Will HP USB-C Dock G5 Charge my Lenovo laptop?

[rickbrusuelas]

I purchased the HP ISB-C Dock G5 to connect two monitors, camera, mic and wireless keyboard/mouse. Everything seems to work well, but when I try to start up my Yoga Pro7 laptop I get a really weird (and tiny font) error message that tells me it has insufficient power to charge the laptop and I need to use the original power cord. Thought the HP ISB-C Dock G5 with its own dedicated power brick and cord should be sufficient. The specs say: "Power to system: Up to 100W via USB-C® Power to host (USB-C PD): 5V , 9V, 10V, 12V, 15V, 20V all at 5A MAX".  But am I still not able to just using the docking station? 

[NonSequitur777]

@rickbrusuelas,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

You’re very close -and your setup is almost perfect. Let’s unpack what’s happening with your Yoga Pro 7 and the HP USB-C Dock G5:

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🔹The Dock's Charging Capability:

• The HP USB-C Dock G5 can provide up to 100-watt of power delivery (USB-C PD).

• That’s plenty for many laptops — but not all.

• Some laptops (especially newer high-performance models like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7) expect the full 100-watt or even a bit more (sometimes up to 135-watt with their original adapters).

• Even if the dock can technically supply 100-watt, the laptop may detect that it’s not the original charger and post a warning — often about "insufficient power."

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🔹Why the Tiny Font/Error Message?

• During very early boot stages (before drivers load), your laptop firmware (BIOS/UEFI) directly checks the USB-C connection.

• If it sees "not the expected wattage" or "not the original charger ID," it shows a generic warning — sometimes in tiny fonts because the proper graphics drivers aren’t active yet.

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🔹Can You Still Use the Dock to Charge?

• Yes, you probably can — at best for normal usage.

• Your laptop will likely still charge, just at a reduced or negotiated power rate.

• Under light-to-moderate workloads (web browsing, office work), it'll run and charge fine.

• However, if you're gaming, video editing, or heavily multitasking, the dock might not supply enough power, causing:

  • Battery drain during heavy usage

  • Possible thermal throttling if the laptop tries to lower performance to stay within available power

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🔹Options You Have:

1. Accept the warning — continue using the dock for convenience.

2. Use the original Lenovo charger in addition to the dock when you expect heavy loads (some laptops allow simultaneous USB-C dock + barrel charger power).

3. Check your BIOS settings — some laptops let you suppress or disable "power warning" messages.

4. Futureproof tip: HP’s newer Thunderbolt docks (like the G4/G5) and Lenovo’s own Thunderbolt 4 docks support 135-watt+ — but those are a bit pricey.

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Summary:

• Your dock is doing its best — 100-watt is a lot — but your Yoga Pro 7 is likely expecting even more, hence the 140-watt USB-C slim (3-pin) AC power adapter option Lenovo provides.

• You can keep using the dock if your workloads are light-to-medium.

• No major hardware risk — it’s just about whether you mind the occasional low-power warning and potential slower charging under heavy use.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777