How Many Watts Does Laptop Use

Does your laptop consume a lot of watts or a little?

In addition to the fact that the laptop is an entertainment and working device, you should remember that there is also the other side of the coin – the amount of electricity consumed. In order to properly control the costs that a laptop computer brings and even be able to manage this indicator – it requires the ability to calculate: how much electricity the laptop consumes and for how much time.

There is nothing archipelagic in the calculations, they can be managed by the most ordinary user.

Laptop power usage

The first and only index, with which we will have to deal – is the power consumption of the device. First we will consider the factors that affect the growth or decline in this indicator:

• Power supply. This device is the main controller and power distributor in the laptop, but it also consumes power directly.
• Running software, drivers from the stuffing, the operating system and other technical configurations. All of these also have an impact on the power consumption of the laptop.
• The active operating time of the device and the type of activity. For example, there is a significant difference between an hour of playing games on the laptop and an hour of surfing the Internet.

Based on the data obtained, it is quite logical to conclude: the power consumption of laptops – this is an individual matter. In principle, there is truth in this judgment, but only in part. It is quite possible to make calculations of consumption, taking the average values described by the manufacturer in the specifications.

How to find out how much a particular laptop consumes

To calculate how many watts a laptop consumes – first of all it is worth looking at the specifications, which are located on the power supply itself. If the device is quite old and for this time has been lost its marketable appearance, it is possible to find the necessary information in the passport to the laptop or on the Internet.

So, we picked up the laptop battery charger and look at the label, where the technical information is written. The language on it is usually Chinese, but on the original power supply units in brackets is written translation into English. The first thing worth paying attention to is the line where the English word “Input” appears, which means “Input”. This is information about the input voltage that this device requires. In most cases, the voltage can range from 110 to 230 volts. This is also where the amperage in amps is spelled out.

The next important parameter is located in the line with the word “Output”. Here, you will find detailed information about the converted current, which already comes out of the power supply and directly powers the laptop itself.

It is these indicators that are needed when calculating the power consumption per hour. But do not forget about another important value – the error. More precisely, the error here is the number of losses during the time the wire flows from the PSU to the device itself. This coefficient is always taken as an average, which is 20%, i.e. 0.8.

So, let’s go over again what you should remember or write out on paper: the value of input, output and loss factor. The input current does not appear in the calculations, but it is necessary to know it.

How to find out how much a particular laptop consumes

To calculate how many watts a laptop consumes – first of all it is worth looking at the specifications, which are located on the power supply itself. If the device is quite old and for this time has been lost its marketable appearance, it is possible to find the necessary information in the passport to the laptop or on the Internet.

So, we picked up the laptop battery charger and look at the label, where the technical information is written. The language on it is usually Chinese, but on the original power supply units in brackets is written translation into English. The first thing worth paying attention to is the line where the English word “Input” appears, which means “Input”. This is information about the input voltage that this device requires. In most cases, the voltage can range from 110 to 230 volts. This is also where the amperage in amps is spelled out.

The next important parameter is located in the line with the word “Output”. Here, you will find detailed information about the converted current, which already comes out of the power supply and directly powers the laptop itself.

It is these indicators that are needed when calculating the power consumption per hour. But do not forget about another important value – the error. More precisely, the error here is the number of losses during the time the wire flows from the PSU to the device itself. This coefficient is always taken as an average, which is 20%, i.e. 0.8.

So, let’s go over again what you should remember or write out on paper: the value of input, output and loss factor. The input current does not appear in the calculations, but it is necessary to know it.

How many kilowatts a laptop consumes per hour

Let’s move on to the very process of calculating how much kwh a laptop consumes per hour. This requires adhering to the following algorithm of actions:

1. First, we take the current value “Output” in both kilowatts and amperes. For example, let’s take a PSU with values of 19V and 3.42A. Multiply the multipliers with each other. In this example we have the number 64.98.
2. Next, multiply the product by the loss factor, which is 0.8. So, the product of the two numbers 64.98 and 0.8 is 51.9. Let’s round it up to 52. Here, we got the number of how many watts per hour the laptop consumes.
3. In order to convert this number to kilowatts, we need to divide it by 1,000. Since, 1 kilowatt is 1000 watts. At the output we get 0.0052 kW per hour. This is how much this device consumes.

This figure is considered the main indicator, as all other calculations of power consumption and the cost of its payment are calculated with its help. To do this, you need to keep track of how many hours the user works at the computer per day and multiply these values. For example, the owner of a laptop and, at the same time, the recipient of electricity bills, is an active user. Let’s say he spends an average of 10 hours with his laptop, which means that he consumes about 0.520 kW per day.

Based on this, it is possible to calculate how much electricity is consumed per month.

How much do gaming and other high-powered laptops consume?

All of the above examples refer to mid-range laptops: without powerful stuffing and not specifically designed for server or gaming functions. But what about gaming or high-powered devices? Is it possible to calculate the electricity consumption of such laptops in detail? Of course it is possible, but a bit more complicated.

To do this, you need to make almost similar calculations, but with the addition of a few more values. The calculation is done with the following values:

• “Output” and “Input” values in Volts and Amps.
• The resistance coefficient, remember that it is 0.8.
• The operating time at the laptop (the more accurate the time, the more accurate the answer will be).
• The characteristics of individual elements of the device (cooling system, display, clock frequency of the processor, video adapter, etc.). All the details can be found on the Internet or in the documentation for your laptop computer.

After performing the calculations, you should get a more accurate “picture” of how many kilowatts a high performance laptop eats per hour, day and month. The result should be multiplied by the price per kilowatt listed in the tariff from the power supplier.

If after receiving the answer, the user begins to understand why he got a high amount in the payment receipt, then do not despair. There are several options for saving electricity with a demanding device.

A few practical recommendations:

1. In Windows 10 and 11 (also in older versions) there is a special power saving mode. To enable it, you need to find the “Control Panel” in the start menu, where you look for the “Power” section. Here, click on “Power Scheme Setting”. Next, you should specify sparing parameters. Also, if possible, you should reduce the brightness of the screen, disable wi-fi, reduce the working PM of the CPU.
2. To reduce the figure in the power bill, it is recommended not to leave the device on when it is not needed. This is what the “Sleep Mode” is for. In this mode, the device consumes 7 times less energy than when it is on.
3. When turning the laptop off, be sure to unplug it from the power outlet, because the battery remains active when it is turned off and needs to be recharged.