Dell Inspiron 1150 power requirement difference

I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
thing and also had the same power converter that I have.

That is over an one amp difference. What gives????

Thanks for any help!

jenny wrote:
> I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
> requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
> puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
> converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
> thing and also had the same power converter that I have.
>
> That is over an one amp difference. What gives????
>
> Thanks for any help!

Did you get this directly from Dell?

I looked at the specs, and you are correct, 19.5v and 4.62A is what is
specified.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/F7573a01.pdf

However, there is an encouraging note.

"AC ADAPTER THROUGHPUT - Performance is reduced when the computer is
running on AC power and power consumption exceeds the established
parameters of the AC Adapter. This performance reduction ensures that
the system does not try to consume more power than the AC adapter can
provide."

The bottom of Inspiron 6000 and 1150 clearly says 19.5V and max 4.62 Amp
which equals 90 watts. They give a 65 watt (3.34 Amp) adapter with every
one of these laptops. And generally, if you try to buy a Dell replacement,
it is 65 Watts.
I did find one 90 Watt adapter available. And I have noticed that the 65
watt
adapters get rather hot.

I just can't believe they have gotten away with the huge difference in
spec'd requirements
and what they supply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


<> wrote in message
news: ps.com...
>
> jenny wrote:
>> I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
>> requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
>> puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
>> converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
>> thing and also had the same power converter that I have.
>>
>> That is over an one amp difference. What gives????
>>
>> Thanks for any help!
>
> Did you get this directly from Dell?
>
> I looked at the specs, and you are correct, 19.5v and 4.62A is what is
> specified.
>
> http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/F7573a01.pdf
>
> However, there is an encouraging note.
>
> "AC ADAPTER THROUGHPUT - Performance is reduced when the computer is
> running on AC power and power consumption exceeds the established
> parameters of the AC Adapter. This performance reduction ensures that
> the system does not try to consume more power than the AC adapter can
> provide."
>

jenny wrote:
> The bottom of Inspiron 6000 and 1150 clearly says 19.5V and max 4.62 Amp
> which equals 90 watts. They give a 65 watt (3.34 Amp) adapter with every
> one of these laptops. And generally, if you try to buy a Dell replacement,
> it is 65 Watts.
> I did find one 90 Watt adapter available. And I have noticed that the 65
> watt
> adapters get rather hot.
>
> I just can't believe they have gotten away with the huge difference in
> spec'd requirements
> and what they supply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
You can get away with surprising voltage and amperage differences. If
Dell (not some third party vendor) is sending out the 65 watt model for
this model laptop, it's probably OK.

AC adapters do get warm, generally. Are they painfully hot?

The specified power requirements of a laptop are a MAXIMUM. In order to
reach that maximum you may have to be doing all of the following ALL AT
ONCE:

-Running a worst case CPU intensive application
-On a unit with the highest power drain CPU offered for that model
-With the maximum memory the machine can take installed
-Using the highest power consumption hard drive the machine supports
-While burning a CD or DVD
-While charging a COMPLETELY discharged battery
-While EVERY USB port has a maximum power draw device plugged in
-While EVERY card slot has a maximum power draw device plugged in
-With internal Bluetooth and WiFi both installed and active
-etc.

The real consequence of giving you a 65 watt power supply instead of a
90 watt supply is probably that the time required to charge the battery
WHILE THE MACHINE IS TURNED ON is probably significantly greater. It's
also not correct to assume that the 90 watt supply would run cooler.
The temperature of the supply is a function of how much power it is
actually dissipating, not of how much it COULD dissipate. Assuming the
same power conversion efficiency, a 65 watt supply delivering 65 watts
and a 90 watt supply delivering 65 watts will both be equally hot (if
the 90 watt supply is physically larger and more massive, the power
being dissipated may be spread over a larger area).


jenny wrote:
> The bottom of Inspiron 6000 and 1150 clearly says 19.5V and max 4.62 Amp
> which equals 90 watts. They give a 65 watt (3.34 Amp) adapter with every
> one of these laptops. And generally, if you try to buy a Dell replacement,
> it is 65 Watts.
> I did find one 90 Watt adapter available. And I have noticed that the 65
> watt
> adapters get rather hot.
>
> I just can't believe they have gotten away with the huge difference in
> spec'd requirements
> and what they supply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
> <> wrote in message
> news: ps.com...
>> jenny wrote:
>>> I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
>>> requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
>>> puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
>>> converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
>>> thing and also had the same power converter that I have.
>>>
>>> That is over an one amp difference. What gives????
>>>
>>> Thanks for any help!
>> Did you get this directly from Dell?
>>
>> I looked at the specs, and you are correct, 19.5v and 4.62A is what is
>> specified.
>>
>> http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/F7573a01.pdf
>>
>> However, there is an encouraging note.
>>
>> "AC ADAPTER THROUGHPUT - Performance is reduced when the computer is
>> running on AC power and power consumption exceeds the established
>> parameters of the AC Adapter. This performance reduction ensures that
>> the system does not try to consume more power than the AC adapter can
>> provide."
>>
>
>

I have an 1150 which worked just fine until I installed folding@home, a
very cpu intensive program. The laptop is generally plugged in but
occasionally runs off battery for an hour or so at a time. Recently I
unplugged it and the laptop powered right off. I started paying
attention to the charge meter and it never got above 13%, so I assumed
the battery was going bad. I replaced it with a new battery and
discovered the same thing. I realized this all started after installing
folding@home, so I shut that down and the battery now charges to 100%.
So, it looks like the power supply or the power adapter is not sized to
keep the 1150 running at 100% cpu load (which also causes the fan to
run all of the time) and keep the battery charged at the same time. In
fact, it would appear that over time the battery slowly drains when
running with a heavy cpu load.
I realize that laptops aren't ment to run these types of applications
but hadn't really given it any though as my Compaq works just fine
running the same thing and easily charges the battery at the same time.



Barry Watzman wrote:
> The specified power requirements of a laptop are a MAXIMUM. In order to
> reach that maximum you may have to be doing all of the following ALL AT
> ONCE:
>
> -Running a worst case CPU intensive application
> -On a unit with the highest power drain CPU offered for that model
> -With the maximum memory the machine can take installed
> -Using the highest power consumption hard drive the machine supports
> -While burning a CD or DVD
> -While charging a COMPLETELY discharged battery
> -While EVERY USB port has a maximum power draw device plugged in
> -While EVERY card slot has a maximum power draw device plugged in
> -With internal Bluetooth and WiFi both installed and active
> -etc.
>
> The real consequence of giving you a 65 watt power supply instead of a
> 90 watt supply is probably that the time required to charge the battery
> WHILE THE MACHINE IS TURNED ON is probably significantly greater. It's
> also not correct to assume that the 90 watt supply would run cooler.
> The temperature of the supply is a function of how much power it is
> actually dissipating, not of how much it COULD dissipate. Assuming the
> same power conversion efficiency, a 65 watt supply delivering 65 watts
> and a 90 watt supply delivering 65 watts will both be equally hot (if
> the 90 watt supply is physically larger and more massive, the power
> being dissipated may be spread over a larger area).
>
>
> jenny wrote:
> > The bottom of Inspiron 6000 and 1150 clearly says 19.5V and max 4.62 Amp
> > which equals 90 watts. They give a 65 watt (3.34 Amp) adapter with every
> > one of these laptops. And generally, if you try to buy a Dell replacement,
> > it is 65 Watts.
> > I did find one 90 Watt adapter available. And I have noticed that the 65
> > watt
> > adapters get rather hot.
> >
> > I just can't believe they have gotten away with the huge difference in
> > spec'd requirements
> > and what they supply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >
> >
> > <> wrote in message
> > news: ps.com...
> >> jenny wrote:
> >>> I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
> >>> requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
> >>> puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
> >>> converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
> >>> thing and also had the same power converter that I have.
> >>>
> >>> That is over an one amp difference. What gives????
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for any help!
> >> Did you get this directly from Dell?
> >>
> >> I looked at the specs, and you are correct, 19.5v and 4.62A is what is
> >> specified.
> >>
> >> http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/F7573a01.pdf
> >>
> >> However, there is an encouraging note.
> >>
> >> "AC ADAPTER THROUGHPUT - Performance is reduced when the computer is
> >> running on AC power and power consumption exceeds the established
> >> parameters of the AC Adapter. This performance reduction ensures that
> >> the system does not try to consume more power than the AC adapter can
> >> provide."
> >>
> >
> >

that progmra is supposeto use the excess cpu cycles, not run the cpu at
100%. something is wrong. secondly, why would you or anyone wanna
donate your excess cpu to allow it to be used for purposes of others?
no doubt on a laptop while its draining your battery....
folding proteins...

wrote:
> I have an 1150 which worked just fine until I installed folding@home, a
> very cpu intensive program. The laptop is generally plugged in but
> occasionally runs off battery for an hour or so at a time. Recently I
> unplugged it and the laptop powered right off. I started paying
> attention to the charge meter and it never got above 13%, so I assumed
> the battery was going bad. I replaced it with a new battery and
> discovered the same thing. I realized this all started after installing
> folding@home, so I shut that down and the battery now charges to 100%.
> So, it looks like the power supply or the power adapter is not sized to
> keep the 1150 running at 100% cpu load (which also causes the fan to
> run all of the time) and keep the battery charged at the same time. In
> fact, it would appear that over time the battery slowly drains when
> running with a heavy cpu load.
> I realize that laptops aren't ment to run these types of applications
> but hadn't really given it any though as my Compaq works just fine
> running the same thing and easily charges the battery at the same time.
>
>
>
> Barry Watzman wrote:
>> The specified power requirements of a laptop are a MAXIMUM. In order to
>> reach that maximum you may have to be doing all of the following ALL AT
>> ONCE:
>>
>> -Running a worst case CPU intensive application
>> -On a unit with the highest power drain CPU offered for that model
>> -With the maximum memory the machine can take installed
>> -Using the highest power consumption hard drive the machine supports
>> -While burning a CD or DVD
>> -While charging a COMPLETELY discharged battery
>> -While EVERY USB port has a maximum power draw device plugged in
>> -While EVERY card slot has a maximum power draw device plugged in
>> -With internal Bluetooth and WiFi both installed and active
>> -etc.
>>
>> The real consequence of giving you a 65 watt power supply instead of a
>> 90 watt supply is probably that the time required to charge the battery
>> WHILE THE MACHINE IS TURNED ON is probably significantly greater. It's
>> also not correct to assume that the 90 watt supply would run cooler.
>> The temperature of the supply is a function of how much power it is
>> actually dissipating, not of how much it COULD dissipate. Assuming the
>> same power conversion efficiency, a 65 watt supply delivering 65 watts
>> and a 90 watt supply delivering 65 watts will both be equally hot (if
>> the 90 watt supply is physically larger and more massive, the power
>> being dissipated may be spread over a larger area).
>>
>>
>> jenny wrote:
>>> The bottom of Inspiron 6000 and 1150 clearly says 19.5V and max 4.62 Amp
>>> which equals 90 watts. They give a 65 watt (3.34 Amp) adapter with every
>>> one of these laptops. And generally, if you try to buy a Dell replacement,
>>> it is 65 Watts.
>>> I did find one 90 Watt adapter available. And I have noticed that the 65
>>> watt
>>> adapters get rather hot.
>>>
>>> I just can't believe they have gotten away with the huge difference in
>>> spec'd requirements
>>> and what they supply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>>
>>>
>>> <> wrote in message
>>> news: ps.com...
>>>> jenny wrote:
>>>>> I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that says on the bottom that the power
>>>>> requirements are 19.5V and 4.62A but I just noticed that the converter
>>>>> puts out 19.5V and only 3.34A. I thought maybe someone had switched
>>>>> converters with me but checked another Dell Inspiron which said the same
>>>>> thing and also had the same power converter that I have.
>>>>>
>>>>> That is over an one amp difference. What gives????
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for any help!
>>>> Did you get this directly from Dell?
>>>>
>>>> I looked at the specs, and you are correct, 19.5v and 4.62A is what is
>>>> specified.
>>>>
>>>> http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/F7573a01.pdf
>>>>
>>>> However, there is an encouraging note.
>>>>
>>>> "AC ADAPTER THROUGHPUT - Performance is reduced when the computer is
>>>> running on AC power and power consumption exceeds the established
>>>> parameters of the AC Adapter. This performance reduction ensures that
>>>> the system does not try to consume more power than the AC adapter can
>>>> provide."
>>>>
>>>
>

wrote:
> I have an 1150 which worked just fine until I installed folding@home, a
> very cpu intensive program. The laptop is generally plugged in but
> occasionally runs off battery for an hour or so at a time. Recently I
> unplugged it and the laptop powered right off. I started paying
> attention to the charge meter and it never got above 13%, so I assumed
> the battery was going bad. I replaced it with a new battery and
> discovered the same thing. I realized this all started after installing
> folding@home, so I shut that down and the battery now charges to 100%.
> So, it looks like the power supply or the power adapter is not sized to
> keep the 1150 running at 100% cpu load (which also causes the fan to
> run all of the time) and keep the battery charged at the same time. In
> fact, it would appear that over time the battery slowly drains when
> running with a heavy cpu load.
> I realize that laptops aren't ment to run these types of applications
> but hadn't really given it any though as my Compaq works just fine
> running the same thing and easily charges the battery at the same time.
>

Running at 100% cpu does draw more power. It is also possible that
there is not enough leftover power to charge the battery with the main
power under full cpu load. Since this laptop can run with a much less
than specified power supply, this is likely what is happening. If you
really want to run the application, find a dell power supply with
higher amperage. (And the correct Volts, and the correct plug, of
course).

See if there's an option not to run folding@home under battery power.
I know there are similar options for prime95 (which i use because it's
a good stress test, not because i think i'll find a new prime)

A lot of these programs run the Cpu to 100%, though the task is lowest
priority, so it does not really affect performance. It's not per se an
indication of something wrong.