Using charger with lower current for my laptop

Question

I have a Dell Precision with a charger of rating 19.5V 9.23A. Would connecting this laptop to another Dell charger of rating 19.5V 3.34A harm my machine in anyway? I am not talking about efficiency or charging speed etc. , just talking about potential damage.

Answer 1

The most concerning subject on charging a battery is the voltage, if voltage is the same it will charge, other than too high of current. Low current charging the battery can cause it to not charge due to the laptop using more power then the charger can give (hence why the original charger current is high). If the computer is on suspend/standby it will charge slowly; if it is being used, it could use more power then the charger can give, causing slow discharging of the battery.

Answer 2

Bad idea.

Your PC can draw up to the specified 9.23 amps, else Dell would not have provided it to you. If you run the laptop on a less powerful charger and overdraw the 3.34 amperes it is capped it, the voltage it puts out can drop below 19 VDC. This would result in overheating, as when there's a voltage drop, circuits will draw more watts to compensate, which leads very quickly to overheating and likely damage.

Now, maybe you bought the laptop used, and maybe the seller gave you a more powerful power supply than you need. Give us the model number of the Dell laptop from the sticker underneath which also has the serial number, or give us the Service Tag number, and we can verify how much it will draw, and see if 3.34 amperes is adequate. We need that, for Dell has sold dozens of different Precision models.

Until then, don't use it, for fear of damage.