Chargers for E6420

Question

I have a Latitude E6420 I bought used a couple of years ago from a local computer store. A week ago the charger died. It was not a genuine Dell charger, but looked like one. It said "Model PA-12" so I searched for that on Amazon and found one compatible with my E6420 for under $20 and ordered it. Meanwhile, I borrowed a genuine Dell PA-10 charger from a family member that has an E5530, which worked fine. At the time I didn't know about the wattage of these chargers, but after some searching found the PA-10 is 90 watts and the PA-12 is 65 watts. Looking up the manuals for those two laptops, I see the E5530 calls for a 90W charger and the E6420 calls for either 65W, 90W or 150W. It also says "NOTE: 65 W AC adapter is available only for computers with integrated video card", which I presume is what I have. I read somewhere that it should say on the bottom of the laptop which charger is required, but I see nothing like that.

So the "PA-12" charger arrived and has been working okay for the last couple of days. This is what it looks like, just like a genuine Dell.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/uATUqLs.jpg[/img]

Notice just a plain circle in place of the Dell logo. It also feels lighter, obviously built to a price. Also, when I read the Reviews on Amazon, some buyers report buzzing and beeping and for some it didn't work, but mine works fine and I only hear some of that if I put it up against my ear, depending what it's doing. (The Dell PA-10 was completely silent.)

Now here's the curious thing. Looking at the BIOS before boot and running the Diagnostics, it tells me I have a 90W charger, not 65W as it's specified. What's up with that? Also, I've read a lot of posts on non-Dell chargers and see people reporting error messages and them just not working. I saw nothing like that. Even the charger that came with this laptop was a non-Dell replacement.

Okay, I expect replies telling me to ditch this charger and get a genuine Dell one for $90. I would expect that, but don't bother. All I'm looking for is some insight into how these things work and maybe input from others who have used aftermarket chargers. Maybe this thing will only last 6 months, who knows.

DAF44 · Answer

You have to understand that the Power Supply/Charger connects to very sensitive and critical components of your laptop. Any anomaly can and will render your precious laptop useless.

The comments advising you to only use genuine Dell chargers are just telling you : "Why risk it?"

In the end it is your decision. It could work fine and save you money but..... it can literally destroy your laptop and cost you a lot of money. Your choice.

By the way, if you live in the US, check out the Dell Refurbished store.https://www.dellrefurbished.com/

I recently purchased a Dell E-Port replicator including a genuine Dell 130 watt Charger for around $27 including shipping. The 130 watt Charger will fit your laptop and probably outlast it

nyc10036 · Answer

@TheOldyellr wrote:

Okay, I expect replies telling me to ditch this charger and get a genuine Dell one for $90. I would expect that, but don't bother. All I'm looking for is some insight into how these things work and maybe input from others who have used aftermarket chargers. Maybe this thing will only last 6 months, who knows.

I have always bought genuine Dell AC adapters and I have never paid $90 for any one of them.

If you are actually interested in hearing good information then I will be happy to share my knowledge; otherwise, I would be wasting my time.

.

TheOldyellr · Answer

@DAF44 wrote:

You have to understand that the Power Supply/Charger connects to very sensitive and critical components of your laptop. Any anomaly can and will render your precious laptop useless.

The comments advising you to only use genuine Dell chargers are just telling you : "Why risk it?"

In the end it is your decision. It could work fine and save you money but..... it can literally destroy your laptop and cost you a lot of money. Your choice.

By the way, if you live in the US, check out the Dell Refurbished store.https://www.dellrefurbished.com/

I recently purchased a Dell E-Port replicator including a genuine Dell 130 watt Charger for around $27 including shipping. The 130 watt Charger will fit your laptop and probably outlast it

Like I said, I bought this laptop used from a computer store 2 years ago and it came with an aftermarket charger, not branded "Dell". The new one works just fine. I refuse to believe that a replacement charger made to the same specs can damage the computer or battery. Maybe only itself.

TheOldyellr · Answer

@nyc10036 wrote:

I have always bought genuine Dell AC adapters and I have never paid $90 for any one of them.

If you are actually interested in hearing good information then I will be happy to share my knowledge; otherwise, I would be wasting my time.

.

On the Canadian Dell website (I'm in Canada) I see a 65W charger for $80 and a 130W one for $116. I remember also seeing a 90W one for $90, but it's not there now. That's a lot of money compared to the $19 I paid on Amazon for an aftermarket charger that works perfectly. I posted to let others know about my experience with a third party charger and would welcome any input on the subject.

DAF44 · Answer

I just have to ask....How do you know the no-brand charger is built to the same specs as the one supplied by Dell?

And yes, the charger can and will damage your battery and laptop if it malfunctions.

I think my work is done here. Good Luck!

nyc10036 · Answer

@TheOldyellr wrote:

@nyc10036 wrote:

I have always bought genuine Dell AC adapters and I have never paid $90 for any one of them.

If you are actually interested in hearing good information then I will be happy to share my knowledge; otherwise, I would be wasting my time.

.

On the Canadian Dell website (I'm in Canada) I see a 65W charger for $80 and a 130W one for $116. I remember also seeing a 90W one for $90, but it's not there now. That's a lot of money compared to the $19 I paid on Amazon for an aftermarket charger that works perfectly. I posted to let others know about my experience with a third party charger and would welcome any input on the subject.

And I repeat, not necessary to pay $90 for genuine Dell charger.

And the $19 you paid on Amazon is more than I paid for my genuine Dell chargers.

.

TheOldyellr · Answer

@nyc10036 wrote:

And I repeat, not necessary to pay $90 for genuine Dell charger.

And the $19 you paid on Amazon is more than I paid for my genuine Dell chargers.

.

Just so we're comparing apples to apples, the charger I bought is $12 US on Amazon.com.

But if it fails down the road, I'll certainly look for a genuine Dell one for a reasonable price. It's just that I'm not a big fan of name brand OEM replacement components where generic ones will do the same job.

nyc10036 · Answer

@TheOldyellr wrote:

@nyc10036 wrote:

And I repeat, not necessary to pay $90 for genuine Dell charger.

And the $19 you paid on Amazon is more than I paid for my genuine Dell chargers.

.

Just so we're comparing apples to apples, the charger I bought is $12 US on Amazon.com.

But if it fails down the road, I'll certainly look for a genuine Dell one for a reasonable price. It's just that I'm not a big fan of name brand OEM replacement components where generic ones will do the same job.

No, we are not comparing apples to apples.

Mine is a genuine Dell AC charger. Yours is not! LOL.

You're not a big fan? Let's call it for what it is. You have no clue where to get genuine OEM replacement components for a good price. LOL.

.

TheOldyellr · Answer

@nyc10036 wrote:

the same job.

No, we are not comparing apples to apples.

Mine is a genuine Dell AC charger. Yours is not! LOL.

You're not a big fan? Let's call it for what it is. You have no clue where to get genuine OEM replacement components for a good price. LOL.

.

I meant US vs. Canadian dollars and prices, not the products. What I buy for $20 you can probably buy for $10.

When it comes to replacement components, I always opt for generic with the same specifications over OEM brand name. In most cases they're equal performance and much better value. Whether that's true in this case I'll find out in the next 6 months or a year. The AC adapter I got feels a bit lighter than the Dell, so it may be built to a price, but with today's evolving technology, all new products are cheaper, smaller and lighter than the ones before.

nyc10036 · Answer

@TheOldyellr wrote:

Well folks, it looks like I stepped into a hornets' nest bringing up this subject in an official Dell forum. At the outset I asked for constructive opinions and stories of similar experiences, but all I got was jabs from loyal Dell acolytes. Of course you can't go wrong using a genuine Dell replacement. That goes without saying. But I didn't do that and didn't come here to be scolded. Meanwhile, I posted this same question in another forum and so far have received several helpful replies.

By "helpful" do you mean ones that agree with you that buying 3rd-party is fine?

LOL.

It's your laptop not mine. I frankly don't care what happens to your laptop.

I know where to get Dell OEM chargers at very good prices similar to what you paid for your non-Dell AC charger. That's a fact.

Only a fool would pay the same price for copy versus genuine which is what you did.

.

TheOldyellr · Answer

Well folks, it looks like I stepped into a hornets' nest bringing up this subject in an official Dell forum. At the outset I asked for constructive opinions and stories of similar experiences, but all I got was jabs from loyal Dell acolytes.  Of course you can't go wrong using a genuine Dell replacement. That goes without saying. But I didn't do that and didn't come here to be scolded. Meanwhile, I posted this same question in another forum and so far have received several helpful replies.

TheOldyellr · Answer

@nyc10036 wrote: By 'helpful' do you mean ones that agree with you that buying 3rd-party is fine? LOL.     It's your laptop not mine. I frankly don't care what happens to your laptop. I know where to get Dell OEM chargers at very good prices similar to what you paid for your non-Dell AC charger. That's a fact.   Only a fool would pay the same price for copy versus genuine which is what you did. .     1. No, I meant anybody who has used third party chargers. No responses so far. 2. Please tell me where to buy a Dell OEM charger for what I paid for a compatible third party charger. That would be $19 CAD ($14 USD) shipped.

JAC8513 · Answer

@TheOldyellr

You can choose the charger you want through this link. If you need other new chargers, you can also contact this seller, who is the more professional charger seller I met.

https://www.usalaptopbattery.com/index.php?route=product/search&keyword=Latitude%20E6420&category_id=0

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

The Most Trusted Source For Dell OEM Replacement Parts!!! https://www.parts-people.com/ Regards, U2

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