What battery do I need for my laptop to last 20 hours?

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wyem

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I have a Lenovo G700 variant that I would like to last for a 20 hour transpacific flight. I saw a QI Infinity powerplant on Amazon that has 52,800 MAH. Someone said it extended their laptop by an extra 8 hours when gaming, 14 hours under normal use. Since I intend to play games (Civ 4), I guess I will need two of them unless I come across a better option.

Anyone know of a 100,000 MAH unit? Are there other better options?
 
bump up to first class and just plug it in.
 
Not an option unfortunately. Let's talk battery packs – is the one I mentioned the best on the market?
 
wyem said:
I have a Lenovo G700 variant that I would like to last for a 20 hour transpacific flight. I saw a QI Infinity powerplant on Amazon that has 52,800 MAH. Someone said it extended their laptop by an extra 8 hours when gaming, 14 hours under normal use. Since I intend to play games (Civ 4), I guess I will need two of them unless I come across a better option.

Anyone know of a 100,000 MAH unit? Are there other better options?
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I say that this is not really possible unless the battery is somehow physically around double the size.
 
wyem said:
Not an option unfortunately. Let's talk battery packs – is the one I mentioned the best on the market?
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What is your definition of best?:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007Q...SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=318TCiMxf8L&ref=plSrch

Also good luck getting that Qi pack to charge a gaming laptop. It doesn't list the actual sustained output and some of the comments indicate it can't handle a powerful laptop, just ultralights.

This may be able to sustain higher drain over a period of time:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CW...&dpID=412qS+qvUnL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

What is the price of just buying more laptop batteries?
 
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There are a ton of different G700 models. Which one do you have? Specifically, specs?

The best way to figure it out is to first figure out your battery's capacity (Ah, or amp-hours) and voltage. 1000 mAh = 1 Ah. Multiply those two numbers to get the number of watt-hours (or milliwatt-hours if you use mAh). Experiment to find out how many hours you can play on it. Divide the calculated watt-hours by the amount of time you're able to play in hours. That's the amount of watt-hours you need to play for 1 hour. Multiply that number by 20. You need that many watt-hours (minus your battery's capacity) to play during that trip.

To figure out the watt-hours of external battery packs, once again multiply Ah by voltage. Ah does not tell the whole story in terms of battery capacity. A 6 Ah 20 volt battery has a higher capacity than a 10 Ah 10 volt battery (120 watt-hours vs 100 watt-hours).

My advice: Bring some books, bring a tablet with movies, and get some sleep.
 
My G700 variant has an i7-3612QM quad core at 2.1 ghz, 8 gb memory, 17.3" screen, intel HD 4000 graphics (it's not really a gaming laptop, more of a business/productivity laptop). 1TB hard drive.

Civilization 4 is a relatively old game, but still a game. So I guess I would classify that as moderate to heavy use?

As for the drain rate, can someone point me to the review that said that the QI-infinity is not sufficient for a decent full-size laptop? Here's a review that seems to indicate the opposite:

So far I am loving it. I typically uses all 3 ports with my tablet, phone and laptop all connected simultaneously for most of the day. This Hulk Hogan keeps going with minimum of fuss. It is pricy for sure but then I haven't seen any other product with this capacity and at this price point.
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wyem said:
My G700 variant has an i7-3612QM quad core at 2.1 ghz, 8 gb memory, 17.3" screen, intel HD 4000 graphics (it's not really a gaming laptop, more of a business/productivity laptop). 1TB hard drive.

Civilization 4 is a relatively old game, but still a game. So I guess I would classify that as moderate to heavy use?

As for the drain rate, can someone point me to the review that said that the QI-infinity is not sufficient for a decent full-size laptop? Here's a review that seems to indicate the opposite:
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In the the and four star reviews basically indicate a Mac book pro under load was to much. That being said have you ever flown an international flight before? There really isn't room to laptop unless your in like economy plus. I've done it, but it wasn't fun. You might ve better served by getting some audio books. Know that doesn't help with your decision and you might still want battery anyway. I'm just trying to say I wouldn't solely rely on laptop for sanity
 
I guess I'm the opposite of you, the laptop is by far the best way to pass the time. I tend to reserve seats next to exit doors. I've had no trouble in more crowded seats either.

Maybe I'll just have to get a netbook. Something that lasts 8 to 10 hours on its own will probably be just fine with this additional battery pack. That's a lot of extra gear just for flights though.
 
okay I looked into this and found a good $200 netbook with a 12 hour battery life: http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_EeeBook_X205TA/

So if I figure I'll get about 8 hours out of it from heavier than average use, the power brick above should make up the difference. A bit more gear than I'd like to carry but if it gets me through those otherwise terrible flights, then it's worth it.
 
wyem said:
okay I looked into this and found a good $200 netbook with a 12 hour battery life: http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_EeeBook_X205TA/

So if I figure I'll get about 8 hours out of it from heavier than average use, the power brick above should make up the difference. A bit more gear than I'd like to carry but if it gets me through those otherwise terrible flights, then it's worth it.
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Just get an Android/iOS tablet and a smaller battery pack? In my experience those netbooks (and other Atom CPU tablets) do horribly under any sort of decent CPU load.
 
ocellaris said:
Just get an Android/iOS tablet and a smaller battery pack? In my experience those netbooks (and other Atom CPU tablets) do horribly under any sort of decent CPU load.
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Unfortunately this is insufficient for playing a game like civilization 4. You really want an external keyboard, and of course the Windows operating system.
 
wyem said:
Unfortunately this is insufficient for playing a game like civilization 4. You really want an external keyboard, and of course the Windows operating system.
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I think the previous post was suggesting you play games available on those tablets.Maybe get a 3DS and a few RPG games, would last quite a while and should be able to be charged with an external battery.
 
Sp33dFr33k said:
I think the previous post was suggesting you play games available on those tablets.Maybe get a 3DS and a few RPG games, would last quite a while and should be able to be charged with an external battery.
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Plus people that like strategy games can play Fire Emblem on a 3DS. That will keep anyone busy for an around the world trip. In a boat! :D
 
Okay cool, maybe I need to start a new thread on choosing a different game that might work on a tablet and/or android. I did a couple hours of research the other week regarding the most addictive games to play for killing time. Civilization 4 was tops on the list. I've actually never played it myself but some professional YouTube reviews confirmed what the posters said.

My closest experience with a "time warping" game is age of empires, I could definitely see myself killing half a day on that game. But it too is Windows-based.
 
wyem said:
I have a Lenovo G700 variant that I would like to last for a 20 hour transpacific flight.
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There are no 20 hour transpac flights. EWR to SIN on Singapore was the longest scheduled commercial flight in the world and it was still under 19 hours and only the A340-500 is special config or a 777-200LR can even do commercial durations near that. So, how long of a flight are you actually taking? You clearly won't need 20 hour battery time on your transpac so there may be viable options if you are so dependent on playing a game for more than 8 hours straight.
 
I've been whisked from one plane into another when the schedules been thrown off. There's not always an interim where I can get a full charge.

It's fine if you don't agree with my desire for a long battery life but please keep the disparaging remarks to a minimum.
 
wyem said:
I've been whisked from one plane into another when the schedules been thrown off. There's not always an interim where I can get a full charge.

It's fine if you don't agree with my desire for a long battery life but please keep the disparaging remarks to a minimum.
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It's not agree or disagree, it is just you presented a false scenario which will prevent people from actually being able to find a solution for you. So, how long is the flight actually that you need to be gaming on for more than 8 hours straight?
 
There is no need, this is a want. To be crystal clear, I'm looking to have 20 hours of continuous battery life in a Windows-based machine. Gaming is the main focus but not the sole focus. If I fall short by a few hours it is okay.

You can choose to argue that I don't actually need 20 hours if you wish but I will not entertain that side of discussion anymore.
 
wyem said:
There is no need, this is a want. To be crystal clear, I'm looking to have 20 hours of continuous battery life in a Windows-based machine. Gaming is the main focus but not the sole focus. If I fall short by a few hours it is okay.

You can choose to argue that I don't actually need 20 hours if you wish but I will not entertain that side of discussion anymore.
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If that is the way you want to handle it then your best bet is to buy 5 of these charge them before you leave and swap as necessary because none of your options you have presented or entertained are going to suit your needs. If you do decide to give us a real time frame then I might be able to help you find a better solution.
 
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Since entering this thread you've taken on an antagonistic position so I don't feel comfortable looking to you for advice.

The netbook and power bank will fill the battery life requirement and check my other boxes as well.
 
wyem said:
Since entering this thread you've taken on an antagonistic position so I don't feel comfortable looking to you for advice.

The netbook and power bank will fill the battery life requirement and check my other boxes as well.
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The downside is those netbooks run worse than a actual mobile tablet. I have an Atom quad tablet, it's pretty damn pokey and not great on battery when doing anything useful. Anything you think you can do with it is going to run worse than you expect. You are better off with a mobile device running mobile apps.

I think you should bring your laptop, spare battery, and a 3DS with a small power bank. Then you will have plenty of gaming and you can mix it up.
 
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wyem said:
The netbook and power bank will fill the battery life requirement and check my other boxes as well.
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It is a 1.83GHz Atom in a 0.68in thick chassis and a 11.6" screen. It is not going to be what one would call a good or even marginal gaming and it is going to get warm if you somehow run it for 20 hours. People have tried this over on Civfanatics and literally they were in the single digit frame rates to teens.

wyem said:
Since entering this thread you've taken on an antagonistic position so I don't feel comfortable looking to you for advice.
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If your post had been accurate I would not have needed to ask you any questions. If you post more accurately in the future you could eliminate that issue, however forums are sort of a back and forth. Question and answer, post and response format so you won't completely be able to avoid people pointing out issues with your propositions.
 
My initial post laid out an accurate scenario. I should know because I've undergone it several times, so this is not theory.

You still haven't presented evidence that 20 hours between recharges is impossible. You only stated that there are no 20 hour flight segments.

Point taken on the atom processor though, I guess I'll look for something else.
 
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wyem said:
Okay cool, maybe I need to start a new thread on choosing a different game that might work on a tablet and/or android. I did a couple hours of research the other week regarding the most addictive games to play for killing time. Civilization 4 was tops on the list. I've actually never played it myself but some professional YouTube reviews confirmed what the posters said.

My closest experience with a "time warping" game is age of empires, I could definitely see myself killing half a day on that game. But it too is Windows-based.
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Ugh... this kind of logic is so bad it makes my head hurt.

What kills time for others will not necessarily kill time for you. Even if it works for the majority, doesn't mean you are part of that majority.

I would highly, highly suggest you start experimenting with mobile games. You are going down the wrong direction, big time.
 
The logic is sound. The more popular an option is, the more evidence there is that it's a good choice for most people. There are exceptions of course, but let's not pretend that popularity and even consensus has no decision-making value.

You also ignoring the fact that I have a history of enjoying strategy games. And that I would be trying out the game before going on a flight. As a reminder, this topic is a discussion about battery life, not specific games.
 
How would you stay awake for 20 hours?

Have you verified the flight won't have charging ports for normal seating? Last few flights I have taken (conus) had receptacles in economy seating.

Completely not interested in doing some edifying/professional development reading?
 
Trust me I don't need help staying awake during a flight. And not by choice I'll tell you that.

Some flights do have outlets, some flights don't.

I never said I wasn't interested in reading.
 
wyem said:
Trust me I don't need help staying awake during a flight. And not by choice I'll tell you that.
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Been there, ha. From what I could tell, I was once the only person awake on a red eye flying into Boston a few years back. Shit felt like the start of a horror movie. The whole plane was silent aside from some engine humming, no flight attendants had been seen for like 30 minutes, and no one in the plane was even audibly snoring. Meanwhile I was like...

>_>
O_O
<_<
O_O
 
wyem said:
It's fine if you don't agree with my desire for a long battery life but please keep the disparaging remarks to a minimum.
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There's a price to be paid when asking strangers for help. Just be grateful people are replying to your thread at all and get over it.

Paul_Johnson said:
If that is the way you want to handle it then your best bet is to buy 5 of these charge them before you leave and swap as necessary.
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This is your best scenario. Just get a few batteries, charge them before you leave and swap them when you have to. You don't have to mess about with buying third party equipment, getting a new laptop/notebook/tablet or finding different games to play. Just get a few spare batteries for your laptop, and if you want to charge two at a time you can get an external charger to speed things up.
 
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#Grey said:
There's a price to be paid when asking strangers for help. Just be grateful people are replying to your thread at all and get over it.
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You must be joking; it's not okay to be rude to people for no reason. Please do not try to justify this kind of thing as a norm.

My comment should not be misinterpreted, I think most of the replies (including yours) have been courteous and helpful, and I appreciate that.
 
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