle.
I suspect you'll find the sealed lead-acid batteries will not
start a car, as their rated max draw is too low. I suggest you take
a flight with a carrier who provides laptop sockets in-flight! I've
only ever scored that once, mind you..
Sorry, I can only get in-seat power in business class on Qantas,
AA and United, all of which have "reasonable" prices at around the
time when I'm flying. I'm sure in-seat power in economy does exist
for some airlines, but I'm still trying to find them for my
route.
"Reasonable" seems to be cough $2,500 AUD for a
round trip to the west coast of the USA here.
14 comments so far
actual laptop power usage usually varies wildly depending on what you're doing - I can get an extra 1/2hr on mine just by turning the screen brightness down, for instance
2 months ago by silarsis.
It certainly does vary; I get wildly different run times with the screen turned down and doing light coding vs having the screen all the way up, and running LOTRO with the graphics card at full juice.
I'm looking at external batteries, and am really trying to figure out how long one will last in light coding on a trip to the USA.
At the moment the best I've done is come up with ball-parks based upon the capacity of my internal battery, how long it lasts doing "light coding", and comparing that to the capacity of an external battery. It looks like one external holds about the same charge as 2-3 internal batteries (depending upon the type in question).
I'm halfway tempted to see if I can bring a sealed lead-acid battery rig on the plane, which should give me plenty of laptop time, and has the added advantage of being able to start a car if the need arises. ;)
Ding 50 on LOTRO, btw.
2 months ago by pjf.
There's certainly something to be said for having a small, low-powered laptop, rather than a portable games rig as your travel machine.
2 months ago by pjf.
grats for lotro - I got into AoC beta the other day, so have been stalled while I look at that ;) I suspect airlines might get a bit nervous about lead-acid batteries on flights - and flying into US with anything even vaguely strange strikes me as, um, brave ;)
2 months ago by silarsis.
the macbook pro here does alright - it's games capable and can get about 4 hours if I'm light coding and careful (no running unit test suites ;)
2 months ago by silarsis.
I'm suggesting he buys an eeepc or similar for this trip
2 months ago by jarich.
Eee all the way .. but make sure you get a 900 or you'll be kicking yourself
2 months ago by RickMeasham.
susan swears by her eee - but it's not got a longer battery life than mine, and I'm not sure I'd be able to code on it personally. She uses it as an e-book + web, basically. Oh, and we used it for skype when she was in Perth recently with a 3G dongle.
2 months ago by silarsis.
actually, one of our guys here has an eee for sale - old model, but it's been unboxed and switched on and nothing else, so if you want one...
2 months ago by silarsis.
I suspect you'll find the sealed lead-acid batteries will not start a car, as their rated max draw is too low. I suggest you take a flight with a carrier who provides laptop sockets in-flight! I've only ever scored that once, mind you..
2 months ago by dryfter.
Still surprised that ASUS was determined not to present at LCA's Open Day this year....
2 months ago by jarich.
My comment regarding the SLAB was my attempt at humour.
As for flights that provide in-seat power, I can do that if I fly business class, which is shockingly expensive. ;(
2 months ago by pjf.
Sorry, I can only get in-seat power in business class on Qantas, AA and United, all of which have "reasonable" prices at around the time when I'm flying. I'm sure in-seat power in economy does exist for some airlines, but I'm still trying to find them for my route.
"Reasonable" seems to be cough $2,500 AUD for a round trip to the west coast of the USA here.
2 months ago by pjf.
Using a cheap "disposable" laptop is looking more attractive now that it's been ruled that customs officials and search laptops without reasonable suspicion.
1 month, 4 weeks ago by pjf.