How Much Energy Does a Gaming PC Use? [2023]

Gaming PCs are used explicitly for gaming purposes, so they are different from regular PCs in terms of their overall performance and power. In addition, these are often more powerful and emphasize graphics processing and graphics-related tasks. Standard computers are pretty simple and can not meet gaming requirements. You may be able to play low-tier games depending on the needs of the game. But you’ll probably need a potent graphics card for games with complex graphics, such as those found in gaming PCs.

For instance, low-resource games like Among Us, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft can be played on a regular PC. However, your PC would experience tremendous difficulty if you attempted to play a game like Stellaris or Red Dead Redemption 2. Therefore, the PC choice will significantly influence the games you plan to play. Besides that, it’s essential to know how much energy does a gaming PC use. We have discussed several facts and figures to help determine a gaming system’s power usage. 

How much energy does a gaming PC use? Here’sHere’s calculation 

Depending on its hardware setup and software usage, a gaming PC requires 500 to 800 watts of power. So, below, we’ll offer a few generic sample PCs that cover a variety of enthusiast setups.

We’ll use the following presumptions to determine the average cost for these sample builds:

• The average kWh price in the US is $0.2
• Estimates daily gameplay time of one hour.
• Power supply efficiency is evaluated at >70%.
• When not in use, the computer enters sleep mode, or the user switches it off.

High Tech PC energy consumption

The most expensive and powerful enthusiast-grade components currently available are used in this build. Some pieces need more power, but those are primarily used in servers and multimedia production, so we’re limiting this construction to gaming-specific components. Assuming an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8GB), M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and 4X140mm fans, the energy consumption would be

• Annual Power Usage = $80.96
• Monthly power consumption = $8.65 

Medium-range PC energy consumption

This build represents the typical mid-range gaming PC. Most of those who constructed a setup in the previous several years will discover that it uses roughly the same amount of energy as AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM (2x8GB), M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and 4x140mm fans. Then,

• Annual Power Usage: $54.93
• Monthly power consumption = $5.50 

Least energy consumption PC

The components we chose for this build are the very minimum current-generation requirements for a system to be referred to as a gaming PC. If the following conditions are met: CPU: Intel Core i5-11400; RAM: 8GB DDR4 (2x4GB); Storage: M.2 NVMe SSD; and Fans: 4X140mm, then

• Annual Power Usage: $34.76
• Monthly power consumption = $2.99

Why do some PCs consume more energy than others? Reasons

There are some reasons why your PC can consume more energy than regular ones. Some of those reasons are given as follows.

Using poor-quality components: To reduce their operating costs, manufacturers typically use components of poorer quality. For instance, they might employ thermal pastes that degrade over time. Your computer may run hotter as the paste ages, forcing cooling, which uses more energy.

Using certain Software: Installing some software, including your favorite games, could cause your gaming PC to lose heat. For instance, when running Rocket League, your computer needs up to 124 Watts of power. In contrast, Hunt Showdown, which is more demanding, may utilize up to 335 Watts.

Having dust on components: Your PC is seriously endangered by dust. Your computer overheats as soon as it builds up on the heat sink. To prevent damage from overheating, your PC must function slower, and the cooling fan begins to run longer and harder, consuming even more energy.

How to reduce PC energy consumption?

Yes, there are some ways by which you can limit the energy consumption of your gaming PC. Some of those tricks are given as follows; 

• External gadgets increase the utilization of energy on your PC. The linked standby storage device uses some of your energy. So it’s a good idea to disconnect and turn off all external gadgets.
• Running background programs uses up more RAM and puts additional strain on your operating system. As a result, it’s crucial to check which processes are active or end any background applications that aren’t being used now.
• Manufacturers of PC components like AMD and Nvidia frequently introduce updated models. Their more recent components typically use less energy than their older versions. As a result, you should constantly check for upgrades.

Are gaming computers worth buying or not?

Investing in a gaming PC is worth buying if you want to play many demanding games. Even though the front purchase might appear high, you’ll be able to play games more smoothly. Additionally, after a while, PC games often become less expensive than console games. In general, a gaming PC will provide you with higher-quality games. Playing on a standard PC could result in poor picture quality and a decreased frame rate. You could choose a standard PC if that doesn’t worry you. But most people find a game with poor graphics annoying.

Conclusion

Even though your gaming computer uses more energy than most appliances, you shouldn’t give up your passion. On the other hand, if you’re an expert, competitive gamer, that should encourage you to make plans to lower your electricity costs. When a person wants to limit the amount of energy their PC uses, the most crucial thing they can do is to make sure they either switch it off or have it set to sleep when they’re done using it. It would help if you did not always leave your PCs on, even when they are not being used.

Given the large variety of parts that can be utilized in setup, estimating the typical energy consumption for a gaming PC is challenging. We have discussed in detail how much energy does a gaming PC use? So you can easily estimate the energy consumption of your PC. Of course, the estimations that we have made are only generic figures based on our research, and these may vary from user to user. Your actual numbers may be far lower if you don’t use computers frequently.

Atif Liaquat

Tech Hardware Expert

A graduate in Computer Engineering from the prestigious NUST, Atif Liaquat possesses an innate passion for computer technology that dates back to his childhood days of experimenting with hardware and software. In the past six years, he has parlayed this passion into a successful writing career, delivering a wealth of knowledge to his readers with his unique blend of technical expertise and clear, engaging prose. His rare ability to demystify complex tech concepts for a broad audience distinguishes him in the industry. Atif's insightful and educational content continuously piques the curiosity of readers, cementing his position as an invaluable voice in the tech world.