Does Dell really do this to their laptops?

[TempestCatto]

Hey all. So I was reading one of those "did you know facts" (half of them are probably fake) and I read this about Dell and their laptops

 

Quote

14. Dude, you’re NOT getting a Dell.

“Dell, for laptops anyway. They have this devious little feature: the charging cable has a thin data wire inside that tells the computer the charger is from Dell.

 

If you plug in a charger that does not have this, even if the voltage is correct, the computer will throttle the CPU way down by sending false overheating signals, and will only increase the battery charge if the machine is off. To make this way worse, that data pin wears out and breaks very easily, and even if your charger still works, which it often does, it is borderline unusable. Since you can only get a replacement from dell, replacement chargers are unusually expensive.

 

This “feature” cannot be turned off in any intended way. There is a program you can use to bypass it by disabling the specific type of thermal cpu throttling they use, but that only works on intel cpus.

 

If you have an amd, tough luck, and even if you dont you shouldn’t have to disable hardware safety features using 3rd party software just to use hardware that is perfectly functional except for one unnecessary part that is designed to break.”

https://didyouknowfacts.com/people-talk-about-the-businesses-theyll-never-buy-from-again/

 

 

 

So my question is, is this actually real? Or is this just some false news from someone who had a bad experience with off brand chargers? I will say, my mother works at a global fortune 500 company and they use Dell laptops (but the nice enterprise ones) and they've never had issues with them. My mom's work laptop has had zero issues for the past 5 years she's now had it. Never had to replace the charger, nor battery, never had to call IT except for software issues unrelated to Dell. This just got me curious about the higher end laptops like the Dell XPS (the latest one) with the bigger trackpad and all. I don't think I've ever seen complaints about this, nor have I ever read or heard about this "conspiracy" from any techtubers. So is this just some guy shitting on Dell because of his shit luck? Or is this maybe limited to Dell's "shit tier" laptops?

[WhitetailAni]

I think they might.

I'm not 100% certain, but it was mentioned on 5 or so sites and some had pictures as well.

Apparently Lenovo does it too.

[Roswell]

Yes. Unless you get an enterprise model (Latitude/Precision) you need an OEM charger if you want unthrottled speed. There's no program AFAIK that bypasses this like the quote you put up suggests since this is a firmware level thing, though I might be wrong. 

 

Dell isn't the only one that does this either. If you've ever wondered why PC makers are dragging their feet so hard on USB-C PD, this is why.

[514_AppleGuy]

Fun fact: since Apple ditched MagSafe and switched to USB-C for the Mac lineup, there's no such feature. As long as they're powerful enough, they'll work fine. 

Interesting move from a company with a reputation for fOrCiNg CoNsUmErS iNtO tHeiR EcOsYsTeM 

[ProjectBox153]

38 minutes ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

Fun fact: since Apple ditched MagSafe and switched to USB-C for the Mac lineup, there's no such feature. As long as they're powerful enough, they'll work fine. 

Interesting move from a company with a reputation for fOrCiNg CoNsUmErS iNtO tHeiR EcOsYsTeM 

I like having USB-C on my laptop. I forgot my charger at work but was still able to charge it with a USB-A to USB-C charger. 

[TempestCatto]

1 hour ago, ragnarok0273 said:

I think they might.

I'm not 100% certain, but it was mentioned on 5 or so sites and some had pictures as well.

Apparently Lenovo does it too.

1 hour ago, Vitamanic said:

Yes. Unless you get an enterprise model (Latitude/Precision) you need an OEM charger if you want unthrottled speed. There's no program AFAIK that bypasses this like the quote you put up suggests since this is a firmware level thing, though I might be wrong. 

 

Dell isn't the only one that does this either. If you've ever wondered why PC makers are dragging their feet so hard on USB-C PD, this is why.

 

So if this is true, then why hasn't someone like Linus ever covered it before? Why hasn't there been a huge uproar from the tech community? My mind is currently blown, though let it be known I'm not surprised at this shit behaviour. Just disappointed.

[Roswell]

29 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

 

So if this is true, then why hasn't someone like Linus ever covered it before? Why hasn't there been a huge uproar from the tech community? My mind is currently blown, though let it be known I'm not surprised at this shit behaviour. Just disappointed.

I think it's a lack of awareness thing. Most people don't break or lose the power cords. Those that do usually order one from the maker's site, get an OEM one from Amazon or get a used one off of eBay and so on.

[charlie_root]

14 hours ago, ragnarok0273 said:

I think they might.

I'm not 100% certain, but it was mentioned on 5 or so sites and some had pictures as well.

Apparently Lenovo does it too.

I'm not sure that's true about Lenovo, or at least if they do, there's no apparent change even if it is detected. I use my T14 with an Apple charger all the time and it works fine. No difference in CPU frequency or performance. I have never run Windows on it though so I don't know if you would get a nagging popup or whatever.

[514_AppleGuy]

23 minutes ago, charlie_root said:

I'm not sure that's true about Lenovo, or at least if they do, there's no apparent change even if it is detected. I use my T14 with an Apple charger all the time and it works fine. No difference in CPU frequency or performance. I have never run Windows on it though so I don't know if you would get a nagging popup or whatever.

Yes, but that’s because you use a USB-C, non-proprietary power adapter...

[charlie_root]

2 minutes ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

Yes, but that’s because you use a USB-C, non-proprietary power adapter...

Does Lenovo use proprietary power connectors in their other laptop lines? I'm only familiar with the ThinkPad line, which is now USB-C and I know the older style barrel connector does not do this since I've used various 3rd party adapters with them. Not sure about the rectangular one in the T470p and related series because I only had Lenovo chargers for those.

[514_AppleGuy]

Just now, charlie_root said:

Does Lenovo use proprietary power connectors in their other laptop lines? I'm only familiar with the ThinkPad line, which is now USB-C and I know the older style barrel connector does not do this since I've used various 3rd party adapters with them. Not sure about the rectangular one in the T470p and related series because I only had Lenovo chargers for those.

I’ve never owned a Lenovo product, so I wouldn’t know. I try and stay clear of Chinese brands as much as possible. 

[LloydLynx]

If you visually inspect a Dell barrel charger, you'll see only a center pin and the outer barrel. Lenovo on the other hand, there definitely is more than two contacts inside the rectangle connector. But I am very certain my Dell charger only has two contacts, and I've used a 3rd party charger with a Dell adapter to no ill affect.

[Jaxmoto]

They do not purposely sabotage the machine if on an off-brand charger.  What happens is the Dell chargers pass along a signal that tells the machine what wattage the charger is.  When it does not detect the signal, the machine may not charge and will run at what it considers the lowest wattage charger, like a 35 watt charger.  So yes, it may hurt performance because it could damage the machine if it is running over what the charger can supply.  Not all models do this though.

 

I have a couple of Inspirons I'm fixing and both of them do this.  They do not charge on my universal adapter.

 

There is an argument for it...  I repair a lot of laptops and have literally watched cheap chargers melt because they get so hot trying to supply full wattage to charge and power a laptop.  

 

Not really an issue though, as you can buy genuine Dell chargers all over the place for about the same prices as the knock-off chargers.