Hello all,

I have a Dell Vostro 5471 and it's running Linux 5.4

One day a couple of months ago, it started giving errors at BIOS level saying that the power supply was not enough (not enough watts, I think).

Surprisingly, I found that with other power suppliers, the problem was still there.

Actually, the only stuff that is not working is the battery which is not charging but slowly discharges until 0%, even if the power supply is plugged-in; once the battery is discharged, the PC stays on and works as always (except that if the power supply is removed, it shut down, of course).

I found that with the 96W Mac power supplier through USB-c, it managed to have enough power and battery charges, but with a 90W [cheap] universal power supplier it doesn't work, whether from USB-c and from the usual power plug.

I suppose that some component (RAM? SDD? fan? screen?) is using too much power. I tried to open the PC and to reconnect everything. I have checked `powertop` and `stress` output but I do not see anything strange.

Is there some tool to check if some component is using too much power?

I am not familiar with this laptop - does it have more than 1 power input?
In any case:
- could it not be a problem with the cheap power supply?
- why not continue using the Mac power supply, or a similar stronger one?

Does this reflect in shortened battery life?

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Well, I do not have them and Mac suppliers cost a lot... before a buying one I want to be sure to understand what's happening

Yes, battery capacity is at 32%!

I wonder if the battery is failing? All batteries have a limited lifetime. Battery failure takes many forms but reduced voltage, failure to charge, or draining rapidly when used are some signs.
You said this began a short time ago which I interpret to mean it was fine previously with the power supply you were using and then began failing.
Does the battery charge with it plugged in but not on?
If not then it would seem to be the battery or the charging circuit since the machine runs with AC power available. When not on the only thing that should draw power is the battery being charged and that would not overload your (cheap) power supply.

I have an Asus laptop that quit charging some time ago and the battery is totally dead but the laptop continues to work fine on AC power with the supplied power supply. I have confirmed it is the battery, but at almost $150 for a new battery it is just too expensive for an 8 year old laptop so I only use it where AC power is available.

UPDATE:
I just checked the Dell specs here and the standard power supply for that laptop is either 45 or 65 watts (2 different ones are listed), so your 90 watt supply should be more than adequate.
Also, it surprises me that the battery seems to charge with power thru a usb-c port. Surely that is not the normal charging port since the power supply voltage is listed as 19.5 volts.