Have you ever wondered how to check the power consumption of a PC or how to check out how many watts its power supply consumes?
When you want to upgrade components or overclock, you’ll need to know this information.
PCs are extremely adaptable machines. They are capable of quickly completing really strenuous activities. Whether we use them for the workplace, gaming, or other activities, they have become an integral part of our life.
You can check your computer’s power usage in at least three different methods, including hardware, software, and online tools. As a result, you won’t have to measure each component manually. Let’s discuss it here.
How to Check How Much Power Your PC Consumes Using Hardware
Using a wattmeter to check your PC’s power usage is undoubtedly the best way to do it. If you intend on checking your PC and laptop power use frequently, these dedicated power usage monitors are ideal. The projected error margin is around 0.5 percent, so you’ll obtain the most precise answer possible.
Furthermore, power consumption meters are simple to operate. Connect your computer or laptop to the meter and plug it into a wall socket. It only takes a few seconds to complete the test, and you’ll see the energy use in kilowatt-hours (KWh). Kuman and Poniie are two of the most popular units.
You could have problems evaluating the findings if you’ve never used similar tools previously. However, you can always compare your PC’s power consumption to industry averages to get a clear indication of how much or how little power your device consumes.
Gaming PCs can consume up to 900 watts, but non-heavy usage like internet browsing, report writing, etc., may consume as little as 150. The results, however, differ based on the software and hardware installed on the computer, as well as your geographic location.
Overall, unless you’re doing anything extreme like cryptocurrency mining, the normal operational costs for maintaining a PC aren’t likely to break the bank.
How to Check PC Power Consumption Using a Software
Software is the simplest way to determine how much power your computer consumes. Online tools can quickly analyze power use and are simple to use. However, there is one drawback.
When compared to hardware calculators, they are a less trustworthy solution. They only do the test for a brief period of time. Therefore, the results may not correctly reflect actual power use.
LocalCooling is a tool that you may use on your Windows PC. This freeware displays how much electricity your computer consumes, as well as detailed information about the hard drive, display, and other components. You may set it to turn off your display, spin down your hard drives, or even put your device to sleep.
It’s recommended to use this tool for a few days and throughout various activities to get the most out of it. It also features you how many trees and fuel gallons of energy you saved, which is helpful for environmental activists.
The biggest disadvantage is that you are unable to adjust the measuring units.
Here’s how to put LocalCooling to work for you:
- Step 1: Download the app and install it on your device.
- Step 2: Open the app on your device.
- Step 3: Select My Power Tab from the Settings menu.
- Step 4: On the My Power tab, you’ll get a gist of how much electricity each computer component, including Monitor and Hard drive, consumes. And the total sum of it.
How to Check PC Power Consumption Using an Online Tool
Using an online power draw calculator is one of the simplest ways to calculate your PC’s power use correctly. Outervision features a precise calculator that anyone can use. To use the calculator, you’ll need to know specifics about your computer’s components.
Outervision has two main versions.
- Expert
- Basic
The calculator’s basic version only requires you to enter the necessary information about the components.
To fill up the required fields, choose from a drop-down list of CPUs, graphics cards, and RAM. Next, provide some data about your consumption and press the compute button.
The basic version from Outervision will give you an accurate assessment of your PC’s power consumption. However, you’ll want to use the Expert version if you want a more complete and exact calculation.
The Expert version from Outervision allows you to enter additional information about your computer. This contains items like the number of storage discs, fans, PCI cards, power supply efficiency, and even liquid cooling devices, in addition to the basic calculator.
In addition, you’ll need to know the clock speeds of your CPU and graphics card to get the most accurate result. You may also take into account CPU and GPU overclocking. After you’ve supplied the necessary information, you may enter how much time you spend on your device each day and if it will be used for videogames or other tasks, just like the basic version.
Check Power Consumption PC
The PC’s power usage is split into two categories. The idle and full load positions, to be precise.
Now, what’s the difference between the two?
- Idle position: When the computer isn’t executing a lot of applications.
- Full load position: When the computer is fully loaded, it is running many intensive apps.
Of course, running under full load consumes more energy than running at idle. The detection will run automatically if you use a wattmeter.
However, if you utilize the approach through the website or application, you can choose whatever scenario you like. When gaming, for example, power usage might be noticed at full load.
Keep a Check on PC Power Consumption
The amount of electricity consumed by each PC unit is significantly variable. Wattage is influenced by a variety of factors, including software, hardware, and location. A physical device, such as a power consumption calculator that plugs into an outlet, is the most precise means of estimating power usage. Online tools like OuterVision are a little less precise, but they’re just as useful.
You’ll obtain a good approximation of your PC’s power usage regardless of the approach you use. Simply monitor the power consumption many times a day and throughout various activities.
