Sony VGN-CR25, my style...

[1nc0de]

Hi all,

So I got my vgn-cr25 (http://images.google.com.au/images?q...=1&sa=N&tab=wi) similar to (http://www.sony.com.au/vaio/catalog/...tegoryId=30604) about 5 months ago, and lately have been planning on making it more... beast.

My plan is as follows:

Current: ~4hrs bat on Power Saver mode with Vista.

I want this to be as high as it can be, so I can use Word/Internet at uni for most of day without recharging. I like being outside, and going inside is annoying to charge.

So:

Upgraded RAM to 4GB.

Ordered THIS (http://www.addonics.com/products/fla.../ad2sahdcf.asp) from the US, and am planning on installing windows XP (down from VISTA) onto 2x4GB or 2x8GB CFs in RAID-0 - all to reduce power consump, and make boot faster and more responsive, by using this to replace my current 2.5" hdd.

Planning on making the windows xp install as MINIMAL as possible, so totally stripping it to the bare essentials and read/writes I can.

Using RMClock (http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/C...-utility.shtml) as startup, to undervolt, downclock and throttle my CPU to bare extremes to minimize power use - so basically boot up as fast of possible, but then windows just grinds it down - i don't need much for stripped xp and basic word/firefox (and when i'm at work, plugged in, i'm all out on high performance mode doing my web development, photoshop etc)

Using a small Solar panel on back to trickle charge my laptop while im in class and not using it, or while it's in my car - so a panel on back of laptop to provide like a trickle charge, or even a small 5-10% duration boost if im using it outside and still plugged into the panel to help it all out.

Trying to find something to make my backlight turn off totally, but still remain usable the pc - currently when i press the "display off" button, it turns off, but if i move mouse, turns back on. so basically if im outside i can see fine without backlight; it can be ditched, and I still want to use pc without it turning on. haven't found something like that yet... probably a driver setup config or something.

well... yeah, that's about it for now.

ideas? thoughts? anyone attempted such an extreme makeover?

cheers!

[patdaly]

Should have just bought a Macbook... I get 5.5 hours out of mine.

[AMD2400]

I solved my problems with more batteries

i got a dell latitude D620 with 9 cell battery + drive bay 6 cell battery. im getting 6+ hours with a bit of gaming in there and wifi on. prolly close for 7 or 8 hours if im just doing assignments and wifi off. So i can pretty much dont need the ac charger.

But nice idea there, inspired me to replace this 60GB drive with a similar setup.

I'm using NHC, seems to monitor and control everything i need.

On turning off the backlight, i know that macbook's and macbook pros have that option to turn off the backlight completely, dont know if you can turn it off through the driver. Maybe you can mod a switch on the display inverter?

Goodluck with it, i say solve your problems with more batteries!.

[GreasyBear]

If I remember correctly Sony charge around $500 for a genuine battery.

[1nc0de]

Originally Posted by patdaly

Should have just bought a Macbook... I get 5.5 hours out of mine.

*cries*

i thought about it see, but then my David Jones card gave me like $300 off, so i got my Sony real cheap. And the diff in specs couldnt justify the diff in price from then on. 1.5k compared to 2.5k...

very true. the "long charge" battery is like +$400. mind you, the CF setup is costing me like $150 for thingy, + 2 x either $80, or 2x$150 cards. But nevertheless I figure I should play with the SSD-ish setup anyway, see how it goes. Something different, you know.

[SupremeMoFo]

Sony design beats Apple anyway.

[sanjay]

Originally Posted by patdaly

Should have just bought a Macbook... I get 5.5 hours out of mine.

yeah i get 5 hours consistently out of my ibook at uni, that is, mid brightness, wireless on, internet and word processing.

apple are king at battery life, end of story im afraid.

[1nc0de]

Originally Posted by sanjay

yeah i get 5 hours consistently out of my ibook at uni, that is, mid brightness, wireless on, internet and word processing.

apple are king at battery life, end of story im afraid.

that's quite solid i must say. it's wierd, its like the hardware is the same.... diff batteries?

[AMD2400]

Were you getting the cards from?

i know www.yeahdone.com.au are having some pretty good legit deals at the moment. though the prices dont seem to show up on their site.

Reading the email they sent me its around $69 for a Adata 16gb card 'Speedy version'. around $35 for the 8gb versions. and around $39 for some original Sandisk ones.

A couple of bucks cheaper then some of the stuff on staticice, but if i order a couple ill get a couple more bucks more off for each card.

lemme know your email if your interested in the prices.

AMD2400.

[1nc0de]

Originally Posted by AMD2400

Were you getting the cards from?

i know www.yeahdone.com.au are having some pretty good legit deals at the moment. though the prices dont seem to show up on their site.

Reading the email they sent me its around $69 for a Adata 16gb card 'Speedy version'. around $35 for the 8gb versions. and around $39 for some original Sandisk ones.

A couple of bucks cheaper then some of the stuff on staticice, but if i order a couple ill get a couple more bucks more off for each card.

lemme know your email if your interested in the prices.

AMD2400.

I was thinking 2 4 or 8gb CF from APUS.com.au.

Thing is, right, I need to be sure that they are 300x and support like UDMA or something. like, with sandisk extreme IV i can guarantee the performance and durability I need, you know. hence why they're expensive, but guaranteed to be that fast, and to be compatible with my adapter. with the others... i just can't be sure. so for this experiment I'll stick with the trusted sandisk extreme IVs...

[ricey236]

if you have a removable cd drive, take it out and put in the weightsaver so the drive doesnt drain your batteries.
or in Windows XP click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" thing.

[BuuBox]

The trickle charge idea will reduce the lifespan of your battery.

[1nc0de]

re CDROM drive: so if im not using it actively, i can just "safely remove" my CD rom drive? that's amazing!

re battery: hmm,fair enough. reconsidering trickle charge, moreover i need bigger solar panels, so no go

[ricey236]

Yeh if you remove it it should reduce battery drain. Thats if you have a removable one