In search of an answer to How much electricity does a gaming pc use? Well, the question is often misunderstood and related to the general electricity usage of a desktop. While setting up a gaming rig seems possible, calculating the electricity used by the same becomes an impossible job for many.
Discussing the different spectrums of electricity usage by a gaming rig, this article introduces the power usage for different pc parts and explains the procedure in detail. Also, critical questions like how much electricity a gaming pc use and the procedure to reduce the same will be discussed.
How Much Electricity Does A Gaming PC Use Per Hour?
The accurate amount of power usage by a gaming pc per hour can be difficult to configure. With every activity, the engagement varies for the pc, and hence, the power usage varies as well. Usually, a gaming pc requires between 300 and 500 Watts to run efficiently. However, with every hardware installed, the configuration can change, altering the power usage capacity of a gaming pc.
After thorough research, we can conclude that a gaming rig consumes 250-400W/hour on average. However, the power consumption can shoot up to 600W or more when games with higher graphics quality are introduced. Powerful tools like Seasonic Prime PX-1300W are built to support such high requirements.
Individuals working with software like MSI Afterburner operate the GPU at 100% efficiency using overclocking facilities. While this provides an optimum solution for your gaming experience, it can lead to higher electricity consumption. Apart from it, the better the GPU is, its power consumption will be higher.
Also, regular overclocking and prolonged gaming sessions can lead to serious heating, and installing another pair of cooling fans becomes a mandate for many, ultimately increasing the power consumption again. However, a regular YouTube browsing session can cost you around 80-100W of energy every hour. This sums up an answer to how much electricity a gaming pc use per hour?
Do Gaming PCs Require More Energy To Run And Why?
This section answers all your questions related to does gaming pcs use a lot of electricity? As mentioned earlier, with every exclusive hardware, the power consumption for the rig goes up. For example, an integrated GPU will consume less energy than a dedicated GPU.
Usually, a gaming rig has different components not required for a laptop or console. According to Energy Saving Trust, it is estimated that a gaming PC consumes 6X more energy than a regular laptop.
Based on estimations, a gaming rig can consume around 1400 kWh per year, which boils down to 10X power consumed by a gaming console. Similarly, setting a global average, this amount rises up to 75 billion kWh of electricity per year which is enough to power 25 electric power plants. Therefore, keep track of all the hardware you install on your gaming pc.
Which Part Of The Gaming Pc Use More Power?
CPU and the graphics card, being two vital components of the gaming pc, consume the most energy. Knowing the energy consumption of every component can help a user understand the lifespan of the hardware.
To understand which part of the gaming pc uses more power, one must begin at the roots! Beginning with the CPU cores, a user must check out the GPU model, memory type, and other distinguished hardware. Accessories like the mouse, keyboard, and monitor consume a very minute portion of the total consumption and are often neglected.
As the number of CPU cores increases, the consumption goes up. On average, a gaming rig with a Hexa processor will consume more than 100W during normal operation. On the other hand, GPU consumes a substantial portion, and a high-end PSU is required to deal with complex-oriented performance. High-end GPUs can consume more than 70 Watts for efficient performance.
Speaking of the storage unit, an HDD will consume 10X more power than SSD. While the electric consumption is high during the boot time, it gradually decreases to 12-15W.
Similarly, deciding on the right PSU is important as it supplies the core power. A PSU of 600W doesn’t consume 600W of power; rather, it is capable of transmitting that energy. Therefore, the energy consumed by PSU is proportionate to the energy required by the gaming pc.
Also Read: Lenovo Vs. Acer – Which Laptop Brand Is Better?
Why Do Some PCs Consume More Power Than Expected?
While different factors are associated with the question of how much electricity a gaming pc use, this article explains the core reasons behind it. With longer working sessions on the desktop, hardware starts getting heated up and consumes higher energy.
As you search for different power modes on your device, you can scroll through different performance options like Power-Efficient and Performance-Efficient. Users can decide among the following and choose the one required. For intensive gaming sessions, the power usage is more and can fluctuate to provide better fps.
Similarly, if you build an intensive gaming rig, the usual power consumption will be high irrespective of the chores performed on it. With efficient planning, one can reduce power consumption and find an accurate answer to questions like how much it costs to run a gaming pc.
How Can You Reduce Your Gaming PC’s Power Usage?
1) Purchasing An Efficient Power Supply Unit
While most of our money is spent on GPU and CPU, addressing the need for an efficient PSU is mandatory. A gaming rig with a high-quality power supply unit creates room for higher longevity. Look out for an 80-plus rating and a color that starts with white. PSU operates the best when one chooses a Platinum color.
However, this efficiency is often misunderstood for the energy PSU supplies. During operation, PSU often consumes more energy than required. This extra energy is emitted in the form of heat. Therefore, a PSU of 80 plus rating will produce 100W of heat for every 400W of energy consumed.
In other words, an efficient PSU will produce lesser heat and keep the hardware safe at the same time.
2) Optimize Your PC Performance
Less spoken about, using the Windows power efficiency mode can severely change the gaming rig’s power consumption. Minor energy-saving habits can work efficiently to bring a large change simultaneously. For example, not using a screensaver can reduce consumption as well.
Similarly, one can underclock the CPU when all you need to do is light work.
3) Using Efficient Hardware
Investing in the right hardware can prove to be an excellent solution how to reducing your gaming PC’s power usage. Opting for SSD in place of HDD can be costly during the purchase but can offer 10X better performance in the long run.
Similarly, check out power consumption on other peripheral devices and choose the most optimum one.
Also Read: Are Gaming Laptops Good For Video Editing?
How Much Electricity Does A Gaming Pc Use? – Takeaway
Addressing all the minute details related to power consumption, users must be clear about the different components of a gaming rig. As one studies overclocking and other related terms, reducing power consumption becomes seamless.
Therefore, acknowledge the issue at hand and save on your electricity consumption!
This article is published by Infostor.com (c)
