Maybe it's because of the power adapter.
Maybe it's because of the power adapter.
I recently got a Dell G15 5520 laptop (with an i7-12700H, RTX 3060 card, and Windows 11). After using it for a while, I started getting very weird glitches that happen every few seconds. It wasn't the mouse stopping or freezing, but the whole screen would freeze for a split second on the desktop. At first, I thought something was broken in my hardware. I tried different testing tools like OCCT and CrystalDiskInfo, but nothing showed up as wrong. I reset the computer and Windows worked fine for a while, then it started happening again. After some searching, I saw people saying that power supplies can cause this problem. I have an old 180-watt charger from my previous laptop (Dell 7577) and use it at work. Before I used this charger, I talked to Dell support and they told me I could use the 180-watt adapter. I usually use the one that came with my new laptop at home, but I don't think this problem happens then (I'm not sure because the issue is so recent; yesterday I had no problems). To be sure it was the charger, I used the laptop for a while at the office without charging it and everything worked fine. After a bit of charging though, the glitches started back up. The weird part is that once these glitches start, they keep happening even if I unplug the laptop; I still have to restart it after that. So I think the glitch is caused by the old charger. When I turned on the laptop with the old charger plugged in, a BIOS warning popped up saying the system would work but wouldn't do its full job. By the way, the old adapter doesn't get hot here. Here are two power options for this laptop: https://www.dell.com/support/manual...ad...0b3a04d93e&lang=en-us 180 W, Input current (maximum): 2.34 A , Output current (continuous): 6.23 A, 19.50 V or 240 W, Input current (maximum): 3.5A, Output current (continuous): 12.31 A 19.50 V My adapters are as follows: Old adapter: 180w, Input current: 2.34 A Output current: 9.23 A 19.5 V, 50-60 Hz (Model: DA180PM111) Adapter that comes with laptop: 240w, Input current: 3.5 A Output current: 12.31 A, 19.5 V, 50-60 Hz (Model: LA240PM190) The only difference between them is the amperage. Could this be why I have the problem? Or are these two chargers meant for different versions of the laptop? What matters most to me is whether the old charger will hurt my new laptop. I don't want to carry another adapter around if it's not going to do any good. Of course, using that 180-watt charger and stopping the glitches at the same time would be best. Thanks
Welcome to the forums! If I were you, I wouldn't mix adapters from different laptops just yet. If you got a big 240W adapter right out of the box, that's what I'd use first and then find another one for your other spot. Also, can you tell me if there are any BIOS updates coming? And maybe check if the software needs an update too?