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    Using lower powered AC adapter

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by ascaridole, Jun 9, 2011.

  1. ascaridole

    ascaridole Newbie

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    Hello,

    I just got my new XPS 15 today. It came with a 130w ac power adapter. My old computer was a dell too and used a 65w power adapter. The port and voltage are the same. Is there any harm is using the 65w adapter occasionally with the XPS 15 other than it possibly not charging as fast?

    Thanks!
     
    ascaridole, Jun 9, 2011
    #1
  2. seeker_moc

    seeker_moc Notebook Virtuoso

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    For very light usage, like internet/email, it should be fine. However, if you're doing anything CPU or GPU intensive, like gaming or encoding, the 65W will not be enough to power the load, and your system will have to throttle itself down, making performance horrible.
     
    seeker_moc, Jun 9, 2011
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  3. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    I used an old 65 or 90 watt adapter with my Asus G51 for a few hours. I had to keep the CPU and GPU slightly underclocked, and I dimmed the screen.
     
    Nick, Jun 9, 2011
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  4. knaff

    knaff Newbie

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    In the setup guide it says you can use either the 90w or 130w PSU
     
    knaff, Jun 9, 2011
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  5. SovereignGFC

    SovereignGFC Notebook Guru

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    My guess is that it won't charge, period, or it will charge very slowly. It'll keep the system on, but little more. Keep the 65w as a last-ditch backup.
     
    SovereignGFC, Jun 11, 2011
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  6. ascaridole

    ascaridole Newbie

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    Alright, thanks for the responses! I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't cause any damage to the laptop. Thanks!
     
    ascaridole, Jun 11, 2011
    #6