Recommended PSU Wattage:—
Tip: Always leave 20-30% overhead for PSU efficiency and transient spikes.
Understanding Gamer PC Power Consumption
Calculating the power consumption of a gaming PC is crucial for two reasons: selecting the right Power Supply Unit (PSU) and estimating your monthly electricity bill. While a PC might have a 1000W power supply, it only draws what the components demand at any given moment.
Key Factors in Power Draw
CPU (Central Processing Unit): High-end processors like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 can draw significantly more than their rated TDP during heavy workloads or overclocking.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): This is the most power-hungry component in a gaming rig. Modern cards like the RTX 4090 can see "transient spikes" that briefly exceed their rated power.
Efficiency Loss: No power supply is 100% efficient. An 80 Plus Gold PSU converts about 90% of the AC power from the wall into DC power for your PC; the rest is lost as heat.
Calculation Example
If you have a mid-range gaming setup with a Ryzen 5 (65W TDP) and an RTX 3060 (170W TDP), plus about 100W for other parts, your peak draw is roughly 335W. If you game for 5 hours a day at an electricity rate of $0.15/kWh:
Expert recommendation suggests taking your total estimated peak wattage and multiplying it by 1.5. For a 400W system, a 600W or 650W PSU is ideal. This ensures your PSU operates in its "efficiency sweet spot" (usually 40-60% load) and reduces fan noise while prolonging the lifespan of the unit.
function calculatePCPower() {
var cpuTDP = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cpu_tdp').value);
var gpuTDP = parseFloat(document.getElementById('gpu_tdp').value);
var dailyHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById('daily_hours').value);
var elecRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('elec_rate').value);
var otherParts = parseFloat(document.getElementById('other_parts').value);
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(cpuTDP) || isNaN(gpuTDP) || isNaN(dailyHours) || isNaN(elecRate)) {
alert('Please fill in all fields with valid numbers.');
return;
}
// Calculations
// Total peak wattage (CPU + GPU + Other)
var totalWattage = cpuTDP + gpuTDP + otherParts;
// Average usage wattage (Gaming is heavy, but we assume 90% of TDP for real-world heavy load)
var averageUsageWatts = totalWattage * 0.9;
// Daily kWh = (Watts * Hours) / 1000
var dailyKWh = (averageUsageWatts * dailyHours) / 1000;
// Monthly Cost = kWh * rate * 30 days
var monthlyKWh = dailyKWh * 30;
var monthlyCost = monthlyKWh * elecRate;
// PSU Recommendation (1.5x Safety Margin)
var recommendedPSU = Math.ceil((totalWattage * 1.5) / 50) * 50;
if (recommendedPSU < 450) recommendedPSU = 450; // Minimum standard PSU
// Display Results
document.getElementById('total_wattage').innerText = Math.round(totalWattage) + ' W';
document.getElementById('monthly_cost').innerText = '$' + monthlyCost.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('recommended_psu').innerText = recommendedPSU + ' Watts';
document.getElementById('pc_results_area').style.display = 'block';
}