How much electricity does a gaming PC cost?
Use actual wall power if you have it, or enter a reasonable load estimate for the whole PC. Add monitor power separately or include it in the wattage.
How this calculator works
A gaming PC's power draw swings far more than most appliances — idle, browsing and full-load gaming can differ by several hundred watts on the same machine. EuroWattCalc takes whichever draw figure you enter, converts it from watts to kilowatts, multiplies by hours and days of use, then applies your electricity price to the result.
What can change the real cost?
- GPU and CPU load can change dramatically between games, frame-rate caps and workloads.
- Display power, speakers and other peripherals are separate unless you include them in the wattage.
- Idle time may use much less power than active gaming, so separate calculations for gaming and idle periods can improve the estimate.
For PCs, measuring wall power is especially valuable because component load varies constantly and PSU capacity is not a consumption figure.
Frequently asked questions
Does a 750 W PSU mean my PC uses 750 W?
No. The PSU rating is capacity. Actual draw depends on the components and workload.
Should I include the monitor?
Yes if you want the cost of the whole gaming setup. Add its measured or rated watts to the PC's wall-power estimate.
How can I get a more accurate number?
Measure power at the wall during the games or workloads you actually use, then use that average in the calculator.
Typical gaming pc running costs
Gaming PCs draw far more power under load than most household electronics, which is why enthusiasts increasingly want a clear running-cost figure rather than a vague sense that a powerful rig is 'expensive to run.' Draw varies enormously by component: a mid-range build with an efficient GPU may sit around 300–350 W under load, while a high-end system with a power-hungry graphics card can exceed 500 W. Because the difference between components can double the electricity cost, using a wattmeter reading or a monitoring tool for your specific hardware gives a far more accurate result than guessing from the power supply's rated capacity.
| Scenario | Power | Use | Approx. cost* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light gaming rig (entry GPU) | 200 W | 3 h/day | €0.18 |
| Mid-range gaming PC | 350 W | 4 h/day | €0.42 |
| High-end gaming PC (RTX-class GPU) | 500–600 W | 4 h/day | €0.60–€0.72 |
| Idle / browsing on the same PC | 60–90 W | — | varies by load |
*Estimated at €0.30/kWh usage price. Your own tariff, appliance model and habits will change the real figure — use the calculator above with your own numbers.
More frequently asked questions
Should I use my PSU's rated wattage or actual draw?
Use actual draw if you know it — a power supply's rating is its maximum capacity, not what the system pulls under normal gaming load. A wattmeter or software monitoring tool gives a much more accurate figure than the PSU label.
Does a monitor add much to the total?
A typical 27-inch monitor draws roughly 25–40 W, which is worth adding separately if you want a full desk-setup figure rather than just the PC tower's draw.
