What kind of USB-C charger is appropriate for my computer?

April 22, 2022 8:19 AM

I have a new laptop that appears to have a fairly obscure charging port design (neither of the 2 universal adapters I tried worked), but it does have a USB-C port that it appears to charge through when I tested it briefly. In looking for a USB-C charger to use as a spare, it seems like they all list a wide range of compatible computers, but none list my model. Is that just SEO stuff, or do I need to look for certain characteristics in a USB-C charger?

The sticker on the bottom of the laptop looks like this (I think the only relevant info is the "Input: 19V ::: 2.1A" part). I'm not particularly worried about getting the fastest charge, as this charger will live at my desk and mostly be used for overnight charging, but I do want it to be powerful enough to charge the battery while I am using the computer. Mostly I want to avoid frying the laptop.

posted by Rock Steady to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

What model is it?
posted by sagc at 8:32 AM on April 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Ah, sorry. It's a Gateway GWTN141-4BK.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:35 AM on April 22, 2022

My general answer for all things "charger" related is Anker.

...noting, however, that I've used this on Mac devices not Gateway, so while it does charge many laptops it may possibly not charge your laptop, but IMO it's probably worth the gamble. They also make higher-powered versions (I linked to the 30W model); you may want to consider the 65W one.
posted by aramaic at 8:49 AM on April 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: USB-C is a nightmare of incompatibility, but it's a safe nightmare. You can't fry your computer as long as you are plugging in a genuine USB-C charger and cable (as opposed to a fake, which is possible but unlikely). As long as you get a charger and cable that supports USB-C PD in an ample number of watts, you'll be fine. There are problems where chargers only support certain wattages, so you want some room between the 40W your charger is indicating and the wattage of the replacement charger. Anker sells chargers with several ports and higher wattages so you can charge multiple devices, very handy for travel, if that's important. Many people get USB-C monitors where you connect one cable for power and display, but it looks like that won't work for your laptop.
posted by wnissen at 9:20 AM on April 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I'm not entirely clear that the laptop supports USB-C PD charging; there's a frustrating lack of info/manuals on the official website, but the spec sheet on the Walmart website calls out that the USB-C port is for data transfer only. That said, it's worth trying to see if it will work, and the PD charger will work for charging other USB-C devices as well.
posted by Aleyn at 11:04 AM on April 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Yeah, Aleyn, their website is brutal, that's been part of my problem. I did try a MacBook USB-C charger we had at work, and the battery icon in the taskbar changed into a charging icon. I didn't leave it in for any length of time, so I'm not sure how well it charged, but yeah, probably worth a try.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:32 PM on April 22, 2022

I find these these types of devices handy for figuring out USB C charger compatibility. They’ll tell you power transfer direction and amount. For a laptop, you probably want to see 15 or 20V and 2-3A - 30-60 W - when the laptop is turned on and plugged in. If you’re seeing less than that, the charger probably isn’t actually charging the battery.

That said, if your battery actually charges when you’re using the laptop, you’re basically good.
posted by doomsey at 9:20 PM on April 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Picked up a generic 60W USB-C charger over the weekend, and it appeared to keep my lappy fully charged while I used it for paper writing last night. Thanks y'all for the reassurances!
posted by Rock Steady at 6:21 AM on April 25, 2022