Question about 9 cell batteries, also optimus on laptops...

[savatage79]

So heres the situation, I got an XPS from Dell...this to be exact:

Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM processor (2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
XPS L702X
500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) 2nd Drive
8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
6X Blu-ray (BD-RE)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M 1GB graphics

And first thing im curious about is optimus, this didnt have it. But a friend was mentioning it and im wondering if im going to do some gaming on it which i am...is optimus a must?

Also are 9 cell batteries a nice upgrade? This thing came with a 6 cell and i dont get much out of a 6 cell...and what confuses me is how some of these laptops with almost the same setup have 9 cell batteries.

Im getting while just surfing it seems 2 hours even on balanced or power saver, that doesnt even seem right or is it? Im new to laptops...this thing is mainly for school and some leisure, but i like a machine to have some guts too it as well.

Let me know guys, thanks.

 

[WR2]

Hello

Optimus is not a requirement. It's a battery saving feature that will power down the dedicated graphics card and use the HD 3000 IGP graphics on the CPU - when the graphics card is not needed.
But Dell is saying that all XPS 17 702X models with GT 550M graphics card have Optimus.
http/www.dell.com/us/p/xps-l702x/pd

Battery life also depends on what you're doing at the time, so getting 2hrs on Balanced and 2hrs on Power Saver might not be that unusual.

 

[WR2]

The 9 cell batteries do give you the option to power the laptop longer while mobile.
But they do add extra weight and bulk to what is already a pretty heavy and big notebook. It's a trade off you'll need to consider.


Dell XPS 17 Notebook review

 

[savatage79]

Im not to worried about the weight really...im a lifter so it feels fairly light in comparison but that aside, i just need some mobility with it and for now i got Dell sending me a 9 cell.

I just think a machine of that calibur should have a 9 cell to begin with.

The thing that was bugging me was on balanced or power saver, just surfing the web which i wouldnt think sucks that much juice out, would last longer...heaven forbid i try to run a movie or something unplugged.

Hopefully this 9 cell gives me a decent bit more life unplugged. Other than that, they seem like solid machines.