Shoutbox

I've been given a targus 90W Ac power adaptor to use for my laptop and i'm not sure if it will work with it.  I've looked at the back of the box and its got a whole pile of laptops that is compatible with, but mine isn't on there, but it is a newer laptop.  Now the specifications of this targus one are in the output 19V 4.74A while my dell adaptor says 19.5V 4.62A.  Would I still be able to use it on my laptop or would it stuff up the battery or something?

I'm sure there's just a simple answer to this but I just wanted to check as this was a brand new laptop for my birthday so obviously I'm being pretty cautious.

Cheers in advance

I sell laptop power supplies at work all the time.

The voltage has to be exact, but the ampage can be higher.

So you would need a power supply with a 19.5v voltage and an ampage higher than 4.62A

Surely a difference of 0.5V won't cause any issues?

I wouldn't risk it, tbh. Your processor core generally runs at 1.5-2.0V - so in there, that's a 25 to 33% increase.

I wouldn't expect male pins of a different voltage to fit, in all truth.

quote:

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Originally posted by andrewdodd13
I wouldn't risk it, tbh. Your processor core generally runs at 1.5-2.0V - so in there, that's a 25 to 33% increase.

I wouldn't expect male pins of a different voltage to fit, in all truth.

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well, they do

i accidentally plugged my laptop's power supply into my external hard-drive and completely fried it

i wouldn't risk it at all......if you don't have the correct power supply for your laptop then i suggest you don't use it until you can find the exact one......it's just not worth taking a chance on

quote:

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Originally posted by andrewdodd13
I wouldn't risk it, tbh. Your processor core generally runs at 1.5-2.0V - so in there, that's a 25 to 33% increase.

I wouldn't expect male pins of a different voltage to fit, in all truth.

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Generally, the CPU core voltage is regulated by the CPU's mounting and the discrete components needed to run it. The voltage of the external PSU therefore only needs to be enough to power all that circuitry.

I don't know about laptops, but desktop PCs usually have 3.3V, 5V and 12V rails. Whether the PSU accepts a 19V or 19.5V input doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

In the bio_hazard13's case, the voltage he needs to check is that of the battery. Really, it should be able to handle an exra 0.5V without issue.

quote:

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Originally posted by RaceProUK

quote:

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Originally posted by andrewdodd13
I wouldn't risk it, tbh. Your processor core generally runs at 1.5-2.0V - so in there, that's a 25 to 33% increase.

I wouldn't expect male pins of a different voltage to fit, in all truth.

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Generally, the CPU core voltage is regulated by the CPU's mounting and the discrete components needed to run it. The voltage of the external PSU therefore only needs to be enough to power all that circuitry.

I don't know about laptops, but desktop PCs usually have 3.3V, 5V and 12V rails. Whether the PSU accepts a 19V or 19.5V input doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

In the bio_hazard13's case, the voltage he needs to check is that of the battery. Really, it should be able to handle an exra 0.5V without issue.

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IIRC, laptops don't regulate the power supply, since the block converts an AC current into a DC current, all the regulation is done there.

An adapter does not supply multiple voltages, and doesn't regulate CPU voltage either (and a CPU does not run on 19V).

And 0.5V DC is a huge difference. Don't use a power adapter of 19V when you need 19.5V. As said before, voltage needs to be exact.

Unless the power info for your laptop describes a voltage range (eg: 18V~20V) you will damage your laptop when you use such a power adapter. Also, and unlike what RacePROuk said, the battery is

And voltage usage of the CPU or whatever other components of your PC don't have anything todo with this. This includes the battery!!! The power given to a laptop does not go directly to the battery; there can (should and will) be more electronic components between the battery and power adapter.

The exact data is found on the back of your laptop or in its manual.

In all fairness, you could use the power adapter of 19V with some luck, but in the long rong it would definitely not be good for your battery and/or internal circuits of your laptop.