Gaming PC power consumption: real watts for GPUs and CPUs, electricity cost per hour, and how to cut it
A gaming PC's power consumption is the sum of its components under load — mainly the GPU (115–575 W by TGP) and CPU (50–150 W in games) plus 50–100 W for the rest — divided by PSU efficiency to get wall draw: a mid-range system pulls 350–450 W while gaming and 60–100 W at idle. At typical electricity prices that is a few cents per hour; FPSHQ's power-cost calculator converts your exact parts and local rate into cost per hour, month and year.
power draw · electricity cost · watts · kWh · energy use
Key figures
From the FPSHQ database, as of Oct 15, 2026
Typical system draw while gaming (at the wall)
The figures block shows the median GPU TGP per performance tier among cards in the FPSHQ catalog since 2020 — the top tiers at 300–450 W are the main reason modern systems draw more than their 2016 counterparts despite better efficiency per frame.
| Build | GPU | CPU | Wall power (gaming) | Idle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget 1080p | RTX 5060 / RX 9060 XT (145–160 W) | Ryzen 5 7600 | ~300 W | ~60 W |
| Mainstream 1440p | RTX 5070 / RX 9070 (220–250 W) | Ryzen 7 9800X3D | ~400–450 W | ~70 W |
| High-end 4K | RTX 5080 / RX 9070 XT (300–360 W) | Core i7-14700K | ~550–600 W | ~90 W |
| Enthusiast | RTX 5090 (575 W) | Ryzen 9 9950X3D | ~800–900 W | ~100 W |
| Gaming laptop | RTX 4070 Laptop 140 W | Core i9 HX | ~200–240 W (adapter) | ~15–25 W |
Cost of running
Energy (kWh) = wall watts × hours ÷ 1000. A 450 W system gaming 3 hours a day uses 1.35 kWh daily, about 40 kWh a month; at 0.30 €/kWh that is 12 € a month, at 0.10 $/kWh 4 $. Idle and desktop use add 60–100 W for every hour the PC is on. The power-cost page on FPSHQ uses your region's average electricity price (editable) and the catalog TGP/TDP values; the result is shown per hour, month and year.
Cutting consumption without losing much
Measuring: a plug-in wattmeter is accurate; software (HWiNFO) reads GPU and CPU power separately and underestimates the total by the PSU losses and the rest of the system.
- Cap FPS at the monitor refresh — the biggest saving in light games and menus (−30–50 % GPU power)
- Undervolt the GPU: −15–25 % power at the same FPS
- Enable DLSS/FSR: fewer rendered pixels, lower GPU load at the same output
- Lower the GPU power target to 80 %: −20 % power for −5 % FPS
- Sleep instead of idle; an 80 W idle for 10 hours a day costs as much as the gaming
- Eco Mode on Ryzen (65/105 W) loses nothing in games
Power draw → electricity
System power and gaming hours per day → kWh and an approximate monthly bill at your regional rate.
Unified FPSHQ model estimate, not a measurement.
On your PC
Enter your GPU (and CPU) — we calculate the effect of "Power consumption" with the unified FPSHQ model using Cyberpunk 2077 as the example.
Save your PC in the account · Detect hardware with the app · Unified FPSHQ model estimate, not a measurement.
Where to use this on FPSHQ
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What is Power consumption?
A gaming PC's power consumption is the sum of its components under load — mainly the GPU (115–575 W by TGP) and CPU (50–150 W in games) plus 50–100 W for the rest — divided by PSU efficiency to get wall draw: a mid-range system pulls 350–450 W while gaming and 60–100 W at idle. At typical electricity prices that is a few cents per hour; FPSHQ's power-cost calculator converts your exact parts and local rate into cost per hour, month and year.
- median TDP of tier S
- 450 W
- median TDP of tier B
- 220 W
FAQ
How much power does a gaming PC use?
How much does gaming cost in electricity?
Does capping FPS save power?
Do gaming laptops use less power?
Sources
FPSHQ Team · methodology · methodology · Updated
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