How Much Electricity Does a 1200 Watt Gaming PC Use?
As an avid gamer and tech specialist, I get this question a lot – what does a 1200 watt power supply actually draw from the wall? How many kilometers am I racking up on my electricity meter just to pwn newbs in Crysis 4? Let‘s break it down.
The Short Answer
- A continuous 1200W draw equals 1.2 kWh of electricity used per hour
- Running at max for 24 hours would use 29 kWh in a day
- At $0.12 per kWh, that‘s $3.48 worth of energy per day
Understanding Watts and Power Draw
A component‘s wattage spec refers to how much raw power it‘s using at any moment. A 1200W power supply will draw 1200 joules of energy every second while gaming or running intensive applications.
Over an hour, a PC running at full 1200W tilt uses:
1200W * 3600 secs = 4,320,000 Joules = 1.2 kilowatt hours (kWh)
Compare this to other household items with the following power draws over a year:
| Device | Wattage | Yearly kWh Use |
| Gaming PC | 1200W | 105,120 kWh |
| Refrigerator | 400W | 3,504 kWh |
| LED TV | 150W | 1,314 kWh |
Whoa! A maxed-out rig running 24/7 would use as much juice as 30 fridges!
Estimating Your Actual Energy Costs
Luckily we don‘t have Crysis 4…yet. Based on my own usage I estimate:
| PC Specs | Daily Gaming | Yearly kWh | Yearly Cost |
| 1080p gaming @ 600W | 4 hours | 876 kWh | $105 |
| 4K HDR @ 1200W | 4 hours | 1752 kWh | $210 |
Managing gaming time keeps electrical costs reasonable. But upgrading gear does impact energy usage long-term. Understanding components‘ wattage ratings helps us build beastly AND efficient battlestations!
Let me know if you have any other questions around gaming gear power consumption! This tech expert has got you covered.
