How Much Electricity Does a Gaming Computer Use?

How much electricity does a gaming computer use depends on the components inside, and the kind of games it plays. While a cheap laptop can run games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warcraft, a high-end gaming PC can draw up to 700 watts. The biggest power users are the installed processor and graphics card, with the latter using the bulk of energy. You should be aware that overclocked equipment tends to use more power than unscaled.

Several factors contribute to the electricity consumption of a gaming computer. First of all, the configuration of the computer is an important factor. If you’re using your gaming PC for a short period of time, it will only consume around 200 watts of electricity. On the other hand, a desktop will require up to 450 watts of electricity. If you’re unsure of how much electricity your gaming PC will use, we recommend looking into gaming laptops, which can use much less power.

A gaming PC’s power consumption is comparable to the power consumption of 25 standard electric power plants. That means that power plants that could run entire cities are now running electricity to gamers instead of doing the work. Even though PC processors barely operate during everyday activities, they work overtime during gaming. Hardcore gaming PCs spend up to 4.5 hours a day in peak power mode, whereas consumer PCs only spend 1% of their time in this mode.