Guys, I need your help. Came here once before with a tech question, and you were fantastic beyond my wildest dreams... Anyway, this has to do with the battery in my laptop computer. Having been on the road a lot over the last several months and having to take the laptop with me to file my articles as is part and parcel of my job duties, my battery isn't recharging to 100% anymore. In fact, it's having great trouble getting up far beyond 30%, to be honest, so I think it's time for me to break down and buy a new battery for my baby here. The laptop in question is an Acer Travelmate 524TX, and it's a 2001 model. I'm pretty sure I can find them fairly easily around my part of Australia, at any of the retailers or computer parts swaps, and I'd be willing to travel to Melbourne to pick one up, if need be. Question is, how much should I budget for one? Let me know how much-- and figures to be converted into Australian dollars would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, all...
Hmm... depends on the battery (external/internal) and watt that your looking for. I found an external battery on the net at gadgetpower.com for like $411 US (635.12 Aus). Check here - they have a lot of stuff, but I think they're a bit pricey: http://www.gadgetpower.com/b-5760c---284--.html Some of the internal batteries are US (92.72) 60-75 (115.93 Aus) bucks. Check here: Check it out here: http://www.ibi-notebook-battery.com/Product.asp?ID=111 Not necessarily my specialty though... I can't imagine what the Australian shops charge. But I recommend looking at these sites if you can to at least get the correct serial numbers of the product that you need to have replaced before making the purchase.
Sadly a laptop battery is the one peripheral that you don't want to buy used. You can pick a second-hand hard drive or memory from anyone off ebay and if it works it works. Batteries, as you have discovered, half-life quite quickly so you need to get a new one preferably from a reputable retailer. I just ran a quick search from google.com.au for "Acer laptop battery" and found one for AU$236 http://www.mobilepower.com.au/au1/m/acer/travelmate-524tx.html Also try calling Acer Spare Parts enquiries: 02 8762 3149 You say the laptop is 2 years and is obviously out of warranty so you've got to weigh up whether you want to pay this much and hope nothing else goes wrong or put that money towards a newer model. It's all about cost of ownership really and you can only be the one that makes the final decision on that.
Thanks for that, Alex... very helpful information, and I'm very sure that any of a number of retailers in Ballarat, VIC, would be able to stock these kinds of internal betteries (and thanks for making the distinction, it is indeed an internal battery that I'm looking for). And if worse comes to worse, I'll get a train to Melbourne, no worries. And $120 AUD is definitely within my budget, and what I would be hoping to spend. I'll also ring Acer's spare parts division on Monday-- and thanks for that number, kerpow-- and see if I can get another quote.