Re: 16X Aurora AC16251, charges slowly with usb c

As our Rockstar stated in the 1st thread, "Not at full speed, no -- the best you'll get is 90W through the Thunderbolt port. The system won't charge at full speed as a result - neither will it run at full speed with a 90W adapter.".

The online Alienware 16x Aurora AC16251 Compatible Parts & Upgrades page does not show a USB-C charger. This means that Dell cannot support that usage or troubleshoot issues derived from that usage.

@DELL-Chris M​ Thanks for the quick reply, the 90w that goes into the thunderbolt4 port does not increase my battery percentage while on idle. Is there a way to confirm if this is working as intended? As in theres no way that a usb-c cable can charge this laptop in any circumstance?

I just want to double check because I am getting conflicted answers. I have another source from dell telling me I need to buy a 180watt usb adapter to test the port.

Given that the reply confuses voltage with power, I don't think much of its accuracy.  

A Thunderbolt 4 port can accept up to 100W of power max (with a Dell adapter) or 90W for a non-Dell adapter.  Neither will charge or power your system at full speed.

You need the original power supply to charge this system at full speed and power it for maximum performnace.

240 W Thunderbolt charging hasn't arrived yet - it will when Thunderbolt 5 becomes mainstream (it's here, but not on your system -- or very many others).

Got it, I am really just looking for ways to not need to bring the original power adapter to vacation etc. I tried charging the laptop via tb4 when its powered off overnight but the battery percentage doesnt increase at all. Wondering if there are other ac16251 users that have sucesses in this regard.

If you're looking for something lighter in weight the adapter below may be suitable.

Dell GaN AC adapter.

There's just no way you can charge this system at anything like full speed -- if at all -- over USB-C/Thunderbolt.  If that's a requirement and you're within your 30 day return period, you may want to consider an XPS or a Pro Max system that doesn't draw the power that a gaming notebook does.

@ejn63​ , I see that you have mentioned full speed several times. Not sure what I said led you to believe that I wanted to game all day long with a usb-c cord plugged in. I just wanted a chargable solution that I can use without the standard adapter. I will be happy to have a 20% laptop charged to 80% overnight.

Since you've already mentioned the battery charge level not increasing with your 90W adapter, you have the answer.  Most Alienware systems won't charge over USB-C at all.  I had thought this new one might, but if you've already tried a 90W adapter AND have had the system powered off while doing so but have seen no charge level increase, this one doesn't, either.

It does say USB Power Delivery (PD) fast charging is supported on the owners manual though. Is this an error on dells part?

https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/alienware-aurora-ac16251-gaming-laptop/alienware-16x-aurora-ac16251-owners-manual/power-adapter-requirements?guid=guid-f4c16090-6d79-4cff-82ef-0a9f7d76266e&lang=en-us

The way to test is with an OEM Dell USB-C charger -- with anything else, the system may not negotiate a charge level.  

I do not have this particular charger to try with. Hopefully another ac16251 user can try this out. Thanks.

Most local computer shops will have a Dell USB-C charger you can try.

@KwfromNj1​

"USB Power Delivery (PD) fast charging is supported"

I understood that has using the USB-C port to charge a device like a phone, not charging the 16X Aurora AC16251 battery.