Cost to run

How much does a desktop computer cost to run?

Desktop power spans an order of magnitude: an office mini-PC sips power while a gaming rig under load rivals a small space heater. Average watts across your real day matter more than the power supply's rating.

Reviewed 2026-07-15 · methodology appliance-energy-1.0.0 · data vintage 2026-04-ytd

Example costs using the Texas state-average rate

These are generated examples for a consistent location. Enter your own ZIP and usage below for a more relevant state-average estimate.

Scenario	Assumption	kWh/month	Monthly range	Most likely/year
Office workday	8 hours of productivity work on a mid-tower	14.78	$1.57–$3.51	$39.44
Gaming evenings	4 hours of gaming plus 4 hours of light use daily	50.40	$5.37–$11.98	$98.60
Always-on workstation	24 hours with mixed idle and compute loads	90.00	$9.59–$21.40	$176.08

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.B. Data vintage 2026-04-ytd. State-average pricing is not your exact utility tariff.

Calculate your own usage

Your inputs

ZIP code

Used to pick your state’s average electricity rate. We don’t need your street address.

ApplianceHow manyHours used per day (optional)

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Rated watts (from the appliance label)Duty cycle (0–1; share of time drawing full power)Days per month

Your estimate — a range, confidence level, and the sources behind it — will appear here.

PSU rating is not consumption

A 750-watt power supply describes capacity, not draw. Actual consumption follows the components' load: browsing might hold a gaming rig near a hundred watts while a demanding title multiplies that. A wall meter is the only honest audit.

Monitors and peripherals ride along

Each display adds tens of watts, and speakers, external drives, and USB devices stack on top. These scenarios model the tower alone, so add your monitors' ratings to the wattage input for an all-in desk estimate.

Sleep policies are free money

Modern sleep states cut draw to a few watts and resume in seconds, yet many desktops idle at full readiness all night. An aggressive sleep timer converts sixteen empty hours a day into near-zero consumption without hardware changes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a gaming PC add to the electric bill?

The gaming-evenings scenario above prices a typical pattern with the calculation engine. Heavier rigs and longer sessions scale the answer roughly linearly.

Is it bad to leave the desktop on 24/7?

Electrically it just costs money — the always-on scenario quantifies it. Unless overnight tasks run, sleep mode delivers the same convenience for a fraction of the energy.

Do laptops beat desktops on electricity?

Substantially: mobile components are engineered for battery life and typically draw a quarter or less of a comparable desktop workload. See the laptop page for numbers.

Related appliance cost guides

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