USB-C laptop charging

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kiwifidget

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#324346 30-Mar-2026 23:09

Said laptop is a 2024 Asus Tuf Gaming A14 (FA401WU).

It has a "1x Type-C USB 4 with support for DisplayPort™ / power delivery (data speed up to 40Gbps)"

I think this means it can be charged/powered via USB-C.

Sometimes its a bit of a drag lugging the standard charger around, so I got to wondering what would be recommended to charge via USB-C?

Either via a wall socket or powerbank.

Surely not just any old USB-C power plug and cable??

Or is it all just a bit of a gimmick?

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#3475774 31-Mar-2026 00:08

It’s plausible for everyday laptops that don’t have such a high power demand. However not in your case.

I don’t think that USB-C port is for power delivery in, it will likely be for power delivery out to another device. Think charging a phone or similar.
looking at the specs the high power draw , upwards of 100w is more than what usb-c charging can handle I believe. This is probably why the power brick is well a brick rather than something a little lighter.

pdh

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#3475782 31-Mar-2026 01:25

My wife's monitor will put 90W into a USB-C device at any one of 7 negotiated Voltages.
This monitor dates from the Covid lockdowns. (It's a Philips 326P1.)

A review of your ASUS idicates that the USB-C port on the LHS will draw up to 100W from a suitable USB-C source - which will recharge the unit but not keep up with full-on game play.

For that you'll need the ASUS 'brick' and its higher current cable & jack (“Asus Slim Power Jack”) - which will deliver 200 W.

So, there may be times & places where a smaller USB-C source will get the job done for you.
You'll need to consider your use case.
For spells of gaming followed by recharging - this would work.
For all day not gaming, it would work.
For many hours of full-on gaming - it wouldn't.

As for USB-C 100W sources - they seem to be common & reasonably compact.
PBT sell an Anker wall-wart (130 $) and a smallish-looking Belkin brick & cables (120 $) + several others.

marpada

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#3475785 31-Mar-2026 02:01

New GaN wall chargers can provide 100W and more. Even if the wattage of the charger is lower like 65W it might be enough to keep the laptop running, but not charge the battery, depending on the actual power demand. The USB-C cable needs to support that power as well so an old cable might not do. There are plenty of affordable options in Amazon, brands like NOVOO and UGreen, some of them include a USB-C cable, but it might not be very long so you might want to buy it separately.

kiwifidget

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#3475806 31-Mar-2026 07:48

Thanks for the replies.

I'm not a gamer, but often do presentations/meetings with a second "screen" via HDMI, whether that be a projector or a large format TV.

I find running video out through the HDMI (5m cable) drains the battery faster than I'd like. I think that uses the discreet graphics card whereas the laptop screen uses integrated graphics??

OK, so there are special wall things that require special cables. 100W GAN is the spec I need.

What about powerbanks?

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trig42

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#3475813 31-Mar-2026 07:57

I have a Dell Precision laptop - it needs more than the 65-90W most USB chargers provide.

It has a 130W USB-C GaN charger - works fine.
I run it on a Dell dock at home and work that delivers 130W to the USB-C port.

gzt

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#3475820 31-Mar-2026 08:27

Trump is apparently talking about making GCC countries pay for the war.

I'm sure that's going to go down well in the GCC if they're forced to pay for a war they didn't want in the first place.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-30/trump-interested-in-calling-on-arab-states-to-help-pay-for-iran-war-white-house-says

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#3475829 31-Mar-2026 08:43

gzt: Trump is apparently talking about making GCC countries pay for the war.

I'm sure that's going to go down well in the GCC if they're forced to pay for a war they didn't want in the first place.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-30/trump-interested-in-calling-on-arab-states-to-help-pay-for-iran-war-white-house-says

Much as I admire Trumps absolutely crazy and stupid excuses for things, I don't think usb-c power delivery to gaming laptops is the right one for this! 😆

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gzt

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#3475870 31-Mar-2026 09:41

USB-C charging can usually operate at a lower rate than the power requirements of the laptop.

If the only charger or usb-c power source around is not fully capable it's better than nothing at all.

Apologies for incorrect topic in previous post 🤦

gzt

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#3475871 31-Mar-2026 09:45

kiwifidget: I find running video out through the HDMI (5m cable) drains the battery faster than I'd like. I think that uses the discreet graphics card whereas the laptop screen uses integrated graphics??

Either that or the increased graphics load running two screens. Maybe try the mode that does not run the laptop screen at the same time. Closing the lid might activate that automatically if you're lucky, otherwise perhaps a function key for it.

pdh

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#3475955 31-Mar-2026 13:15

If you go into the above 100 W USB-C chargers (eg: PBT Anker 120 W GaN for 160$ and others I can see up to 140 W) - you are into suck-it-and-see territory. The ASUS device may draw the line at 100 W coming into its LHS USB socket - or it may not.

The ASUS specification (of 100 W) may be a hard limit - or it may be an artefact of what-was-available-when-they-wrote-the-manual. So your laptop may take the full 120 or 140 W - or it may just self-regulate at a max of 100 W.

You won't know until you try.

Also - have a read through this reddit link - it seems relevant:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Asustuf/comments/1mzv9n4/planning_to_use_type_c_charge_on_my_asus_tuf_a14/

If you have access to a power meter (a small device that measures power being eaten from a wall powerpoint), you could plug in the laptop - via its ASUS brick - and run one of your presentations driving a big screen via HDMI. That would tell you what power the ASUS is using - and whether it can live through a presentation with only 100 W coming in.

I don't see a use for a powerbank. A powerbank big enough to get the job done is going to be heavier than the ASUS brick charger. It sounds like you have freely available mains power - so there's no use lugging around a battery (powerbank).

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#3475969 31-Mar-2026 13:34

I have two GaN USB-C chargers. One Samsung one charges my laptop, one Belkin model I got does not. They get pretty hot though so I generally use the proper laptop USB-C charger that came with them.

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kiwifidget

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#3477215 2-Apr-2026 16:19

I got an Anker 120W Gan charger and a 3m 100W USB-C cable.

Seems to work.

Havent done any testing with regard to charge time and usage yet, well only had them a couple of hours.

Thanks for the help.

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pdh

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#3477298 2-Apr-2026 17:14

Great ! Glad to help.

kiwifidget

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#3477442 3-Apr-2026 09:06

Update. With USB-C charging on while using laptop. No external visuals connected.

Quite frequently, about every 10 minutes or so, the laptop screen will go black and display a message saying "on battery" then the screen returns only to black out again seconds later and the message changes to "PD" and then the screen returns, and is ok again for 10 minutes or so.

Presumably the USB-C charging level is dropping out forcing the battery to kick in, by which time (ie within seconds) the USB-C charge level has restored.

The Gan charger is plugged into a multiboard, so will test again plugged straight into the wall.

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gzt

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#3477446 3-Apr-2026 09:38

kiwifidget: I got an Anker 120W Gan charger and a 3m 100W USB-C cable.

It would not be my choice to use a cable that long for power delivery but hopefully it won't matter at all. If you have a shorter one to try it might be worthwhile.

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