Most laptops need between 20 and 100 watts per hour, with some cases requiring 180 watts or more.
Laptops are a necessity for many people today. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, it seems like we’re either working on or thinking about when and where our next opportunity to use it will come. One thing that’s important for everyone who owns a laptop is understanding what kind of impact they have on your electricity bill.
In this blog post, you will learn about how many watts does a laptop use and what the optimal wattage is. You may also be wondering if there are any other factors that affect power consumption from your laptop. We will answer these questions in this article to help you get an idea of what to look for when buying a new laptop or computer.
All About Watt’s
A watt is a unit of energy, and it measures how much work an appliance can do in one second. The more watts something uses, the more time or money you’ll need to spend on electricity bills each month.
You might not think that buying a laptop with very high-end specs is a wise decision, but if you’re looking for something that will last longer and doesn’t use as much energy then higher-end laptops are worth the investment.
Laptop Adapter
A laptop adapter is something that converts an electrical current into the power needed to run your computer. This means it must match whatever voltage and amperage you need for specific models of laptops, such as AC adapters or DC converters which can be found at most stores where computers are sold.
The watt level on a laptop adapter determines how much power it can provide in a given amount of time. For the power supply to be upheld, ensure that your laptop adapter matches your particular wattage needs and is plugged into an appropriate outlet.
Laptop adapters are generally made for certain types of laptops so make sure you’re getting one that’s compatible with your computer before purchasing it. If not, it may fry your computer’s power supply.
CPU
The processor is the central processing unit or CPU. The main function of a laptop’s CPU is to interpret and execute instructions in order to carry out different tasks that users give it. The latest models are more powerful than they were years ago because CPUs now have multiple cores which can run several programs at once as well as store data on the hard drive.
However, there are tradeoffs and disadvantages with the more powerful processors because they can heat up quickly as well as consume a lot of battery power to run at full tilt, which is why laptops come with multiple cores in different configurations.
Graphics Card
The graphics card is responsible for taking all of the information on a computer’s screen and translating them into different colors, shapes, pictures, and words. The better the graphics card in your laptop model, the more detailed it will be when you are playing games or watching videos.
It uses up memory space as well as battery power to run efficiently.
Screen Size
A laptop screen size is typically measured diagonally, meaning that a 15-inch screen will be larger than an 11-inch one because it measures across the diagonal from corner to corner of the display. This means, for example, if you have 17 inches between your eyes and the monitor, this would be about a 13 or 14
The larger the screen, the more difficult it is to carry around with you. A 15-inch laptop would be easier to move from place to place than a 17-inch model.
A large monitor can consume battery power faster because of its size and requires additional room on your desk or in your home so that you don’t have all these wires running everywhere.
Gaming Laptop wattage vs Basic Laptop wattage: Which is more?
High-end gaming laptop uses up more power than ordinary laptops because of the high-quality displays, fast CPUs, and graphics cards. It consumes at least 180 Watts per hour.
The power consumption of its not just higher but also depends on the quality and size. What most people are unaware of is that laptops with discrete graphics processors have much higher wattages than those without them. In other words, gamers will need to pay attention not only to their games’ performance requirements but also to how this translates into power consumption.
The power performance is also influenced by the type of display it has, with LED displays being more expensive but much more energy-efficient than LCDs. Battery life can be extended if gamers use laptops that have lower power wattages and high-resolution screens.
How much watts does a 15.6-inch laptop consume?
Typically, laptops that are 15.6 inches in size use an average of 60 watts per hour.
To calculate how much power a laptop consumes, you need to take the wattage and divide it by 1000. 60 watts divided by 1000 equals .06 kilowatts per hour (kWh).
This is equivalent to 120 kWh per month assuming that there are 30 days in the month. The average cost of electricity varies depending on where you live, but on average, 120 kWh would cost around $14.
This means that a 15-inch laptop could consume up to $180 worth of electricity every month if it is used for six hours per day at the national average of 12 cents an hour.
Note: Remember this will vary depending on how much your laptop screen brightness is set to.
You can save money by lowering the screen brightness of your laptop and disabling any unnecessary power-sapping features, such as Bluetooth connectivity and automatic screen brightness settings. This will vary depending on the specifications of your device.
Laptop Wattage in 17-inch Machines?
Most laptops consume 90 watts per hour on average.
The 17-inch laptop will use a lot more juice, so it’s even more important to pay attention.
Some of them may consume as much as 130 watts per hour! The average wattage for a desktop computer is about 100 watts per hour.
How can you figure out your specific machine?
The easiest way to find how many watts your laptop is using per hour is by the model number and battery information.
For example, a search for “Dell Inspiron 14 7548 Energy Star” will show you that this machine uses 50-watt hours on average when in use with an Intel Core i-i-N processor.
How much electricity does a laptop use per hour in the US?
A laptop uses about 45-60 watts per hour, which means that an average laptop use 120 watts per day.
A fully charged battery will last for three hours of intensive use and up to ten hours on standby mode.
In the US, most laptops are sold with a power supply of 65W or more because they have been designed to meet emissions standards.
However, this number can vary depending on the make and model. Some may be more efficient than others or have an unusual power rating.
How to calculate Watts Consumed by a Laptop?
Assuming that the laptop is in use for a period of time, we can calculate how much energy it consumes by calculating the average power. For example, if an 80 watt light bulb was on for one hour and 12 minutes (80/60), then it would consume 960 watts-hours or 0.96-kilowatt-hours per hour.
Manual Calculation
You can estimate the power consumption of your laptop with the watts it consumes to charge. To find out for sure, you may need to consider more factors like these:
The Acer laptop has a charge adapter that needs 180 Watts per hour. Other things to note are the CPU and GPU of the machine, which can increase its power consumption.
You will find Intel processors and NVIDIA graphics cards or even AMD in most laptop computers. You can search the power consumption these components take online, or open its back panel and see for yourself.
There are many variations of power usage for laptops because the components can vary. On average, two processors (CPU and GPU) will increase the wattage by about ten to fifteen percent, but this number may be higher depending on what type of materials are used.
A laptop can use anywhere from 0.5 watts to 15 watts per hour, with the maximum wattage set by screen brightness. There are many other components that contribute to this figure like the solid-state drive or hard drive storage memory. It may not be possible to know an exact number for these things if you don’t measure them manually.
It takes about 60 watts of electricity to run a laptop, which equates to 0.06 kWh per hour (assuming an average energy rate of 12 cents/kWh). Running the laptop from 8 AM to 11 PM would cost 6.72 cents a day.
Electricity Usage
The power consumed during charging is difficult to calculate, so for a more accurate calculation, you can use an electricity usage monitor. This device reports how many watts the laptop has been consuming. It attaches to the power outlet and reports on the screen within seconds.
Generally, most laptops consume anywhere from 60 to 100 watts when charging. The average laptop takes about two hours to charge with an AC adapter and four hours using a USB cable that is plugged into your computer’s power source or another external power supply like the one you might use.
How much electricity does a laptop use?
For an average laptop, 5 watts is equal to .05 kWh of power. If the device is running 8 hours per day, then that equals about 5 cents for a 24-hour period or 0.5 kwh over one year’s time.
Does a laptop consume less energy than a PC?
A laptop consumes less energy and is much more portable than a desktop PC. There are many reasons as to why one should invest in an affordable, lightweight computer rather than spend hundreds of dollars on a bulky machine that needs constant power.
Laptops might be more expensive initially but the long-term savings and convenience it provides make them worth every penny.
Laptops are much more portable. They can be carried with you wherever you go even when traveling on a plane. The screens of laptops are smaller than PC monitors which saves electricity and the space they take up is significantly less.
Laptops can be used with any public Wi-Fi network, which is essential for people who travel a lot and have to work on the go. They are also great as desktop replacements because they’re lightweight, energy-efficient so you don’t need an outlet everywhere and their screens are more portable than PC monitors.
How Many Watts Does an Apple MacBook Consume?
Apple Mackbook consumes 60 to 90 watts per hour depending on its model and display.
This is a very low-end estimate. The machine’s display and processor will consume the most power. This figure can be as high as 150 watts per hour if your MacBook has a touch bar and an ultra-high resolution Retina Display, or up to 168 watts when running on external graphics with a discrete GPU.
The one thing that you should be aware of is that it’s very easy to forget your laptop plugged in and running when working from home or a coffee shop.
Ways to consume Less Power on your Laptop
There are some ways to consume less power. Such as:
- Unplug when charging fully!
- Don’t overcharge your laptop
- One way to decrease your laptop’s power consumption is by using the original charger that came with it.
- Dimming the Screen
- Turning off Wireless or Bluetooth connections
- Using hibernation mode to turn your computer on and off. This will consume less power than letting it sleep, but more than turning it completely off.
- Plug your laptop at the moment it reaches 10%.
- Use a cooling pad to cool your laptop
- You can also update your hardware to avoid any issues
Is the Laptop Wattage Differ for different brands such as Acer, Dell, ASUS, HP, etc?
Not really, Laptops are designed with differing wattages dependent on their hardware, but when two laptops are compared side-by-side and have similar onboard specs, the wattage difference is minimal.
It’s important to note that ongoing consumption figures from the show be different as laptop ages; in time the CPU will begin to become less efficient.
Final Verdict
In a nutshell, laptops are still one of the most efficient and eco-friendly ways to get work done.
Laptops suck up less power than desktop computers, so your laptop will use about 100 watts for typical work like email or word processing.
If you’re using a projector in an office setting, that increases to 190 watts—still fairly economical when you consider the power savings over a desktop.
If you’re using your laptop as an entertainment center and playing games or watching movies for hours on end, it will use more than that.
