Hows your laptop battery doing?

Posted by Georgy | 11/01/2011

By Edward Prackle


The powerful components in the laptops of today have necessitated the proliferation of powerful li-ion batteries to keep multicore processors and high def displays ticking over. Of course modestly equipped devices can take advantage of this extra juice by providing hours of computing convenience away from the mains. Unfortunately laptop batteries are still liable to wear out and die in the long run, which can lead to frustration and the need to find a replacement.

In the past li-ion batteries have been less common than they are today and in earlier laptops both nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries have been used. However, both of these technologies are less desirable than li-ion batteries because you cannot recharge them as many times and you are unable to get enough power out of them to handle the modern components found in contemporary laptops.

The prevalence of li-ion batteries means that almost any device manufactured in the past half-decade will use this technology. As a result when the time comes to replace laptop batteries you will not be hard pressed to find options that will help revive an ailing computer. Online retailers stock wide selections of laptop batteries, but before you take the plunge and buy a new one here are a few things you should know.

The first is that while AA batteries you put in things like remote controls for the TV and portable game systems can be swapped between different devices while remaining compatible thanks to a universal form factor; the same is not true of laptop batteries. You must treat each laptop battery as an individual device as, unlike AA batteries, there is no generic shape or size. This means you have to search carefully when shopping for a replacement.

Because li-ion batteries can be created in a number of different shapes and sizes as well as to a number of different power specifications, you will need to consult your laptop's handbook carefully or, failing that, head online to the manufacturer's website to get the low-down on which battery you need to buy.

A quick way of determining what kind of battery you need for your laptop is to check the existing unit for an identifying code or name. Entering this into your search engine of choice will be a good way to kick start the process and should also put you in reach of other users who may have been met with issues during their search and subsequently found solutions to help speed up the process.

The good news is that once you have discovered the right laptop battery for you it is possible to shop around to get the best deal. There are manufacturer-approved replacements on the market, although you do not necessarily have to stick with these if there are reputable alternatives from mainstream companies that catch your eye. This is where laptop batteries are similar to AA batteries because there is plenty of competition and so you do not have to rely on one official replacement if you do not wish to do so.

Users who are sick and tired of their laptop batteries sucking up power from the plug and then providing pathetic performance when you are away from home should definitely splash out on a replacement. It is easy to detect when a battery is on its last legs and because the process of decline can be quite speedy it might be worthwhile getting a spare before your current cell has gasped its last as it is always useful to prepare for the worst case scenario. You would buy spare AA batteries so why not spare batteries for your laptop?




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