How Many Watts Does a Gaming Laptop Use?

In this era of advancing technology, people rely on personal computers to perform high-level tasks such as video editing, streaming, gaming, and more. However, they all encounter power consumption issues.

What is the Power Consumption of a Gaming Laptop in Watts?

Compared to laptops, PCs consume more electricity than refrigerators or freezers, resulting in high electricity bills. Consequently, there is a tendency to prioritize low-power-consuming PCs.

On the other hand, companies’ R&D departments have conducted research to address this issue. Their conclusion led to the production of high-end units to meet consumers’ demand for low power, resulting in the development of high-end laptops. These high-end laptops not only deliver excellent performance but also contribute to lower power consumption.

Most of these users are addicted to gaming. In competition with other software running on the laptop, games consume more power. Consequently, companies have begun manufacturing gaming laptops. In today’s world, a significant portion of users are gamers, and they prefer using specialized gaming laptops.

Nowadays, there are different categories of gaming laptops available, offering low power consumption for both CPU and GPU.

Measuring the power consumption of a laptop is easy, as is deciding which one is best for your use. So, don’t worry; read the article, and you will be able to discover various laptops with a range of power consumption levels.

Measuring Laptop Power Consumption

People today don’t have much time and seek straightforward solutions to the issues they face. Measuring laptop power consumption isn’t difficult; it can be done using two or more simple methods that anyone can perform at home or in the office. However, you need to find the measurements specific to the laptop you are using. Below are the simple methods.

Using a Laptop Charger to Measure Power Consumption-Watts per Hour/Day:

This is a simple and easy method that everyone can use to measure their laptop power consumption.

You just need to look at your laptop charger; there will be a printed sticker on it with information about the laptop’s power capability per hour. For example, if it says 200W on the charger, then your laptop can consume 200W per hour without exceeding its limit.

You can then calculate it based on your laptop usage. If you use the laptop for 5 hours a day and it consumes 200W per hour, simply multiply the number of hours by the hourly consumption to get the results.

Monitor Device for Electricity Usage

An electricity usage monitor device is designed to read power consumption, including measurements such as amperes, watts, frequency, and more. There’s no need for manual calculations.

This device is available in the market with various brands, qualities, and price ranges. You can choose one according to your budget and preferred brand.

It operates by connecting it to your device. Simply plug it into a wall socket and connect the laptop charger to it. The device features a display that shows the readings of your device.

Be careful with your gaming laptop battery when connecting it to the electricity monitor device. Check your battery charge level; if it’s full or half full, connecting it to the device will only provide results based on that percentage. You’ll get accurate results when the battery is fully charged.

So, ensure your laptop battery is fully charged before using the device for accurate readings.

Once your laptop battery is fully charged, connect it to the electricity monitor device and use it for as many hours as you like. When you’re finished, check the device for the results, which will include consumption per hour and overall consumption.

 

Calculating from Laptop Specifications

There are two main components of power consumption: the CPU and GPU. Most companies provide this information on their websites when launching a new machine; they list all the specifications of the device, including the maximum CPU and GPU power consumption, referred to as TDP.

You can calculate the wattage from these specifications; for example, in most gaming laptops, the CPU starts at around 40W and the GPU at around 70W. By adding these together, you can obtain the primary power consumption figures.

However, there are other features of the laptop that also consume power, such as using WiFi, screen resolution, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc. You can calculate the power consumption of all these components and then determine the total power consumption. However, this method is not very straightforward for calculating watts per hour or per day.

Factors to Be Considered in Power Consumption

CPU

There are two types of processors that consume the main power. If you are using an AMD processor on your laptop, it can lead to higher power consumption. People tend to choose AMD processors because they are low in price and offer fast performance, but they can also drain more power.

The other type is the Intel processor, which operates in your laptop and speeds up your processes with low power consumption. These processors are the best in terms of power efficiency, but their prices are high in the market.

GPU

The GPU also consumes more power, especially in gaming laptops where it’s utilized for high graphics resolution to achieve real-time effects. This enhances the gaming experience but also leads to faster battery drainage. The GPU is a separate unit built into laptops for high-definition graphics.

When the GPU kicks in during gaming, it generates heat and puts pressure on the processor, prompting the cooling fan to start. In gaming laptops, many of them use dual fans for cooling, which further increases power consumption.

 

Conclusion

Measuring power consumption for a gaming laptop is both easy and challenging. There are several methods available, but even after days of research, pinpointing the exact wattage consumption can be difficult.

You can determine the average wattage consumption, but for precise measurements specific to your laptop, I recommend using an electricity monitoring device. This can provide you with the most accurate results, while other methods may lead to discrepancies.

If you’re considering purchasing a gaming laptop and want to know its power consumption, the best approach is to visit the websites of different companies and examine the specifications of various gaming laptops to calculate power consumption. This will help you decide on the best option to suit your needs.

My recommendation is to always choose a gaming laptop based on your usage habits—consider how much time you spend gaming—so you can make an informed decision that aligns with your needs.