08 MBP Battery Upgrade - Make a difference?

[quixoticboi]

So the late 2008/early 2009 model 15" MBP is rated at holding 5 hours on a single charge. Mine holds 3-4 if I dim my screen way down. I was wondering if anyone has upgraded their battery to a new 2010 model because they now have a rating of 7 hours.

Any insight would be great. I'm getting frustrated not knowing exactly how long it's going to last... until I see it plummet down. Thanks.

 

[miles01110]

It won't make a difference for several reasons, but the most obvious is because the new 7-hour figure comes from a combination of hardware and software optimizations you won't be able to duplicate on your old model.

 

[spinnerlys]

Since the battery is not user-replaceable (since June 2009 for the 13" and 15" MBPs, January 2009 for the 17" MBP), you can't built a new battery into the old housing, as that differs. Look at www.ifixit.com for the teardown of your model and the new ones and see what is different for yourself.

 

[quixoticboi]

Is there anyway to get more out of the current battery then?

 

[spinnerlys]

Is there anyway to get more out of the current battery then?

Calibrating.
www.apple.com/batteries

Use less CPU resources. YouTube via ClickToFlash and Vimeo and YouTube can be used via HTML5.

Other than that, there is not much to do.

PS: Have you checked System Preferences > Energy Saver if you have selected MORE BATTERY LIFE or HIGHER PERFORMANCE?