Gaming PC cost calculator
How Much Electricity Does a Gaming PC Cost?
Estimate the hourly, monthly, and annual electricity cost of a gaming PC using system power draw, hours played, and your electricity price.
Cost estimate
Calculate your electricity cost
Estimated energy use0 kWh/day
Estimated monthly energy0 kWh/month
Cost = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours used × electricity price.
Example
A quick way to sanity-check the result
With the example settings of 500 watts for 4 hours a day, the PC uses 2 kWh per day. Actual draw can be much lower at idle and can vary substantially with the CPU, GPU, display, and workload.
Actual electricity use can vary with power settings, thermostat cycling, efficiency, standby use, and how the appliance is operated.
Power-supply rating is not power draw
A 750-watt PSU does not mean the PC continuously uses 750 watts.
The power-supply rating describes capacity. Actual system draw depends on the CPU, GPU, display resolution, frame rate, game workload, background tasks, cooling, and power limits. Idle draw can be far below gaming draw.
For the best estimate, use measured wall power during the workload you care about rather than the PSU's maximum rating.
The display counts too
Your monitor is a separate electrical load.
A desktop gaming setup can include one or more monitors, speakers, networking equipment, lighting, and other peripherals. Add those loads separately if you want the cost of the whole setup rather than the tower alone.
Idle and sleep behavior matter
Four hours of gaming is not the same as four hours of total PC-on time.
If the computer remains on for work, downloads, streaming, or idle time, include those hours at an appropriate lower average wattage. Sleep and shutdown settings can reduce the long tail of low-use hours.
For the general formula, see How to Estimate an Appliance's Electricity Cost.