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    Power supply sturggling.

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by gamadaya, Jan 17, 2009.

  1. gamadaya

    gamadaya Notebook Evangelist

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    I have a Gateway P7811-FX notebook with a 120 Watt power supply (19V, 6.32A). Now, I'll admit that I don't know very much about power supply's, but I don't think it should be buzzing loudly and hot to the touch. And I don't mean just hot, I mean really, really, hot. I can't even hold it for more than a couple seconds before I have to let go. It's fine for general use, but when I'm gaming, that's when it heats up. Can I get a power supply of above 120 Watts, and have it work with my computer? And even if it does, where can I find such a supply. I can barely find any 120 Watt supplies, let alone any larger than that.
     
  2. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    I have exactly same power supply and it buzzes when the laptop is off so I unplug it from laptop which stops it. It gets very hot when used but I think its normal.
     
  3. gamadaya

    gamadaya Notebook Evangelist

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    It was also "normal" for my last laptop, in which the power supply got even hotter and buzzed even louder, but I don't think it's good for them. My last laptop died due to power problems, and I don't want that to happen again, especially considering how much I paid for the new one. If I get a 120 Watt supply that is bigger in size, would that maybe cut down on heat and noise?
     
  4. surfasb

    surfasb Titles Shmm-itles

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    My Dell powersupply also get very hot. But it apparently is within specs. I have an engineer friend who's company makes these power supplies and he tells me the heat produced is well within what it was designed to withstand. Until someone convinces me otherwise....
     
  5. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    It should not be hissing. Perhaps you can get a new one if it is under warranty?
     
  6. gamadaya

    gamadaya Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah, it's under warranty, but I don't think I'll get one from Gateway. And even if it can withstand the heat, that might not garuntee that it's opperating efficiently. I'm almost positive that my last power supply is what killed my old laptop. It just seemed to small and had to work too hard. My current supply is 120 Watts, but it's dimensions aren't very big. Since my laptop isn't very portable anyway, I wouldn't mind having a big power supply. In any case, does anybody know if a 200 Watt power supply, or something like that, can be plugged into a laptop that came with a 120 Watt supply, or if they even make power supplies for laptops that are more than 120 Watts? And if they do, do I have to pay attention to what voltage and amperage it has?