Thinkpads Forum

All I have is a 65 watt charger should I buy a 90 watt charger?

Definitely buy a 90W.
65W is only suited for Intel graphics machines.

Alright thank you very much

I was using an X1300 T60 for a few years for work up until this new year. I used 65W and 90W both and observed no differences in machine performance on the 65W - although the 65W charger does get rather hot when charging the battery with the machine in use. So yes, get a 90.

I would also feel more comfortable using the 90W on a regular basis, but rest assured that absolutely nothing bad will happen to your notebook if you use the 65W. It will get hotter, may charge slower etc.

I prefer to use the 90W at home and 65W when traveling, because of its smaller size and lighter weight.

A discrete graphics machine will run and charge with a 65W power supply, however if you remove the battery the machine will lock the CPU and GPU clocks at their lowest. The machine will run full speed with a battery, but under load will pull power from the battery as the 65W adapter cannot provide enough. The machine will also charge more slowly.

Kasm279 wrote:A discrete graphics machine will run and charge with a 65W power supply, however if you remove the battery the machine will lock the CPU and GPU clocks at their lowest.

I seem to remember that even an integrated graphics machine will do that.

dr_st wrote:

Kasm279 wrote:A discrete graphics machine will run and charge with a 65W power supply, however if you remove the battery the machine will lock the CPU and GPU clocks at their lowest.

I seem to remember that even an integrated graphics machine will do that.

dr_st is correct.

Personally, I'm not in the least keen on running a system with discrete graphics - or switchable ones - on 65W adapter. Yes I've done it and didn't like the heat generated by the AC adapter.

To each their own.

I agree with ajkula66, it certainly can be done, but keep your battery close to fully charged and if it gets low, shut the computer down until it recharges. Also consider that this will bring about premature battery failure compared to a machine with the 90w adapter and battery charge thresholds set to prevent unneeded repeated battery cycling.

The 90w isn't that expensive, I offer them for $16 plus shipping for one that's in good condition, you may even find one for a little less, but be careful to look carefully at the DC jack, if it's cracking, or doesn't naturally spring back to a straight position I reject them. There are also a lot of generic parts that are risky to use and even some of the genuine replacement parts are actually generics rebranded by lenovo which you can confirm by their weight and much less sturdy casing. Overall the safest place to buy one is here in the forum IMO. I may even have some of the new unissued original 90w adapters that shipped with new laptops which I offered for $25 plus shipping, but the best option for someone who wants the most use per dollar spent is the ones listed above for $16.

TuuS wrote:I agree with ajkula66, it certainly can be done, but keep your battery close to fully charged and if it gets low, shut the computer down until it recharges. Also consider that this will bring about premature battery failure compared to a machine with the 90w adapter and battery charge thresholds set to prevent unneeded repeated battery cycling.

I am not sure what you are referring to. I see absolutely no reason to use different battery policies with 65W versus 90W, and I see no reason why it would cause more battery cycling.

Sorry for late reply. What I was getting at was that if the 65w adapter didn't supply enough power to run the laptop on heavy load it would use battery power creating a state when the battery is discharging while on AC. The same is true during an AC brownout, as the battery is there as a safety measure to assure the laptop always gets the full voltage it requires. If your battery was low, it could "possibly" create an unsafe condition, or cause a forced shutdown.