USB-C PD chargers for a mini PC and travel lab

Your mini PC is happy. You plug in your phone, and suddenly the “100 W” charger is offering the computer a lot less. Buy the port-sharing table, not the biggest number on the box. Anker Prime A2688 suits a compact kit with one USB-C PD host; UGREEN Nexode CD289 is the stronger fit for two compatible 65 W hosts or a 100 W host plus a USB-A accessory.

Specs come from the makers, checked October 26, 2026; the power examples are calculated.

Quick picks: one host or a whole travel desk?

• Compact one-host kit: Anker Prime 100W, A2688. Either USB-C port can deliver 100 W alone. With both connected, the top USB-C1 gets 65 W and USB-C2 gets 35 W. Put the computer on top and let the smaller device take the second port.
• Two USB-C hosts: UGREEN Nexode 140W, CD289. Its two USB-C ports share at 65 W each. That makes it the pick for a compatible mini PC and laptop that each need a 65 W supply.
• One 100 W host plus USB-A: UGREEN CD289 again. Either USB-C port can keep a 100 W ceiling when paired with USB-A at up to 22.5 W. Leave the other USB-C port empty for that arrangement.

The Anker support table and UGREEN two-port diagram spell out those combinations. These are alternative chargers, not a shopping list that needs both.

Compare the ports you will actually use

Connection	Anker Prime A2688	UGREEN Nexode CD289
Ports	2 USB-C, 1 USB-A	2 USB-C, 1 USB-A
One USB-C device	C1 or C2: 100 W	C1: 140 W; C2: 100 W
Both USB-C ports	C1 65 W + C2 35 W	C1 65 W + C2 65 W
C1 plus USB-A	C1 65 W + A 22.5 W	C1 100 W + A 22.5 W
C2 plus USB-A	C2 12 W + A 12 W	C2 100 W + A 22.5 W
All three ports	89 W total	C1 65 W + C2 45 W + A 22.5 W

Anker labels the top USB-C port C1. Follow the printed C1/C2 labels on the UGREEN instead of copying Anker’s physical layout. The UGREEN three-port diagram is especially useful: filling every socket cuts C1 to 65 W.

That little Anker C2-plus-USB-A row is the surprise. Move the computer to C1 before connecting a USB-A accessory. Port choice matters as much as charger choice.

First, find out whether your mini PC takes USB-C power

Start with the computer’s manual and input label. You need a USB-C PD power input, its required voltage/current, and the maker’s recommended supply rating. A USB-C port advertised for displays or SSDs may provide no power-input route at all.

A barrel-powered mini PC belongs on its documented adapter unless its maker also supports USB-C PD input. An ordinary USB-C cable won’t turn that barrel jack into a PD connection. Our mini-PC buying guide helps choose the host; this guide chooses a supply for a host that already supports PD.

Write down three things before choosing a charger:

1. Input profile: for example, a hypothetical 20 V, 3.25 A requirement means 65 W.
2. Port allocation with everything attached: a 100 W single-port rating won’t help if that port falls to 65 W in your intended arrangement.
3. Cable capacity: the cable must carry the required current and, for higher-voltage operation, support that PD mode.

Use the full required supply rating when planning. An idle desktop reading is a useful measurement, but it doesn’t replace the host maker’s power requirement for booting and loaded work.

Match the voltage, not just the watts

Here are the makers’ single-port fixed PD profiles. Shared-port ceilings in the previous table still apply.

USB-C output	Fixed voltage/current profiles	Maximum alone
Anker A2688 C1 or C2	5 V/3 A; 9 V/3 A; 15 V/3 A; 20 V/5 A	100 W
UGREEN CD289 C1	5 V/3 A; 9 V/3 A; 12 V/3 A; 15 V/3 A; 20 V/5 A; 28 V/5 A	140 W
UGREEN CD289 C2	5 V/3 A; 9 V/3 A; 12 V/3 A; 15 V/3 A; 20 V/5 A	100 W

The UGREEN CD289 specification page lists these outputs; Anker lists its profiles in the support table above. A 20 V/5 A profile supplies up to 100 W. Reaching 140 W through 28 V/5 A takes a compatible PD 3.1 EPR host and cable, not merely a computer with a USB-C socket. PPS is a separate adjustable-voltage capability; don’t substitute it for a required fixed profile without the host maker’s support.

The Pi 5 is the memorable exception. Its official supply offers 5.1 V/5 A, while both shortlisted chargers list 3 A at their 5 V setting. A bigger headline wattage doesn’t reproduce that profile. Choose the official supply in our Pi 5 kit guide for that build; Raspberry Pi’s product brief explains the extra USB peripheral power it enables.

Two worked travel-lab power plans

These examples use hypothetical required input ratings, not measured consumption. Each port must meet its assigned device’s requirement, with matching PD profiles and cables.

Required input plan	Anker A2688	UGREEN CD289
Two USB-C hosts: 65 + 65 = 130 W	65/35 W: second host is 30 W short	65/65 W: fits the watt ceilings
USB-C host + USB-A accessory: 100 + 15 = 115 W	C1/A at 65/22.5 W: host is 35 W short	C1/A at 100/22.5 W: fits the watt ceilings
Two USB-C + USB-A: 100 + 25 + 15 = 140 W	Already unsuitable for the host-plus-accessory plan	65/45/22.5 W: host is still 35 W short

The last row is the trap worth remembering. The required total equals UGREEN’s 140 W headline, yet the computer’s port gets only a 65 W ceiling with all three occupied. You can’t move spare watts from one socket to another. Use a separate supply when the shared-port plan won’t cover the host.

Pack the right cable

For the 100 W route, choose a 5 A, electronically marked USB-C cable. Anker explicitly calls for an E-Marker cable for optimal 100 W charging. For the 140 W route, choose a cable rated for EPR operation as well. Texas Instruments’ USB-C and PD guide explains how source, sink and cable capabilities shape the connection.

Keep charging and data requirements separate. A cable’s power rating doesn’t tell you whether it can move a large backup quickly. If the same bag includes a USB4 NVMe enclosure, pack its appropriate data cable too. Label the host cable and charger port once, and your next hotel-desk setup becomes much less of a puzzle.

Give the finished kit a power-meter test

A USB-C PD meter makes this a satisfying little acceptance check:

1. Connect the intended charger port, rated cable and host through a meter that supports the required voltage/current and PD mode.
2. Inspect the negotiated voltage and available contract, not just the instantaneous watts. A lightly loaded computer can draw far less than the supply rating.
3. Start your normal sustained workload and watch for low-power warnings, disconnects or restarts.
4. Add each accessory in the exact port arrangement you plan to use. Remove and reconnect it while watching the host’s uptime and the meter.
5. Save the working port/cable arrangement with your travel-kit notes.

That last plug-in check matters for a computer without a battery to ride through a power interruption. Treat uninterrupted operation as something to test on your assembled kit. If the host resets, give it a dedicated supply rather than sharing its charger with frequently connected accessories.

A charger is the supply, not the backup

Both makers specify 100–240 V AC input; match the physical mains plug to your destination. For outage protection, a charger still needs a separate battery-backed source. Our DC mini UPS guide covers voltage, current and connector matching for compatible low-voltage equipment.

Choose Anker A2688 for the compact one-host kit, with the computer on C1. Choose UGREEN CD289 when two 65 W USB-C hosts share the desk, or when a 100 W host needs to coexist with USB-A. Write the port plan before you pack, and the charger becomes one less thing to troubleshoot.