I know what you mean, I got my 9500 from a buddy for 150. The thing is in like-new shape with a lot of memory upgrades as well as a new HD, so I figured it would be worth it to grab a new battery for it. I expect it to last a long time, so i didn't mind investing a few bucks in it, so if your planning on using this thing for a while I'd suggest getting the battery from Gateway, if not, there are a few on ebay, or at least there were last night.