Is it harmful to use a lower wattage charger with my laptop?

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Asked By GamerDude42 On

I need some clarification regarding charger wattage. I originally had a 150W charger for my HP Victus Gaming laptop but lost it for about a month and had to use a 65W charger in the meantime. During that time, I didn't play any games because I noticed a significant drop in performance, and I'm wondering if the lower wattage charger could have contributed to that. Now that I've found my original charger, will using the 65W charger have affected the laptop long-term?

5 Answers

Answered By OldTimerGeek On

In my experience, if you use a charger with lower wattage, the laptop may run hotter than normal. I once used a 90W charger for a laptop that required 120W and faced some minor crashes during heavy use. While it didn't damage the laptop itself, it did limit its performance significantly. If you didn’t notice any physical issues while using the 65W adapter, your laptop should be okay. Just make sure to use the right charger moving forward!

Answered By ComputerNerd77 On

Most laptops with high power needs will alert you if you try to charge them with a lower watt adapter. Some brands like Lenovo do this. They might still charge at a slower rate, but for gaming or heavy tasks, you’ll likely see performance drop since the battery might drain faster than it charges.

Gam3rGuy24 -

Yes it happens on mine as well!

Answered By TechieDave On

Using a lower watt charger can impact performance but generally shouldn't cause lasting damage. Your laptop will just throttle itself to match the lower power input. If you switch back to a higher wattage charger, it’ll only draw what it needs. Just keep an eye on things, and hopefully, your laptop will be back to normal!

Answered By FixItFanatic On

Your laptop was definitely power-starved with the 65W charger. It may charge the battery but it's likely capped performance-wise. You're good as long as everything seems normal with your original charger. If you're able to, check if your laptop settings allow changing to a lower power consumption mode to help manage things better.

GamerDude42 -

Alright, thanks! I think I'll get my old charger back in a few days so I should be fine.

Answered By TechWhiz99 On

Using a lower wattage charger usually isn't a big deal for newer laptops. You just won't get fast charging. However, for intensive tasks like gaming, your laptop might actually drain the battery while plugged in. It's more about performance limitations than damaging your laptop directly.

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