Should I keep my Aviator CQ6???

G'day Gromet,

I don't own a 9860, so I can't comment on the powerbirck size or battery life, but I understand the problem you are having with power vs size. Obviously the bigger laptops will always have more power than the smaller lighter versions, but there are obviously some compromises and with the advent of sonoma ie. centrino + pci-express, there is now potential for better graphics/games performance in a lighter notebook with decent battery life also.

Given that you have just purchased an older generation centrino and don't sound 100% stoked with it, I would seriously consider sending it back. If you don't need more than 1 hour battery life, then the 9860/7620 would probably be your best replacement. If you would prefer slightly better battery however, I would look at the Acer TM8100, which has the sonoma + X700, producing performance similar to the current gen Dell XPS in games, while still maintaining approx 3.5 hrs battery life. Keep in mind though, that if you use all settings maxed and are looking for gaming battery life, then sonoma will probably struggle to give more than 2 hours with a 15.4" screen.

Alternatively there is also the larger 17" Dell 9300 due to be released in the next month or two (depending on which rumour you believe ) which is probably going to have less battery life than the Acer, but with 17" screen and capability to carry the Nvidia 6800 Go Card. This is going to give you gaming power approaching that of the 9860, with better but not brilliant battery life. I would expect that on low settings and running low intensity apps you could approach 3.5hrs battery life still with a 9 cell battery. This laptop would weigh approx. 7lbs. Note that these are estimates only taken from various rumours, as this laptop is still yet to be released. There is also the rumour of a Clevo 15" Sonoma + X800 release, but with far less details or reliability of confirmation than the Dell rumours.

So basically I would return the Aviator. If you need no more than 1 hr battery, by all means go for the 9860. If you do need more then you can either get the 8100 now (which is a very capable and versatile machine by all accounts) or wait and see what new sonoma laptops are released in the next month or so.

Cheers