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Finding a USB hub that does what I need is more challenging than I expected!

The fundamental issue here is that the laptop (Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1) gets very hot when it's charging. So hot that the fans quickly kick in at 8000 RPM, even when the CPU is fixed at low clock speeds. They're really loud and make crazy buzzing noises.

Well, I have some musical devices that I'd like to plug in all at once: 2 or 3 MIDI controllers and a USB audio interface.

Now the audio interface needs a decent amount of power, so I got this fancy little USB-C hub with a downstream PD input that powers the hub along with the laptop.

In theory, this should work great, but the buzzing 8000 RPM fan is messing with my peace when I'm trying to work on music.

And the problem is that after unplugging the charger from the downstream PD input on the hub, it doesn't provide enough power to the all of the devices.

So I'm looking for a USB-C hub that takes power from upstream power delivery and supplies full power to a bunch of USB-A ports, ideally at least 4 of them. I wouldn't mind if the thing also had HDMI or a downstream USB-C port, but it's not totally necessary.

TLDR: There are lots of USB-C hubs that are fully powered from downstream PD sources, but I'm looking for one that can offer full power to its USB ports via an upstream PD source...

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A new HUB:

Here is a USB-C hub with 4x USB-A.

Because it does not have other features, (such as video) it will require less power itself and therefore allow more power to flow to your devices. It has power pass-through as well, but the power available without the pass-through is dependent on your laptop and the devices that you plan to plug in.

Fan Speed:

A better solution to your problem is to change your fan speed.

Through windows, you can go to Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\Change Plan Settings\Change advanced power settings\Processor power management. Here there are several options that will allow you to change how your processor and fans are controlled.

If you download a third party software or go into your computer BIOS, you can control the fan speed directly. Please note that lower fan speeds mean less cooling and your performance will suffer.

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  • That hub you described would be more convenient than carrying around some obscure coax power supply. But ideally, I'd be able to get the necessary power from the computer's PD chipset! I'm already manually controlling my fan speed, but your suggestion is a good one. Maybe I'll do a little more research about how hot the system can safely get and then tweak the fan response a little bit. That said, I really don't want to risk damage! I do wish I could just not charge when I want the system to be quiet.
    – micahscopes
    Commented Jan 6, 2020 at 20:16
  • Your laptop is charged through USB-C and there are several that pass that through the dongle. I would definitely go with that instead of one with its own power supply. Problem is that most only have 2 or 3 USB-A ports.
    – Alphy13
    Commented Jan 8, 2020 at 16:48
  • The hub I have does PD passthrough in the downstream -> upstream direction... I'm looking for a hub that powers itself via upstream PD, so in the other direction
    – micahscopes
    Commented Jan 9, 2020 at 20:14
  • The hub I linked should do that. It just also has a passthrough if you want to charge on the same port. The power available to your devices without external power will be limited by the laptop, not by the hub. If you plug in 4 power hungry devices you may have issues. I suggested the above hub because, unlike your other one, this one will not act as a 5th device and use up some of that power.
    – Alphy13
    Commented Jan 9, 2020 at 20:39

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