New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

battery life

post #1 of 12
2/22/04 at 1:03pm
Thread Starter 
hey guys

what kind of batter life can one expect from an alienware sentia? i know the centrino machines give you anywhere from 4-8hrs... but with all the extra hardware... how much can one expect?

thanks!
tos.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 12
2/22/04 at 2:14pm
Specs that I have read would suggest that 7 hrs unplugged is possible. This can be done with the 2nd battery in place which replaces the CD drive. I need the use of the CD drive even on the go and would rather get a 2nd primary battery.

But looking at alienwares website I find that the primary battery sold is 2200 mAh, compared to the 8800 mAh that came with mine. Maybe this is a typo, I'll look into this later. Primary battery also costs less than the secondary battery. Not sure if the paint option is available for battery orders, another questionI will ask when I get the chance to call them.

Here's a copy and paste from my review on my website regarding the battery:

The rest is found at Slacker.NET
Quote:
With so much CD spin and hard drive access, I did all that in 3 hours and 22 minutes before the first 10% battery warning popped up. Normal use without as much CD and HD access resulted in over 4 1/2 hrs of battery life before receiving the 1st low battery prompt. By this time I shutdown, more than satisfied with the amount of time I can be unplugged. If given the chance to run the battery to 0%, I expect 5 hrs to be achieved. The Sentia supports a secondary battery which adds 1 to 2 hrs more battery life. The added time with the secondary battery in place will replace the optical drive.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 12
2/22/04 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
hey,
i just got reading your review... kinda eye opening...

i've been reading the various posts on this forum regarding the 51ms and the sentias and the voodoos... and im completely lost... i cant decide which to get... most seem to be priced in the same range... expect for primary difference of the combinations between the graphic cards and processors...

the vodoo = ATI + pentium M
Sentia = Integrated Intel + Pentium M
51Ms = ATI + Pentium 4

I am really leaning towards the voodoo since the setup seems to be the most balanced.. but the look of the alienware has me under a tractor beam.. lol...

any ideas on what i should do?

tos
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 12
2/22/04 at 3:25pm
The decision is yours... :-)
I weighed all my options which placed portability at the top of the list. The area-51m (gamer) is a true desktop replacement. As much as I am in awe of the raw power of this thing, battery life and weight was what turned me around.

The voodoo Centrino's are very nice computers. The Sentia's Intel Extreme is beat by the m355 with ATI 64 but not by much as some would suggest. Gaming on the Sentia with the Intel Extreme has been incredible with games such as Call of Duty, Quake III, and CounterStrike. But the 15" screen on the Voodoo would put it just at the outer edge of the thin and light category.

I am going to admit that the Alienware style is one of the reasons I got my Sentia. It simply calls to me, and I swear the Alien eyes winked at me as I was in the shopping phase.

Can't go wrong with the choices you have in front of you. Have fun! :-)
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 12
2/22/04 at 3:29pm
Tos,

All of those you listed are excellent machines in their own right.

The Sentia is a great business/casual gamer laptop with very low batt consumptions and a super cool vibe to it.

The Area 51m is a desktop replacement...no two ways about it. Its big, heavy and has a huge screen. And a full blown P4 with a "user-upgradeable" video module that ATi and Nvidia have both agreed to support with their next generation of mobile video cards.

The M460 is a very well balanced setup as you posted. A powerful Centrino chipset coupled together with the latest and greatest from ATi is hard to beat. In fact, I'm seriously considering picking one up myself as I have need for one more laptop that is not at all like my Area51m (which I love ) that is just a bit more mobile as I travel 3-5 days every week, 52 weeks a year.

Just be sure to peruse all of our Alienware/Sager databases here as well as the Voodoo forums at www.voodoopc.com and I'm sure you'll make a decision that best fits your needs...b/c no one knows what they are better than you.

-Craig
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 12
2/22/04 at 3:38pm
Thread Starter 
well, after reading a lot more... ive ruled the 51ms out.... im not a hardcore gamer... and i wouldnt own a laptop for it...

so it comes down to the voodoo and the sentia.. both look excellent... i cant configure the voodoo right now (there system seems to be down)... so i cant really compare the prices...

do you guys think the sentia's intel card could be swarped with an ati?

thanks!
tos
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 12
2/22/04 at 3:52pm
Looking inside the Intel card can be removed, but not sure on the motherboard if it can be swapped out for the ATI - I don't see why not.

Picture of the video card:
http://www.slacker.net/alienware/MySentia/video/
Be warned that the files are huge, and may take time since my upload speed is only 128kbps.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 12
2/22/04 at 3:57pm
Thread Starter 
hmmm... i saw those pics earlier.. and yeah, i guess the replacement could get messy...

why doesnt alienware just offer the same combination? :P

tos
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 12
2/22/04 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tos
hmmm... i saw those pics earlier.. and yeah, i guess the replacement could get messy...

why doesnt alienware just offer the same combination? :P

tos
Replacement on any other system would be the same. The steps are similar to the Area-51m2 with the GPU replacement flash at Alienwares website.

Not sure why the GPU type was not provided as an option in the first place...
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 12
2/22/04 at 7:05pm
a few thoughts

Voodoo is a far better laptop and company than alienware, but it will cost you about 1000$ more. Since you ruled out 51m2 cuz ur not a gamer then no reason to spend an extra 1000 on an even better gaming rig than 51m2. Since ur not gaming and like the looks the sentia is a great option.

I am a gamer, but Im usually on consoles. If I need to cpu game, I have a desktop that pimp slaps any laptop. Seeing as I dont do that much cpu gaming to begin with I really couldnt justify the extra 1000$ for the best gaming laptops out(voodoo) plus Im partial to aliens. So the choice for me wasnt that difficult. I just pray Im one of the 7 out of 10 who gets their alienware w/ no problems. I just wish alienware had a laptop with the specs of the m460 (DX9 radeon 9600) for the price I paid for my sentia.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 12
2/23/04 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
archalien, i just checked the pricing.. and your right.. there is a huge price difference...

i am going to research into the intel graphics card and then decide on the AW.

Thanks for the info guys
tos.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 12
2/23/04 at 8:11pm
you get what u pay for
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Alienware Sentia, M11x and M14x