The power consumption of PC & notebook - the wattage in sight!

There is a tool that was developed by Microsoft. This tool, called Joulemeter, makes it possible to determine the power consumption of the hardware installed. To determine the power consumption, the tool simply needs to be downloaded and installed. After starting Joulemeter, the current settings are selected in the first tab. Then click on "Perform Calibration" and wait for the process to be completed. The information about how much power the computer consumes can be found in the "Power Usage" tab after the process is complete.

To detect the power requirements of the PC, the power of all components installed in the computer must be known. For the calculation, the power of all components is added up and multiplied by the duration of use. The result ist the computer's energy requirement. Alternatively, there is also the possibility of using consumption calculators, which are available online on various sites. All you have to do is enter the required data there. It is usually also possible to enter the daily usage time, so that the costs are also extrapolated for the year. Alternatively, you can simply use a measuring device.

With a computer, it depends on which components are used when it comes to power consumption. Two sample calculations can be used to show how different the power consumption can be.

Office PC: Example calculation for power consumption

To calculate the power consumption of an office PC, a device with a power of 150 watts and an average usage time of 4 hours per day is used as an example. The power consumption is calculated like this:

150 watts per hour x 4 hours per day x 356 days = 219 kWh per year

To calculate the costs incurred per year, the kilowatt hours are multiplied by the price per kilowatt hour. For the example, a price of 35 cents per kilowatt hour is used (35 cents ist a german average). This means in this case:

219 kWh x 0,35 € = 76,65 € (in Germany)

219 kWh x 0,25 € = 54,75 Pound (in UK)

219 kWh x 0,13 € = 28,47 Dollar (in US)

Thus, a simple office PC consumes electricity for more than 75 euros in Germany per year with moderate use.

Gaming PC: Exemplary calculation for power consumption

For this example, a gaming PC with a power of 350 watts is assumed, the other data is taken from the previous example. This results in this calculation:

350 watts per hour x 4 hours per day x 356 days = 511 kWh per year

To calculate the costs incurred per year, the kilowatt hours are multiplied by the price per kilowatt hour. For the example, a price of 35 cents per kilowatt hour is used. This means in this case:

511 kWh x 0,35 € = 178,85 € (in Germany)

511 kWh x 0,25 € = 127,75 Pound (in UK)

511 kWh x 0,12 € = 61,32 Dollar (in US)

A gaming PC consumes much more power than an office PC for the same amount of time and therefore costs more.

Of course, most components in the PC need power, but the power consumption differs quite a bit. There are two components that consume particularly much power, the processor and the graphics card. Depending on which CPU is chosen, the power consumption can easily be up to 150 watts. A high-quality graphics card, which is often used in gaming PCs, consumes up to 250 watts depending on the model. If a second graphics card is used in a gaming PC, the computer's power consumption naturally increases a lot.

The mainboard, the RAM and the hard drives as well as the power supply also need power, but the consumption of these components is about 50 to 100 watts in total. Again, the actual power consumption depends on the respective models.

If you own a gaming COmputer, you usually use it not only for gaming, but also for all other tasks, such as browsing the websites or answering emails. If the computer is confronted with such simple tasks that do not require much computing power, it consumes less power. The situation is different when the PC works under full load, which is very often the case with demanding games. In most cases, both the processor and the graphics card are fully loaded and needs much more energy. The power consumption in gaming always has something to do with which game is played. Not every game is equally demanding and makes equally high requests on the hardware.

It is always very convenient when the computer is available within a few seconds to quickly write an e-mail or search for information. This is the reason why many people leave their computer in the so-called standby mode all day long. Standby mode here means that the computer is not running, but it is not completely shut down either. It can be ready for use again within a few seconds at the push of a button. A conventional desktop PC can consume up to 15 watts in standby mode per day. So if a computer stays in standby mode day and night throughout the year, the price per kilowatt hour of €0.35 could result in additional consumption of more than 45 Euro (Germany).

Actually, you should be able to assume that the PC no longer consumes power when it has been shut down. However, this is not the case. A Computer that is connected to a power source via a power supply unit also consumes power when it is not switched on. The electricity that flows then is called leakage current. There are components that pull power at all times, whether the PC is on or off. The best way to prevent this is to disconnect the computer from the power supply when it is not in use, i.e. pull out the plug. Alternatively, power strips that can be switched off can also be used.

There are a few ways to reduce a PC's energy consumption. One way is to change PC parts that turn out to be real energy guzzlers. Cheap components are often installed in a PC that claims to have high computing power. However, many of these components draw far more power than higher-quality models, which are more expensive but pay off in the long run. In addition, everyone should check whether the installed hardware is actually needed. If you use a powerful Gaming PC for a few hours a day to surf the Internet, but never play games, you should better buy a device with less powerful components.

Laptops were invented to be used on the go. This means that they are particularly economical and efficient. The more efficiently the installed components work, the longer the battery will last. If the components are efficient, the devices also only consume little power when they are operated via the power supply. Exactly how much power a laptop consumes depends on various factors. New devices are particularly energy efficient, older models consume a bit more power. The exact power consumption can be found out by using a calculator. However, the average consumption of laptops is around 60 watts, and it can also be up to 80 watts at maximum performance. It also depends on the chosen model and the design.

You don't have to give up your favorite hobby, gaming, to save electricity. There are many other ways to reduce the power consumption of your Computer. Even using different options in the computer's settings can save quite a bit of power. You might also consider upgrading your machine with a few new components. Knowing the power consumption means knowing exactly what the costs will be over the year. You can also consider where savings can be made. Desktop PCs doesn't have to be energy guzzlers.