How Much Energy Computers Consume
By Nicholas Brown – Follow me on Twitter.
What Is The Power Consumption Of Desktop Computers?
The power consumption of desktop computers ranges from 5 to 250 Watts for PCs without monitors (there are models outside of this range, but this is an average). Workstations may consume more energy. Desktop monitors are typically 20 Watts (not including CRT or LED-backlit models).
Computers have a maximum wattage on their power supply unit (PSU) which is usually well over 300 Watts (and over 1,000 Watts in the case of some high performance models). 180W to 240W for some low-profile and small form factor (SFF) office PCs.
However, this wattage rating is the peak power output of the PSU, not the power consumption. The power consumption of computers varies significantly due to two key factors: Usage, and which parts are in them.
Energy Calculator
Kompulsa has an energy usage calculator that you can use to calculate the energy usage of a computer, and the monthly power cost. It can also calculate fuel requirements for a trip, and your MPG. If you would rather not download that app, you can use the browser-based calculator instead.
Image credit: Rost-9/Bigstock.com
If you use an SSD, your computer will consume less power, if you use a high end video card like an AMD RX Vega model over a low end one, your computer will consume more power. If your computer contains an Intel i5 CPU, it will consume less power than if it was an i9. This is why this page breaks power consumption down by each computer part.
Monitor power consumption is heavily influenced by the size of the monitor (i.e. larger monitors consume more power). However, newer LED-backlit monitors consume far less energy than their older CFL-backlit counterparts.
LED-backlit monitors are not to be confused with OLED models. The LED-backlit monitors I referred to above are LCD monitors. OLED monitors do not utilize LCD technology.
Reasons
The power consumption of a desktop computer is attributable to a number of factors, including the type of CPU it has, video card (GPU), the type and number of drives in the computer, as well as other peripherals in the computer (such as additional video cards, video capture cards, CPU fans, chassis fans, among other devices).
For example: My desktop PC consumes between 40 and 85 Watts, depending on usage. It exceeded 80 Watts when doing certain video intensive tasks, such as watching TV shows (using a TV tuner adapter).
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| Hard Drive Power Consumption |
| CPU Power Consumption |
| GPU Power Consumption |
| Fan Power Consumption |
A Breakdown Of PC Power Consumption (Estimates)
Hard Drive Power Consumption
Conventional Hard Drive Power Consumption: 5 Watts to 6.8 Watts.
Solid-State Drive (SSD) Power Consumption: 1.6 to 4.1 Watts. SSD energy usage varies more widely than conventional hard drive power usage because SSDs use far less energy when idle (due to the lack of a power-hungry spindle motor).
Most of an SSD’s power consumption is attributable to read and write (I/O) operations.
CPU Power Consumption
This section provides CPU power consumption data based on their manufacturer’s official TDP ratings (Thermal Design Power), ordered by TDP (ascending).
The power consumption of a CPU is determined primarily by operating frequency, which is then determined by usage. Usage in this case refers to processing power demand (CPU utilization).
As a result of this, video games and other CPU-intensive apps will increase your PC’s power consumption. Leaving your computer idle usually causes it to consume less power, and (if nothing is running) operate at or near the CPU’s base frequency.
The figures in the tables below are derived from the TDP ratings provided by the CPU manufacturers.
The CPU benchmarks in this article were obtained from PassMark. CPU benchmarks are a measure of CPU performance and are used to do performance comparisons.
AMD CPU Power Consumption
The TDP of AMD processors ranges from 65 Watts to 180 Watts for the models in our database.
AMD CPU Power Consumption
| Brand | Model | Cores | Basefreq(GHZ) | Maxfreq(GHZ) | Cache | TDP (Watts) | CPU Benchmark (PassMark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD | Ryzen 3 2200G (with Vega 8 GPU) | 4 | 3. 5 |
3.7 | 4 | 65 | 7334 |
| AMD | Ryzen 3 1200 | 4 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 8 | 65 | 6797 |
| AMD | Ryzen 3 1300X | 4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 8 | 65 | 7563 |
| AMD | Ryzen 5 1600 | 6 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 16 | 65 | 12289 |
| AMD | Ryzen 5 1500X | 4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 16 | 65 | 10113 |
| AMD | Ryzen 5 1400 | 4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 8 | 65 | 8374 |
| AMD | Ryzen 7 1700 | 8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 16 | 65 | 13933 |
| AMD | Ryzen 7 1800X | 8 | 3.6 | 4.00 | 16 | 95 | 15544 |
| AMD | Ryzen 7 1700X | 8 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 16 | 95 | 14808 |
| AMD | Ryzen 5 1600X | 6 | 3. 6 |
4.00 | 16 | 95 | 13203 |
| AMD | FX-8300 | 8 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 8 | 95 | 7773 |
| AMD | FX-8320E | 8 | 3.2 | 4 | 8 | 95 | 7577 |
| AMD | FX-8350 | 8 | 4 | 4.2 | 8 | 125 | 8957 |
| AMD | Ryzen Threadripper 1950X | 16 | 3.4 | 4.00 | 32 | 180 | 21945 |
| AMD | Ryzen Threadripper 1920X | 12 | 3.5 | 4.00 | 32 | 180 | 20096 |
| AMD | Ryzen Threadripper 1900X | 8 | 3.8 | 4.00 | 16 | 180 | 16108 |
| AMD | Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX | 32 | 3 | 4.2 | 64 | 250 | 23186 |
| AMD | Ryzen 7 3800X | 8 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 32 | 105 | 23331 |
| AMD | Ryzen 9 3900X | 12 | 3. 8 |
4.6 | 64 | 105 | 32889 |
| AMD | Ryzen 9 3950X | 16 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 64 | 105 | 39221 |
The power consumption of AMD processors ordered by wattage, as well as Ryzen CPU benchmarks and other specs. This includes the power consumption of Ryzen CPUs, and the power consumption of the AMD FX CPUs.
Intel i5 Power Consumption
The TDP of Intel i5 processors ranges from 65 Watts to 95 Watts for the desktop models in our database.
Try Kompulsa’s energy usage calculator.
Intel i5 CPU Power Consumption
| Brand | Model | Cores | Basefreq(GHZ) | Maxfreq(GHZ) | Cache | TDP (Watts) | CPU Benchmark (PassMark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | i5-7400 | 4 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 6 | 65 | 7236 |
| Intel | i5-7500 | 4 | 3. 40 |
3.80 | 6 | 65 | 7938 |
| Intel | i5-6500 | 4 | 3.20 | 3.60 | 6 | 65 | 7250 |
| Intel | i5-3470 | 4 | 3.20 | 3.60 | 6 | 77 | 6729 |
| Intel | i5-3570K | 4 | 3.40 | 3.80 | 6 | 77 | 7188 |
| Intel | i5-4690K | 4 | 3.50 | 3.90 | 6 | 88 | 7799 |
| Intel | i5-7700K | 4 | 4.20 | 4.50 | 8 | 91 | N/A |
| Intel | i5-6600K | 4 | 3.50 | 3.90 | 6 | 91 | 8061 |
| Intel | i5-7600K | 4 | 3.80 | 4.20 | 6 | 91 | 9046 |
| Intel | i5-2400 | 4 | 3.10 | 3.40 | 6 | 95 | 5974 |
| Intel | i5-8400 | 6 | 2.80 | 4. 00 |
9 | 65 | 11567 |
| Intel | i5-8600k | 6 | 3.60 | 4.30 | 9 | 95 | 12680 |
| Intel | i5-9400 | 6 | 2.90 | 4.10 | 9 | 65 | 9490 |
| Intel | i5-9500 | 6 | 3.00 | 4.40 | 9 | 65 | 9775 |
| Intel | i5-9500F | 6 | 3.00 | 4.40 | 9 | 65 | 10285 |
| Intel | i5-10500 | 6 | 3.10 | 4.50 | 12 | 65 | 13261 |
| Intel | i5-10500T | 6 | 2.30 | 3.80 | 12 | 35 | 10770 |
| Intel | i5-10600 | 6 | 3.30 | 4.80 | 12 | 65 | 13949 |
| Intel | i5-10600k | 6 | 4.10 | 4.80 | 12 | 125 | 14544 |
| Intel | i5-10600kf | 6 | 4. 10 |
4.80 | 12 | 125 | 14583 |
| Intel | i5-11400 | 6 | 2.60 | 4.40 | 12 | 65 | 17693 |
| Intel | i5-11400 | 6 | 2.60 | 4.40 | 12 | 65 | 17782 |
| Intel | i5-11400T | 6 | 1.30 | 3.70 | 12 | 35 | 13367 |
| Intel | i5-11500 | 6 | 2.70 | 4.60 | 12 | 65 | 17819 |
| Intel | i5-11600 | 6 | 2.80 | 4.80 | 12 | 65 | 17856 |
| Intel | i5-11600k | 6 | 3.90 | 4.90 | 12 | 125 | 19977 |
| Intel | i5-11600kf | 6 | 3.90 | 4.90 | 12 | 125 | 20040 |
The power consumption of Intel i5 CPUs, as well as other specifications such as i5 clock speeds, i5 cpu benchmark, cache memory, and their core counts (desktop models only).
Intel i7 Power Consumption
Intel i7 CPU TDP ranges from 35 Watts to 140 Watts for the desktop models in our database. In the SQL table below, the ‘tdp’ field is the CPUs’ maximum wattage.
Intel i7 CPU Power Consumption
| Brand | Model | Cores | Basefreq(GHZ) | maxfreq(GHZ) | Cache (MB) | TDP (Watts) | CPU Benchmark (PassMark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | i7-6700T | 4 | 2.80 | 3.60 | 8 | 35 | 8995 |
| Intel | i7-7700T | 4 | 2.90 | 3.80 | 8 | 35 | 9318 |
| Intel | i7-6700 | 4 | 3.40 | 4.00 | 8 | 65 | 10004 |
| Intel | i7-8700 | 6 | 3.20 | 4.60 | 12 | 65 | 15134 |
| Intel | i7-7700 | 4 | 3. 60 |
4.20 | 8 | 65 | 10685 |
| Intel | i7-4790 | 4 | 3.60 | 4.00 | 8 | 84 | 9989 |
| Intel | i7-4790K | 4 | 4.00 | 4.40 | 8 | 88 | 11165 |
| Intel | i7-7700K | 4 | 4.20 | 4.50 | 8 | 91 | 11991 |
| Intel | i7-6700K | 4 | 4.00 | 4.20 | 8 | 91 | 11108 |
| Intel | i7-8700K | 6 | 3.700 | 4.70 | 12 | 95 | 15935 |
| Intel | i7-7820X | 8 | 3.60 | 4.30 | 11 | 140 | 18516 |
| Intel | i7-9700K | 8 | 3.60 | 4.90 | 12 | 95 | 17224 |
| Intel | i7-9800X | 8 | 3.80 | 4.40 | 16.5 | 165 | 19810 |
| Intel | i7-10700k | 8 | 3. 80 |
5.10 | 16 | 125 | 19495 |
| Intel | i7-10700kf | 8 | 3.80 | 5.10 | 16 | 125 | 19193 |
| Intel | i7-10700t | 8 | 2.00 | 4.50 | 16 | 35 | 13208 |
| Intel | i7-11700k | 8 | 3.60 | 5.00 | 16 | 125 | 25057 |
| Intel | i7-11700 | 8 | 2.50 | 4.90 | 16 | 65 | 21536 |
| Intel | i7-11700F | 8 | 2.50 | 4.90 | 16 | 65 | 21382 |
| Intel | i7-11700kf | 8 | 3.60 | 5.00 | 16 | 125 | 23825 |
The power consumption of Intel i7 CPUs (in the desktop segment) ordered by wattage, as well as other details such as the CPUs’ base frequency, i7 cpu benchmarks, maximum frequency, core count, and cache memory.
Intel i9 Power Consumption
The power consumption (TDP/Wattage in this case) of Intel i9 CPUs ranges from 140 to 165 Watts, dependent on the model. Unsurprisingly, the 14, 16, and 18-core models consumed more energy than those with fewer cores, and all the i9 models consumed more power than all the i7 models in our database (with one exception: the i7-7820X).
Intel i9 CPU Power Consumption
| Brand | Model | Cores | Basefreq(GHZ) | Maxfreq(GHZ) | Cache(MB) | TDP (Watts) | CPU Benchmark (PassMark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | i9-7900X | 10 | 3.30 | 4.50 | 13.75 | 140 | 21877 |
| Intel | i9-7920X | 12 | 2.90 | 4.40 | 16.5 | 140 | 23292 |
| Intel | i9-7980XE | 18 | 2.60 | 4.40 | 24. 75 |
165 | 27660 |
| Intel | i9-7960X | 16 | 2.80 | 4.40 | 22 | 165 | 26030 |
| Intel | i9-7940X | 14 | 3.10 | 4.40 | 19.25 | 165 | 25412 |
| Intel | i9-9900K | 8 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 16 | 95 | 20206 |
| Intel | i9-9900KF | 8 | 3.60 | 5.00 | 16 | 95 | 20348 |
| Intel | i9-10900F | 10 | 3.70 | 5.30 | 20 | 125 | 23961 |
| Intel | i9-10900KF | 10 | 3.70 | 5.30 | 20 | 125 | 23812 |
| Intel | i9-10900T | 10 | 1.90 | 4.60 | 20 | 35 | 15425 |
| Intel | i9-11900 | 8 | 2.50 | 5.20 | 16 | 65 | 23166 |
| Intel | i9-11900F | 8 | 2. 50 |
5.20 | 16 | 65 | 23862 |
| Intel | i9-11900K | 8 | 3.50 | 5.30 | 16 | 125 | 25644 |
| Intel | i9-11900T | 8 | 1.50 | 4.90 | 16 | 35 | 21553 |
The wattage (TDP) of Intel i9 CPUs. Other details include core count, i9 cpu benchmarks, base frequency, maximum frequency, and cache memory.
Server CPU Power Consumption
Below is a list of some Intel server CPUs, and their TDP ratings.
| Brand | Model | Cores | Basefreq | TDP (Watts) | Class | Maxfreqghz | Cache (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | 8153 | 16 | 2.00 | 125 | Xeon Platinum | 2.80 | 22 |
| Intel | 8156 | 4 | 3.60 | 105 | Xeon Platinum | 3.70 | 17 |
| Intel | 8158 | 12 | 3. 00 |
150 | Xeon Platinum | 3.70 | 25 |
| Intel | 8176 | 28 | 2.10 | 165 | Xeon Platinum | 3.8 | 39 |
| Intel | 8160 | 24 | 2.10 | 150 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 33 |
| Intel | 8164 | 26 | 2 | 150 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 36 |
| Intel | 8168 | 24 | 2.7 | 205 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 33 |
| Intel | 8170 | 26 | 2.1 | 165 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 36 |
| Intel | 8180 | 28 | 2.5 | 205 | Xeon Platinum | 3.8 | 39 |
| Intel | 8160T | 24 | 2.1 | 150 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 33 |
| Intel | 8160F | 24 | 2.1 | 160 | Xeon Platinum | 3.7 | 33 |
| Intel | 8176F | 28 | 2. 1 |
173 | Xeon Platinum | 3.8 | 39 |
| Intel | E3-1220 v3 | 4 | 3.10 | 80 | Xeon | 3.50 | 8 |
| Intel | 6138 | 20 | 2.00 | 125 | Xeon Gold | 3.7 | 27.5 |
| Intel | E3-1226 v3 | 4 | 3.3 | 84 | Xeon | 3.70 | 8 |
| Intel | E3-1230 v3 | 4 | 3.3 | 80 | Xeon | 3.70 | 8 |
| Intel | E3-1240 v3 | 4 | 2.00 | 25 | Xeon | 3.00 | 8 |
| Intel | E3-1246 v3 | 4 | 3.5 | 84 | Xeon | 3.9 | 8 |
| Intel | E3-1265L v3 | 4 | 2.5 | 45 | Xeon | 3.7 | 8 |
| Intel | E3-1281 v3 | 4 | 3.7 | 82 | Xeon | 4.10 | 8 |
| Intel | 6148 | 20 | 2. 40 |
150 | Xeon Gold | 3.7 | 27.5 |
| Intel | 5120T | 14 | 2.20 | 105 | Xeon Gold | 3.20 | 19.25 |
| Intel | 6136 | 12 | 3.00 | 150 | Xeon Gold | 3.70 | 24.75 |
| Intel | 5115 | 10 | 2.4 | 85 | Xeon Gold | 3.20 | 13.75 |
| Intel | 5120 | 14 | 2.2 | 105 | Xeon Gold | 3.20 | 19.25 |
| Intel | 6126 | 12 | 2.6 | 125 | Xeon Gold | 3.70 | 19.25 |
| Intel | 5118 | 12 | 2.3 | 105 | Xeon Gold | 3.20 | 16.5 |
| Intel | 5122 | 4 | 3.6 | 105 | Xeon Gold | 3.7 | 16.5 |
Video Card Power Consumption (GPU Power Consumption)
As is the case with other electronic devices, the power consumption of GPUs is the current wattage * the amount of time in hours that it is running.
GPU wattage varies, as GPU clock speeds are adjusted dependent on processing power demand.
GPU power consumption correlates with ‘TDP’. TDP means ‘thermal design power’, and is the maximum power dissipation of a GPU, which is why the power consumption of GPUs may be lower than this figure on average (assuming typical computer usage with idling, etc).
If you are building a cryptocurrency mining rig (specifically a GPU mining rig), your GPU power consumption may be closer to due to high GPU utilization.
The table below lists the TDP of NVidia and AMD GPUs, including the NVidia Titan series, NVidia GeForce series, and the AMD Radeon Series.
GPU Power Consumption
| Brand | Model | TDP (Watts) | Base Freq (MHZ) | Boost Freq (MHZ) | VRAM | Class | Gigaflops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVidia | GT 1030 | 30 | — | 1468 | 2 | GeForce | (Unavailable) |
| AMD | RX 550 | 50 | 1100 | 1183 | 4 | Radeon | 1100 |
| AMD | RX 460 | 75 | 1090 | 1200 | 2 | Radeon | 2200 |
| NVidia | GTX 1050 TI | 75 | 1290 | 1392 | 4 | GeForce | 2138 |
| NVidia | GTX 1050 | 75 | 1354 | 1455 | 2 | GeForce | 1862 |
| AMD | RX 560 | 80 | 1175 | 1275 | 4 | Radeon | 2600 |
| NVidia | GTX 950 | 90 | 1024 | 1188 | 2 | GeForce | 1825 |
| AMD | RX 470 | 120 | 926 | 1206 | 4 | Radeon | 4900 |
| NVidia | GTX 960 | 120 | 1127 | 1178 | 2 | GeForce | 2413 |
| NVidia | GTX 1060 | 120 | 1506 | 1708 | 6 | GeForce | 3800 |
| NVidia | GTX 970 | 145 | 1050 | 1178 | 4 | GeForce | 3920 |
| AMD | RX 570 | 150 | 1168 | 1244 | 8 | Radeon | 5100 |
| NVidia | GTX 1070 | 150 | 1506 | 1683 | 8 | GeForce | 6463 |
| AMD | RX 480 | 150 | 1120 | 1266 | 8 | Radeon | 5800 |
| NVidia | GTX 980 | 165 | 1126 | 1216 | 4 | GeForce | 4600 |
| NVidia | RTX 2070 | 175 | 1410 | 1620 | 8 | GeForce | (Unavailable) |
| NVidia | GTX 1070 TI | 180 | 1607 | 1683 | 8 | GeForce | 8100 |
| NVidia | GTX 1080 | 180 | 1607 | 1733 | 8 | GeForce | 9000 |
| AMD | RX 580 | 185 | 1257 | 1340 | 8 | Radeon | 6200 |
| AMD | RX Vega 56 | 210 | 1156 | 1471 | 8 | Radeon | 21000 |
| NVidia | RTX 2080 | 215 | 1515 | 1710 | 8 | GeForce | (Unavailable) |
| AMD | 5700 XT | 225 | 1605 | 1905 | 11 | Radeon | 12700 |
| NVidia | GTX 980 TI | 250 | 1000 | 1075 | 6 | GeForce | 5600 |
| NVidia | GTX 1080 TI | 250 | 1544 | 1658 | 11 | GeForce | 11300 |
| NVidia | Titan X | 250 | 1417 | 1531 | 12 | Titan | 11000 |
| NVidia | Titan Xp | 250 | 1405 | 1582 | 12 | Titan | 12000 |
| NVidia | Titan V | 250 | 1200 | 1455 | 12 | Titan | 110000 |
| AMD | RX Vega 64 | 345 | 1247 | 1677 | 8 | Radeon | 27500 |
| NVidia | RTX 3090 | 350 | 1400 | 1700 | 24 | GeForce | 36000 |
| NVidia | RTX 3080 | 320 | 1440 | 1710 | 10 | GeForce | 30000 |
The power consumption of many common graphics processing units (GPUs), as well as their base frequency, maximum frequency, compute power in gigaflops, and video memory (VRAM).
This table is ordered by GPU wattage.
The table shows a significant correlation between the compute power of the GPUs (in gigaflops) vs GPU power rating. However, some models are exempt from this correlation due to newer, more efficient technology.
For example: The newer NVidia Titan V is 250 Watts, while the AMD RX Vega 64 is 345 Watts. The Titan V achieves up to 110,000 gigaflops, while the RX Vega GPU only achieves 27,500 gigaflops. Both are powerful cards, but newer models usually trounce the performance of older ones. The Titan V GPU is also built for scientific research applications.
What are gigaflops, and what are teraflops?
‘Giga’ means billion and ‘tera’ means trillion. ‘Flop’ means floating point operations per second. A floating point operation is a calculation involving decimals. Therefore a gigaflop is 1 billion floating point operations per second, and a teraflop is 1 trillion floating point operations per second.
Power Consumption Of Fans
The power consumption of computer fans is dependent on size, airflow, speed (RPM), efficiency, and usage.
Most CPU fans are of variable speed PWM models, and some chassis fans are PWM controlled as well. This means that their power consumption will be determined by the speed the fan is currently operating at, as fan speed follows CPU temperature.
The maximum power consumption ratings of CPU and chassis fans observed was as low as 0.6 Watts for a 120mm Noctua PWM model, and as much as 4.8 Watts for an LED-illuminated model. As for the others:
- 0.6 Watts (120mm model).
- 0.84 Watts.
- 0.96 Watts (Noctua NF-A8).
- 1.08 Watts.
- 1.2 Watts (80mm).
- 1.44 Watts (120mm).
- 2.76 Watts (140mm).
- 3 Watts (120mm).
- 3.6 Watts (120mm Noctua industrialPPC with 3-phase motor).
- 3.6 Watts (120mm Thermaltake Luna 12).
- 4.2 Watts (120mm model with LEDs).
- 4.8 Watts (120mm model with LEDs).
As the figures above suggest, bigger fans don’t necessarily consume more power. Some designs are more efficient than others, while some smaller fans have more powerful motors to spin their blades faster to augment airflow.
The figures also show that the inclusion of LEDs increases power consumption. LEDs need power too!
PCs can consume less power (a few watts less) if you use a fanless CPU cooler (passive CPU cooler), although that should be planned carefully as discussed here. Passive builds are also quieter and accumulate less dust.
How Many Watts Does a Computer Use?
While not as power-hungry as appliances like air conditioners or washing machines, it’s important to know how much electricity a computer uses when you’re looking at your whole home’s energy usage.
Key takeaways about powering a computer
- On average, laptops use about 30 to 70 watts of electricity.
- Large desktop and gaming computers use between 200 and 500 watts of electricity, on average.
- Using a computer for 8 hours per day will use about 12.2 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month and 146 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
- A computer costs an average of $1.73 to use for a month and $20.72 to use for a year.
- The best way to save money on electricity is to install solar panels. Start comparing your options on the EnergySage Marketplace today.
In this article
- How much electricity does a computer use?
- Definitions: watts, volts, amps, and more
- How much does it cost to power a computer?
How much electricity does a computer use?
Generally, computers use between 30 and 70 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Computers usually use between 3 and 5 amps, and connect to a 120-volt outlet. Larger desktop and gaming computers can use up to 500 W.
How much you use your computer has the biggest impact on how much electricity it uses over time. Assuming an average computer needs 50 W to run:
- Using your computer for 6 hours per day results in 2.
1 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per week, 9.1 kWh per month, and 109.5 kWh per year. - 8 hours per day of computer usage comes to 2.8 kWh per week, 12.2 kWh per month, and 146 kWh per year.
- On the upper end, running a computer for 10 hours per day uses 3.5 kWh of electricity per week, 15.2 kWh per month, and 182.5 kWh per year.
Different wattage computers use different amounts of electricity over the course of a year. Assuming you run your computer an average amount (8 hours per day), here’s how much electricity you’ll use over the course of a year for different wattage computers:
How many watts do different computers use in a month and a year?
| Computer wattage | Hours per year run | Monthly kWh of electricity | Yearly kWh of electricity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 W | 2,920 hours | 7.3 kWh | 87.6 kWh |
| 40 W | 2,920 hours | 9. 7 kWh |
116.8 kWh |
| 50 W | 2,920 hours | 12.2 kWh | 146.0 kWh |
| 60 W | 2,920 hours | 14.6 kWh | 175.2 kWh |
| 70 W | 2,920 hours | 17.0 kWh | 204.4 kWh |
We’ll mostly be referring to the electricity used by computers in terms of kWh in this article. The reason is simple: your electric bill is measured in kWh, and you get charged based on the kWh of electricity you use per month!
Watts, amps, voltage, and more: what do they mean?
There are a lot of terms you can use to describe how electricity flows and is used by appliances. We’ve already mentioned most of them – here are a few definitions to keep things straight:
- Volts (V): volts (short for voltage) are measures of electrical pressure differences. Put simply, voltage is the speed of electricity passing through a circuit.
- Amps (A): amps (short for amperes) are a measure of electrical current.
Put simply, amps are the amount of electrons (which make up electricity) flowing through a circuit. - Watts (W) and kilowatts (kW): multiplying volts x amps gets you watts (or wattage). Put simply, watts are the rate of electricity consumption. A kilowatt is just 1,000 watts.
- Kilowatt-hours (kWh): lastly, kilowatt-hours are how your electric bill measures your energy usage. Simply put, kilowatt-hours are electricity consumption over time.
You can think of these terms like water flowing through a pipe. Voltage is the water pressure, amps are the amount of water flowing past any point, and wattage is the overall rate of water flow through the pipe.
How much does it cost to power a computer?
When you get your monthly electric bill, you only see the total amount you’re charged, not how much each appliance contributes to your final bill. Based on an average wattage of 50 W for computers (amounting to 146 kWh/year) and using state average electricity rates, here’s how the cost to run a computer pans out over the course of a month and a year:
Monthly and yearly costs to run a computer by state
| State | Average electricity rate | Cost per month | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 22. 00 ¢ / kWh |
$2.68 | $32.12 |
| New York | 20.59 ¢ / kWh | $2.51 | $30.06 |
| Texas | 12.56 ¢ / kWh | $1.53 | $18.34 |
| Massachusetts | 22.59 ¢ / kWh | $2.75 | $32.98 |
| Florida | 12.21 ¢ / kWh | $1.49 | $17.83 |
| Virginia | 12.58 ¢ / kWh | $1.53 | $18.37 |
| New Jersey | 16.20 ¢ / kWh | $1.97 | $23.65 |
| Maryland | 14.48 ¢ / kWh | $1.76 | $21.14 |
| Washington | 10.38 ¢ / kWh | $1.26 | $15.15 |
| US Average | 14.19 ¢ / kWh | $1.73 | $20.72 |
Note: average electricity rates are based on October 2021 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Looking to offset your electric bills (and the energy these appliances use) with solar? When you sign up (for free!) on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can compare solar quotes from high-quality, local solar installers.
Make sure to keep in mind your current and future electricity usage, and talk about how that could change with your installer for the most accurate quotes.
Calculate how much energy your own computer uses
If you want to know how much electricity your computer uses (or at least is supposed to use), take the estimated yearly electricity use in kWh – this is probably your best bet for an accurate number. Simply multiply this number by the average electricity rate in your area to get an estimate of how much you spend to power your computer each year. For an estimated monthly cost, divide the estimated yearly cost by 12.
Frequently asked questions about powering a computer
What size battery do you need to back up a computer?
All popular home batteries can power a computer: most lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Powerwall or Generac PWRcell have a power rating of 4 to 5 kW or higher and 10+ kWh of usable capacity. Computers use about 50 W (0.
05 kW) of power at any one time, meaning a battery will be plenty suitable for backing up and powering your computer, even for long periods and with more powerful computers.
How many solar panels does it take to run a computer?
On average computers use about 50 W of electricity to stay powered. With solar panels rated at around 350 W, you’ll be able to power a computer with one solar panel easily.
What are ENERGY STAR appliances?
ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government-backed system that certifies how energy efficient appliances are. If an appliance is better than the average appliance in its category by a certain amount, it is labeled as “ENERGY STAR certified.” ENERGY STAR appliances cost less money to run, given that they are more efficient with the electricity they use.
How much money can solar panels save you?
Solar savings vary widely, and your unique savings depend on factors like electricity usage, location, and electric rates and plans.
In general, most homeowners can expect to save somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 over the lifetime of a solar panel system. On average, it takes between 7 and 8 years for most homeowners who shop for solar on EnergySage to get their solar panels to pay for themselves.
Going solar is one of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate your electric bill, and you should make sure you are getting several quotes from reputable installers before you decide to move forward. Visit the EnergySage Marketplace to get solar quotes from installers in your area and begin comparing options.
How many watts the processor consumes: in different operating modes
Hello again! Today we will talk about power consumption, but not the entire PC as a whole, but only processors. Why only about them? Because the CPU can be called the most important part of a PC, so it is rightly given a lot of attention when assembling a computer. And of course everyone would like the processor to be powerful.
But if you look for the “power” parameter in the characteristics, you are unlikely to find it. About why this is so, and how many watts the processor consumes, I will tell further.
We learn through the specification of the CPU model
If you find the specification of your processor, then there will be no information specifically about the average power, but there is a parameter that may be useful to you. It is called TDP — Thermal Design Power. This is AIDA64’s «Typical Power» or Intel’s «Typical Power» or AMD’s «Default TDP».
They call it differently, but the meaning is the same: TDP is a value that determines how much heat the cooling system must remove in order for the CPU to work stably.
It would seem that it’s warm here, just tell us how much electricity the processor consumes and let’s move on. But here, as always, not everything is so simple.
We have a CPU with all its cores, cache and RAM, base and maximum frequencies, and the power and power consumption depend on how it’s all used.
But the processor is never loaded equally for everyone. Someone uses only a browser, while someone works a lot with special programs. Some use the PC 5-6 hours a day, while others use 15-16. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about the average power consumption of the CPU.
But on the other hand, you can roughly determine how much heat needs to be removed, provided that the CPU does not overstrain, but uses all its capabilities. That is, in the TDP section in watts, it is measured how much heat the cooling system needs to be removed in order for the processor to use resources without harm.
TDP is not the characteristic that you need to pay attention to in the first place, but in order not to upset you, I will say that the higher the TDP, the more energy the CPU will consume and the better it needs a cooling system.
Idle
When turned on, the PC consumes varying amounts of power, but the minimum level can only be reached when idle. It all depends on the model of your CPU, but you can count on consumption in the region of 20 W or more.
How many watts it consumes on average
Since the consumption of the processor varies significantly depending on how much and how long it is loaded, the average figures will be individual for each PC.
But it is considered that low average consumption is about 65 watts per hour, average is around 90 watts, and high is more than 120 watts.
In sleep or power save mode
Power save mode reduces CPU power consumption by reducing the number of tasks being performed. And depending on what you are currently working on, you can expect to save a few percent or even tens of CPU from normal consumption.
In sleep mode, the PC also consumes power, but in a minimal amount. It is generally considered to be around 7–10% of the normal level.
What is the power consumption limit of the processor
The CPU has limits, of course. And if you want to know how to look at these limits, you just need to open the specs. There is a «maximum power», showing the maximum continuous (longer than 1 second) processor power that the cooling can handle.
The maximum power is limited by current and/or temperature regulators.
This term is sometimes confused with «instantaneous power», which can be higher than the maximum. After all, if you run an energy-intensive process, your CPU will begin to consume more energy abruptly, and not gradually. But then the system will try to return to the upper allowable values.
During overclocking, processors will consume even more, but this must be monitored under load, it is difficult to predict and predict.
How to view CPU consumption through programs
You can programmatically find out how much power your processor is currently consuming, for example, using AIDA64. It is useful to everyone who monitors the processes taking place inside the PC, so it will not be superfluous to master it.
Download the program, run it and open the «Computer» tab. Here there is a section «Sensors», and in it — «Power values». This is the easiest way to find out how much power the CPU is consuming in real time.
How much popular models consume
To better understand the power consumption of modern processors, let’s look at the characteristics of some popular CPU models.
For example, the quad-core Intel Core i5-3470, which is good in terms of price and quality and pulls a lot of not very demanding toys, has a declared TDP of 77 watts. This can be considered average.
But the six-core Intel Core i5-10400F, which is valued for performance, quality and at the same time a relatively low price for its characteristics, claims a TDP of only 65 watts. This is an average level, although it can be considered even low, given the rest of the CPU parameters. In reviews, they often write that it easily accelerates to 100 watts and above.
If you want something more high-end, there’s the Intel i7-11700K, which is suitable for both home and gaming PCs and can handle many games even without overclocking, although such opportunities are here. But the declared TDP here is as much as 125 W, so very good cooling is required.
If AMD is more interested, then AMD FX 4300, which is solid for a base-level system, asks for 95 watts, which means that you will definitely need to think about cooling.
The six-core AMD Ryzen 5 2600, which is called a reliable and nimble processor, great for games, requires only 65 watts of heat dissipation. The more advanced AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has the same TDP.
I think, having determined how to find out the power consumption of the processor from its characteristics, you will pay attention to this parameter. If TDP doesn’t tell you much about your CPU’s power consumption, it can at least help you find good cooling, which is just as important.
We will talk about other parameters of the processor and other PC components another time, and in order not to miss new articles, subscribe to my social networks — it is always interesting there! See you!
Sincerely, Andrey Andreev, the author of the blog.
Electricity consumption of a desktop computer
With the constant increase in electricity prices, it is good to know how much electricity is consumed by various devices.
This information will help in the future to significantly save money on electricity bills. In the proposed article, we will consider how much electricity a personal computer consumes, how to correctly calculate its energy consumption, and what needs to be taken into account in such a calculation.
What to consider when calculating the electricity consumption PC
To understand how much electricity a home desktop computer consumes, you should not study the power supply in search of the required value. When calculating, it should be taken into account that electricity is consumed by all components of the computer and its peripheral devices. In addition, the nature of the use of the PC also affects the consumption of electricity.
System unit consumption
You can find out how much power the system unit consumes from the technical documentation that came with your computer. Indeed, in fact, its maximum possible energy consumption is the power of the power supply, since it is from it that all the components that make up the system unit and some peripheral devices are powered.
The power of the power supply varies from about 300 watts per hour on simple PCs to 1600 watts per hour or more on powerful gaming machines. But you should know that these are the values \u200b\u200bthat the power supply can produce, and not how much the computer actually consumes. In fact, to find out exactly how much light a personal computer consumes, it is necessary to sum up the power consumption of all its components. The most active consumers are the processor and video card.
Motherboard
The power consumption of the motherboard depends directly on the capabilities built into it by the manufacturer. On average, it needs from 20 to 35 watts to power it, but if coolers, a graphics processor, a sound card and other elements are connected to it, its power consumption increases significantly.
Processor
Processor performance — this parameter determines how much power it will consume. Dual-core processors running at low frequencies will consume much less than eight-core ones.
But at the same time, it should also be taken into account that the old options are always more energy-intensive. For example, a quad-core Intel Core i5 consumes up to 140 watts of electricity, while an Intel Quad Core consumes more than 200 watts per hour at maximum load. But dual-core AMD spend on average from 65 to 95 watts, while more powerful options from this manufacturer consume approximately 95 to 125 watts per hour.
Video card
In a video card, as in a processor, power consumption directly depends on the power. High-performance devices at heavy loads consume an average of 240 to 350 watts per hour, and in idle mode, their consumption varies from 35 to 55 watts. But since the video card is not always used at full capacity, the power consumption for its operation can be considered on average from 100 to 300 watts.
Hard Drive or SSD
The power consumption of a conventional hard drive ranges from 0.7 to 6 watts on average, while more modern SSDs consume less — from 0.
6 to 3 watts per hour.
Optical drive
Under load, the optical drive consumes an average of 27 watts of power, while in idle mode it consumes no more than 15 watts.
Fans
The computer cooling system draws from about 0.6 to 6 watts of electricity, it should be noted that the fans are constantly running, and as a rule, any stationary computer includes several coolers.
Peripherals
The question of how much power is taken by computer peripherals can be answered by the numbers indicated in their technical specifications or on factory stickers affixed to the back or bottom of them. It should be noted that the monitor works directly from the mains and consumes approximately 18 watts or more, depending on the model. And the power consumption of other devices, such as a webcam, speakers, headphones, keyboard and mouse, comes from the interfaces of the system unit, and therefore their power consumption will not exceed the specified maximum power supply.
By the way, the speakers can also be powered directly from the 220 V network.
Power consumption by usage
The power consumption of a computer depends not only on the power of its components, but also on the nature of its use. After all, it is obvious that a computer in sleep mode spends much less energy than when running resource-intensive games and applications.
Idle
A computer that is idle, that is, when no user activity is being performed on it, consumes an average of about 78 watts of power. In this state, PC devices still draw electricity, but in small volumes.
Sleep or power save mode
Depending on the performance of the personal computer, it will consume approximately 20 to 40 W per hour in sleep mode, and up to 10 W per hour in power save mode. For a month, this can average from 2 to 15 kilowatts, especially when you consider that the system unit, being in the off state, consumes current: the power supply is powered, the motherboard is powered (but only to the signaling line of its state), memory power.
At maximum performance
Power consumption is significantly affected by resource-intensive programs and games that run on the PC, as well as the time spent using them. On average, this value at maximum performance ranges from 170 to 200 W per hour.
How to calculate the amount of power consumed by a PC
There are several ways to calculate how much power a personal computer consumes. To do this, you can use various computer programs or take measurements using special measuring equipment.
Measuring equipment and utilities
Accurate measurements of power consumption can be obtained using a conventional wattmeter for this purpose, with which you can measure the power of the electric current flowing to the PC. To do this, plug the device into a power outlet, and connect the power supply plug to it. After turning on the PC, the exact value of the power consumption of the computer will be displayed on the wattmeter screen.
Electricity consumption can also be measured using special online services on the Internet.
The most famous of them are the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, a handy and simple PC power calculator, and MSI’s power supply calculator.
Average consumption
The example shows how much electricity is consumed by a typical desktop computer. Let’s take the average case when a personal computer works for about 5 hours. As practice shows, the actual consumption of electricity by an average system unit, regardless of the values on the power supply (even 1000 watts), varies from 100 to 180 W * h during normal use (Internet surfing and other processes that do not use large computer resources) , and up to 350 Wh with a significant load on the machine (this is work in resource-intensive programs, powerful games). Therefore, given that games can sometimes be played on an average PC, the average power consumption will be (100 Wh + 180 Wh + 350 Wh) / 3 = 210 Wh. The approximate cost of electricity by the monitor is up to 40 W * h. The result is: 210 W * h + 40 W * h \u003d 250 W * h.
Multiplying the resulting value by 5 hours and adding the electricity costs of the computer in the off state, the remaining 19hours — approximately 4 W x 19 h \u003d 76 W, we find the required amount of electricity consumed by the PC per day — 5 h x 250 W * h + 76 W \u003d 1.326 kW, which is equal to 39.780 kW per month.
How to reduce your energy consumption
To reduce your personal computer’s energy consumption, follow these tips:
- Choose energy efficient options.
- Set optimal power settings in PC settings.
- Turn off PC when not in use.
- Do not set the monitor to maximum brightness, and if possible turn it off when the computer is idle.
- Replace old components with new, more efficient ones.
- Use less powerful laptops unless you absolutely need a powerful desktop computer.
In order to save on electricity and not spend a significant part of the budget on working at a computer, it is best to choose either a ready-made modern computer or components for it, which will be more energy efficient, which will significantly save your money.