Vortex IV PSU to Vortex IV LE?

[SuomiSoldat]

I have the Vortex IV LE, with Nvidia 770m. By what I can work out the laptop is putting quite a constraint on the 120w psu while gaming, since I have also hell-of-a-lot stuff plugged in the computer most of the time (few external hard drives, cooling pad, mouse, headphones, even phone some times... etc). So what I was wondering should I order the Vortex IV's 150W (or was it 180W) psu to not to strain the laptops original psu and internals too much?

Would using the higher wattage psu possibly damage the laptop? Or might it be just for nothing because of a possible internal restriction?

Full Range AC adapter, AC in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19.5V, 9.2A or 19V, 9.5A, 180W (P150SM)

Full Range AC adapter, AC in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19V, 6.15A, 120W (P151SM1)

Above information is from Clevo's product information on their website.

As far a I have been able to figure this out with help by Google: the Amperes would only have to be high enough for PSU to work, but the Voltage should be the same. There is a difference of 0.5V, is this difference minimal enough to not have an effect, and it so would not ruin the laptop? And of course there is the polarity issue also, but wouldn't Clevo laptops that are almost identical, have the same polarity in their PSU?

Any help would be appreciated, even more great would be to hear if someone has actually tried this.

 

[keynes]

Are there any visible/noticeable indications you are straining the laptop? If you think there is an issue I would advice you to contact technical support.

 

[rav007]

The power requirements will be tight for sure, but would it not be more practical for you to consider a powered usb hub? I'm just thinking you will likely be desk based with so many peripherals so an extra socket for powered usb hub would be achievable and cost effective?

This next bit is going to get a bit technical. Although the current does need to be high enough for the PSU to work, the issue I have in my mind is the massive difference in amperes. From my knowledge of physics and electronics, Power = Voltage x Current which is proven by the values above, and another law is Resistance = Voltage / Current. The glaring difference to me is the difference in current of 3A between the 2 supplies. The stepped down power output governs that difference, so Clevo wanted to make a 180W output from UK mains so the transformer will step it down and have a relatively low resistance to sustain a higher power output into your laptop. The 120W step down will have a much greater resistance to further lower the power. Just look at resistance as the amount of juice the power brick decides to drink, the 120W is thirstier than the 180W.

Now as the two stepped down voltages are the same (a requirement of the laptop/PSU), the difference in power can only be represented by current. Current is the amount of charge carried per second. The 180W carried about 50% more charge per second to the laptop than the 120W. The extra charge is great if the laptop components can handle it, but if they cant you can potentially fry the motherboard and the risk of this happening is only determined by knowing the full facts of the motherboard. If the motherboard can handle the extra current then its fine, if not then what can happen with higher current is higher temperatures. I have seen a current of 8A pass through wire wool before and melt it!

In my perspective though, the laptops are very similar that it would imply in my mind that the upgrade to a higher wattage PSU would be relatively low risk as despite minor differences, the motherboard components and soldering will be the same. There is lack of a backlit keyboard in the LE so some power draw is decreased there, but the power still has to pass through the motherboard components to backlight a keyboard so the motherboard still "feels" it. However that is only if the 2 motherboards are identical with minor differences, if the motherboard and components layout is different, the risk will increase.