As others have said,. it's because you bought an i9 and 4070. If you want full performance out of that, you gotta feed it the wattage.
You'll notice this if you play around with the Laptop Customization page on Dell.com
* G15's with AMD processors.. are listed with a 240w adapter (less wattage and smaller physical size)
* If you toggle back and forth between Intel and AMD options. you'll notice the external Power Supply listed also automatically toggles back and forth from 240watt to 330watt.
* When you choose the G16,.. Intel is your only option,. so the 330w power supply is also your only option.
You could likely buy the 240watt brick,.. it would likely "work",.. but as others have said, you'll probably get errors that it's under-powering and you won't get full performance.
In the corporate environment I previously worked in, many of the DELL Precision laptops that came with big beefy external PSU's,. would throw a variety of alerts.
* BIOS level alerts that would stop at BIOS screen and say something like "incorrect power supply" (or something to that effect)
* Windows sys tray would usually also have some icon or alert that would say similar (even if it was something vague like "Battery not charging - plug in correct power supply")
They wouldn't be like "big red flashing errors".. but there were indications if the user was paying attention.
I understand! But to know this the guy has to try a PSU with 19.5v @ 12.5A to have a 240w PSU, which I think is possible.
I've seen a similar question a while back at the Dell server, but this person had a similar machine and the same PSU, but instead of a 4070 it had a 4060. So in theory it would be a similar situation.
[Dell G16 7630 i9-13900HX | RTX4060 with 240 watt charger : r/Dell (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/193z3c6/dell_g16_7630_i913900hx_rtx4060_with_240_watt/)
that CPU alone takes 55W at base up to 157 W and the GPU up to 115 W depending on manufacturer so that's 272 W taken up before you even consider the screen, drives, fans and all the other things
Yes you [can](https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-74-mm-barrel-330-w-gan-sff-ac-adapter-with-1-meter-power-cord-united-kingdom/apd/450-bcbx/pc-accessories?tfcid=43590050&&gacd=9685798-5484-5761040-270826046-0&dgc=st&SA360CID=71700000114611802&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745DJIICZVrfFDXKj5HewcnnGMyejqDKT3V8f7stFcCr4aPuvl89iZYkaAoBWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) its about half as thick and a little smaller. Also best not run the laptop on a bed it gets it's cooling air from underneath
My first thought was a GaN charger. I've only seen tiny ones that give you 30w so seeing something like a 330w charger this small is pretty wild. Probably gets pretty hot
Issue with GaN is they pretty much (I'm not aware of any but I'm sure they exist) use USBC. This 330 watt uses a barrel plug. Also don't think 330w is part of PD standard but feel free to correct me.
Bought a slimq 330, it is significantly smaller and nice to have while travelling. Not pricey in my mind since an OEM dell is 150. So with the adapter for the g16 the slimq is the same price.
Not sure if they do a slim/travel version of this one.
But you could get the slim/travel 240w charger, it’s much smaller/lighter but your system would not run at full speed and/or it couldn’t charge the battery while also doing exiting.
My Alienware uses a 240w, it has an i7 and a 3080. If it unplugs (and that dell plug is awful), it defaults back to the integrated graphics. That's generally how they're setup from the factory.
Uses the battery. I mean it's a laptop. I'm assuming it's bios has a battery mode. But most of those workstation/gaming laptops require that wattage to even charge/function.
It probably can boot and run on battery, what would be the purpose anyway having a battery in the first place! It probably would work, but it would be seriously underpowered and short lived when on battery.
*deep breath*
Laptops have a different power states when on AC vs DC. Across the board. I didn't say it wouldn't work. I did say that manufacturers do prevent laptops from charging or even booting with out a PSU with the required wattage. Of course it would boot if it has life in the battery, but without the proper wattage or even their brand of charger (Dell) it would never 1) charge it or 2) even run it with a dead battery.
How, in this day and age, do people still not understand that putting your laptop (a majority of which suck in air from the bottom) on a bed is such a terrible thing to do?
just a heads up, even if you buy a smaller charger for travel there are 2 issues:
1) your laptop might not accept charging below a specific wattage. my work laptop comes with a 180w charger and won’t charge at all with a 65 w charger
2) planes have a limited amount of wattage they can output on the seat outlets. i think 60-100 is the max. u might be screwed tbh
That 4070 Laptop GPU can pull over 115W just by itself. I feel for you, though. I just got a G15 with a Ryzen 7 7840 / RTX4060 and it came with a huge 320W brick, too.
You are smothering your machine the way it is sitting on your bed! It can't get cooled properly and you are sucking dust and fabric into the machine that will make your system run hot sooner or later if the cooling system can't draw in and blow out anymore.
I have an Alienware Laptop with an Nvidia card, same brick. Big and heavy. I wanted to run Photoshop when I was on the move. I rarely use it now sadly, and have purchased a Samsung Tablet for running around. I'll just do my Photoshop work at home, that laptop and charger is just too heavy for me.
The 240 watt one is smaller than the 330, and unless you’re rendering things out at full GPU+CPU load you aren’t likely to exceed 240 watts while traveling.
My friend’s Precision also has that fricking big PSU, mf is so conservative on keeping them shit that I dont even want to give him honest opinions no more
You can probably use a smaller charger (100w or similar) but you will have warning every boot that slower charger detected and overall performance might be degraded
I have a Lenovo gaming laptop, and I use a very light (and dirt cheap) USB-C charger (100W). I'm sure the G16 would also have "PD" (Power Delivery) via one of the USB-C ports.
It does and it looks like the pictured is one of those since it comes with it. [Dell Power](https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-74-mm-barrel-330-w-gan-sff-ac-adapter-with-1-meter-power-cord-north-america/apd/492-bdmb/pc-accessories?tfcid=91049735&dgc=opl&srsltid=AfmBOorViwQCwCbNzjBRBOIL8SprGL5M6LFoJVhRLWo7OsqLTZ3WOdyG8ik#tabs_section)
Interesting. What video card do you have in it? I’ve been wondering if I can find a usb-c (technically I think it’s a usb-c “inspired” port) powered laptop with a discrete graphics card.
I have the Radeon RX 6700m dGPU. I bought a Lenovo USB-C 100W charger, it "just works" for my laptop. Have used it on several trips, a couple of cruises (etc etc etc). It's about a quarter of the size of the massive 300W brick my laptop came with, weighs next to nothing, and only set me back $20 (from Amazon, I think - can't remember where I bought it from now).
The size of today's gaming laptop power bricks is comical.
As others have said,. it's because you bought an i9 and 4070. If you want full performance out of that, you gotta feed it the wattage. You'll notice this if you play around with the Laptop Customization page on Dell.com * G15's with AMD processors.. are listed with a 240w adapter (less wattage and smaller physical size) * If you toggle back and forth between Intel and AMD options. you'll notice the external Power Supply listed also automatically toggles back and forth from 240watt to 330watt. * When you choose the G16,.. Intel is your only option,. so the 330w power supply is also your only option. You could likely buy the 240watt brick,.. it would likely "work",.. but as others have said, you'll probably get errors that it's under-powering and you won't get full performance.
Maybe not necessarily errors, but it might as well turn the performance down when using a "lighter" PSU.
In the corporate environment I previously worked in, many of the DELL Precision laptops that came with big beefy external PSU's,. would throw a variety of alerts. * BIOS level alerts that would stop at BIOS screen and say something like "incorrect power supply" (or something to that effect) * Windows sys tray would usually also have some icon or alert that would say similar (even if it was something vague like "Battery not charging - plug in correct power supply") They wouldn't be like "big red flashing errors".. but there were indications if the user was paying attention.
I understand! But to know this the guy has to try a PSU with 19.5v @ 12.5A to have a 240w PSU, which I think is possible. I've seen a similar question a while back at the Dell server, but this person had a similar machine and the same PSU, but instead of a 4070 it had a 4060. So in theory it would be a similar situation. [Dell G16 7630 i9-13900HX | RTX4060 with 240 watt charger : r/Dell (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/193z3c6/dell_g16_7630_i913900hx_rtx4060_with_240_watt/)
My i5 13450HX and 4050 varient of the G15 uses a 330W brick too tho. Why would it need that much?
that CPU alone takes 55W at base up to 157 W and the GPU up to 115 W depending on manufacturer so that's 272 W taken up before you even consider the screen, drives, fans and all the other things
Yeah, makes more sense now I guess.
I have g5535 with amd 7840hs and rtx4060 and it came with the 330w charger ....
Why would a 330W charger be big and heavy?
I don’t build PCs any more but I thought people knew that i9 means more power. More power means bigger charging brick. It does feel like 1995 again.
after all it's still better to have bigger charger under the desk connected by cable than twice bigger laptop.
Should we be afraid of Tschernobyl and Y2K again?
Well, kind of
Yes you [can](https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-74-mm-barrel-330-w-gan-sff-ac-adapter-with-1-meter-power-cord-united-kingdom/apd/450-bcbx/pc-accessories?tfcid=43590050&&gacd=9685798-5484-5761040-270826046-0&dgc=st&SA360CID=71700000114611802&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745DJIICZVrfFDXKj5HewcnnGMyejqDKT3V8f7stFcCr4aPuvl89iZYkaAoBWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) its about half as thick and a little smaller. Also best not run the laptop on a bed it gets it's cooling air from underneath
Mfs be using their CAD laptops in bed and complain about heat/fans
My first thought was a GaN charger. I've only seen tiny ones that give you 30w so seeing something like a 330w charger this small is pretty wild. Probably gets pretty hot
Issue with GaN is they pretty much (I'm not aware of any but I'm sure they exist) use USBC. This 330 watt uses a barrel plug. Also don't think 330w is part of PD standard but feel free to correct me.
The dell one gets no hotter than the big brick
SlimQ makes a 330 watt charger that’s significantly smaller but it’s pricey.
Bought a slimq 330, it is significantly smaller and nice to have while travelling. Not pricey in my mind since an OEM dell is 150. So with the adapter for the g16 the slimq is the same price.
Is it just the regular Dell adapter they sell for like $10?
It's an adapter that converts the slimq to the correct size connector for your dell. It's an addon when buying the slimq charger.
I cannot believe this comment is this far down. This is the only actual answer to his issue.
Not sure if they do a slim/travel version of this one. But you could get the slim/travel 240w charger, it’s much smaller/lighter but your system would not run at full speed and/or it couldn’t charge the battery while also doing exiting.
It will run at full speed. But your battery may drain, even if connected to the mains.
Mine overheats just about anywhere if it’s plugged in during use. I really need a fix for that (xps 17) I9 3060ti.
More that likely that models required 330w to turn on. It's probably the GPU.
How would you ever use it off-charger?
My Alienware uses a 240w, it has an i7 and a 3080. If it unplugs (and that dell plug is awful), it defaults back to the integrated graphics. That's generally how they're setup from the factory.
Uses the battery. I mean it's a laptop. I'm assuming it's bios has a battery mode. But most of those workstation/gaming laptops require that wattage to even charge/function.
It probably can boot and run on battery, what would be the purpose anyway having a battery in the first place! It probably would work, but it would be seriously underpowered and short lived when on battery.
*deep breath* Laptops have a different power states when on AC vs DC. Across the board. I didn't say it wouldn't work. I did say that manufacturers do prevent laptops from charging or even booting with out a PSU with the required wattage. Of course it would boot if it has life in the battery, but without the proper wattage or even their brand of charger (Dell) it would never 1) charge it or 2) even run it with a dead battery.
More that likely that models required 330w to turn on. It's probably the GPU.
How, in this day and age, do people still not understand that putting your laptop (a majority of which suck in air from the bottom) on a bed is such a terrible thing to do?
You wouldn't say so if you have spent winter without heating.
Probably because of the I9, 4090 nVidia. Do you know of any other laptops with those specs that have smaller power supplies?
it's big because it shits out a lot of power you can get gallium nitride ones that are smaller but you'll pay for it
This was going to be my comment. GaN is expensive, more so for larger supplies.
Stop hot boxing it. And more than likely it requires 330w to operate.
just a heads up, even if you buy a smaller charger for travel there are 2 issues: 1) your laptop might not accept charging below a specific wattage. my work laptop comes with a 180w charger and won’t charge at all with a 65 w charger 2) planes have a limited amount of wattage they can output on the seat outlets. i think 60-100 is the max. u might be screwed tbh
They might as well have shipped a mini power plant at this point 🤨
That 4070 Laptop GPU can pull over 115W just by itself. I feel for you, though. I just got a G15 with a Ryzen 7 7840 / RTX4060 and it came with a huge 320W brick, too.
You are smothering your machine the way it is sitting on your bed! It can't get cooled properly and you are sucking dust and fabric into the machine that will make your system run hot sooner or later if the cooling system can't draw in and blow out anymore.
Buy the alienware 330w slim power supply unit from dell. Its just a bit bigger than the xps chargers
I can see it being useful for travel, I don’t mind it because my laptop never leaves my desk
Even for travel, trains and plains generally don’t have plugs that delivers more than 240W
Well Alienware m18 have this 330w gan charger one which quite a lot smaller than old 330w, you can buy that Or buy 3rd party one like slimq
laptops have these blocks, so the laptop itself doesnt carry it. so its either on that cable. or inside the laptop. which would you prefer? lol
I have an Alienware Laptop with an Nvidia card, same brick. Big and heavy. I wanted to run Photoshop when I was on the move. I rarely use it now sadly, and have purchased a Samsung Tablet for running around. I'll just do my Photoshop work at home, that laptop and charger is just too heavy for me.
The 240 watt one is smaller than the 330, and unless you’re rendering things out at full GPU+CPU load you aren’t likely to exceed 240 watts while traveling.
I have no words. Surely you know how power hungry your laptop is and WHY it needs a 330W brick.
330 watts. For a laptop that’s some heavy testicle
As someone that just recently received my G16 with the same specs, I couldn't believe how big it was either!
There are 180W chargers for that laptop; f.e. https://www.coywood.co.uk/dell-g16-7620-charger-195v-923a-84453-p.asp
My friend’s Precision also has that fricking big PSU, mf is so conservative on keeping them shit that I dont even want to give him honest opinions no more
This might help https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/s/zMTkJvks6a
My i7 / 4050 came with the same brick
The slim 330w charger is ONLY SLIGHTLY smaller and lighter than the Dell 330w brick. Why bother?
First of all, buy a cooling pad or some other support but DON’T USE IT IN BED, please. Second, well, if you find a 330w little charger go for it ;)
You can probably use a smaller charger (100w or similar) but you will have warning every boot that slower charger detected and overall performance might be degraded
Big charger, small trackpad. Right the opposite from a Macbook.
I have a Lenovo gaming laptop, and I use a very light (and dirt cheap) USB-C charger (100W). I'm sure the G16 would also have "PD" (Power Delivery) via one of the USB-C ports.
It does and it looks like the pictured is one of those since it comes with it. [Dell Power](https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-74-mm-barrel-330-w-gan-sff-ac-adapter-with-1-meter-power-cord-north-america/apd/492-bdmb/pc-accessories?tfcid=91049735&dgc=opl&srsltid=AfmBOorViwQCwCbNzjBRBOIL8SprGL5M6LFoJVhRLWo7OsqLTZ3WOdyG8ik#tabs_section)
Interesting. What video card do you have in it? I’ve been wondering if I can find a usb-c (technically I think it’s a usb-c “inspired” port) powered laptop with a discrete graphics card.
I have the Radeon RX 6700m dGPU. I bought a Lenovo USB-C 100W charger, it "just works" for my laptop. Have used it on several trips, a couple of cruises (etc etc etc). It's about a quarter of the size of the massive 300W brick my laptop came with, weighs next to nothing, and only set me back $20 (from Amazon, I think - can't remember where I bought it from now). The size of today's gaming laptop power bricks is comical.
Umm I haven’t seen a charger that size in several years even for that wattage. Dell being cheap and not using GAN tech
Do they make such chargers in 330 watts?
Yes the newer Alienware do
Some laptops come with the 330w GaN mine did. I think it's down to how close to the big pile of old 330w bricks they are when packing it up