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stonepeter

4 Posts

461346

December 5th, 2006 05:00

Can I use a 90W Power Adapter instead of the recommended 65W one?

Good Evening

I have an Inspiron 700m laptop.

My Power adapter has given up the ghost. I'm in Guatemala and asked a friend, who's coming to visit, to purchase one for me in the US.

He says he has an adapter he's never used and will give it to me.

Here's the recommended 65-Watt AC adapter on the Dell website:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=310-4408
According to the Dell website: This product is compatible with the following systems:
Inspiron 6000
Inspiron 700m
Inspiron 710m

This seems to be the 90-Watt AC adapter he has offered to give me:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=310-3399
This product is compatible with the following systems:
Inspiron 1150
Inspiron 8500
Inspiron 8600

The specs appear to be identical, except for two items:
the recommended adapter lists power provided as 65 Watts with a maximum output current of 3.34 A.

His adapter provides 90 Watts with a maximum output current of 5.5 A (maximum at 4 sec pulse); 4.5 A (continuous).

Any thoughts. I would rather buy a new one than damage my laptop.

Thanks

Peter

dallascowboyswo

2.4K Posts

December 5th, 2006 21:00

Use only the one recommended for your computer, any other would have the potential of frying your motherboard.
 
Inspiron E1505
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7200 (4MB/2.00GHz/667MHz)
15.4 Inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WSXGA+
1GB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400
120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X DVD+/-RW Philips Drive
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0 + EDR)
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Bios A08
pur. Sept. 7 2006
WRT54G Linksys router v3 (DD-WRT v23 SP2 std)
ZoneAlarm Pro v 6.0.667.000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Message Edited by dallascowboysworldchamps on 12-05-200605:30 PM

stonepeter

4 Posts

December 6th, 2006 03:00

Thank You
 
Peter

AussieChris

4.2K Posts

December 6th, 2006 07:00

Hi,
 
Check the lable underneath, if you have a PA 12, you can use a PA10.
 
                                                                    Regards Chris

dbuk

101 Posts

December 6th, 2006 22:00

Supporting the comment from (Aussie) Chris. Read the labels, check the output voltage is the same. Your only other consideration is the connector, I don't see any models in both lists you quoted so there's a risk the plug is different (won't fit).

Don't worry about having a higher power rating than standard you only draw the power demanded by the PC. The rating is the maximum output ability of the PSU before it gets too hot, and it won't matter if you don't need/use the spare capacity. Its a bit like putting an oversize heavy duty battery on your car, it won't harm the electrics.

--
Paul

stonepeter

4 Posts

December 7th, 2006 00:00

The output voltage is the same, but it's a good point that the lack of crossover on the models may mean the connecter is different. I'm going to play it safe. In the meantime, I've learnt a little about voltages etc.
 
Thanks Guys

sdspeedwagon

2 Posts

May 1st, 2007 15:00

I have a similar question. I have a 710M, which came with a PA 12 AC adaptor. The label underneath the laptop says "use PA 12 famliy AC adaptors."  I ordered a "65 watt PA 12 adaptor on ebay."  The seller sent a a 90watt PA 10 adaptor.
 
The specs:
 
PA 10 - output of 19.5V, 4.62A, 90W -AC adaptor.
PA 12 - output of 19.5V, 3.34A, 65W -AC adaptor.
 
The connector is the same.
 
I called the dell cusomter service, and the guy said that the dell PA10 would damage my battery. However, he then suggested that I buy a 120 Watt Targus universal adaptor, (for $130 from dell) if I wanted an adaptor that fit multiple laptops.
 
Is there any possiblity of damaging the laptop or the battery if I use the PA 10 withy my laptop? I really want to use my laptop, but i don't want to ruin the batter or the electrical....
 
 

AussieChris

4.2K Posts

May 2nd, 2007 08:00

Hi,
 
The voltage is the same, that is the thing to look for. The higher wattage, means more power. As the computer can tell what adapter is plugged in, you wont overload and overheat a small adapter with a big computer. If you use a Dock, you computer will ask for the bigger adapter.
 
                                                                            Regards Chris

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