What’s PDO?

Power Data Objects are sent by the device to the host (in this case your power supply) containing information about device capabilities and requirements.

The problem is that a laptop could be designed to /need/ PPS

This would be highly unusual, especially for a Dell workstation laptop. Some laptops can use PPS for better internal power efficiency and battery charging rate, but I know of none that require it. The feature is also leveraged far more often in small sealed devices where waste heat has basically nowhere to go, so if any device were to actually require it, I would look to small wearables. In fact, while I haven’t checked and don’t know, I’d wager many smart watch chargers are PPS enabled, which would explain their oversized connectors.