Laptops use a lot of energy while we perform certain tasks. As a result, it becomes crucial for all of us to monitor the battery so that we can predict when it will die and we can finish our task.
However, we need to think about looking at the laptop’s wattage use in order to track the battery backup precisely. Gaming laptops and regular laptops use varying amounts of power.
So, if you’re interested in learning How many watts does a laptop use, check out our detailed guide below.
Also Read: Why my laptop battery draining so fast
How Many Watts Does a Laptop Consume on Battery?
Most laptop, whether it is regular laptop or gaming laptop, uses 65 watts of energy when on battery or even on charging. However, the power usage can vary depending on the task you are performing.
Normal Laptop: On average, a normal laptop uses 55 watts of power electricity every day. However, the power consumption of your laptop can vary. When you put the laptop off, it still uses some amount of battery which can vary, and your laptop can use up to 4.8-watt-hours of battery per day.
Moreover, all laptops consume power even when they are in sleep mode. A normal laptop can consume 0.23 watts per day in sleep mode. But when you are actively using the laptop throughout the day, on high-performance mode, then it is likely to consume 50 to 65 watts of energy per day.
Gaming Laptop: A gaming laptop could consume slightly more power than a regular laptop because they have dedicated cooling fans, GPU, and other components which are power-hungry.
A gaming laptop can easily consume anywhere from 165 to 180 watts of power from the battery in a single day. But if you do not utilize the dedicated GPU, it is likely to consume less power.
Power Consumption of a Normal Laptop Vs Gaming Laptop on Battery | |
Normal Laptop | Gaming Laptop |
| 50 to 65 Watts | 165 to 180 Watts (Includes dedicated GPU power) |
Also Read: Gaming laptop vs gaming desktop
How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use When Charging?
When you put the laptop on charging, all the background application becomes active, Windows starts updating itself, and there is a lot going on in the background, due to which you will notice a sudden spike in the power usage of your laptop.
Normal Laptop: When charging, a normal laptop can consume from 65 to 100 watts of power, depending on how much power the adaptor can supply. Generally, laptops with sleek in size and comes with a lightweight and portable charger that can pull out 65 to 100 watts of output.
Gaming Laptop: A gaming laptop would considerably consume more power than a normal laptop while charging. This is due to the fact that it has a dedicated GPU and cooling fans that can easily draw 200 to even 300 watts of power.
Similar to normal laptops, gaming laptops come with varying power adaptors. Moreover, they all have different types of dedicated GPU.
For instance, an entry-level GPU would not draw that much power, but if you have a high-end gaming laptop, it can easily touch up to 300 watts of power consumption while charging. So, now you know how many watts a laptop use when plugged in.
Power Consumption of a Normal Laptop Vs Gaming Laptop When Charging | |
Normal Laptop | Gaming Laptop |
| 65 to 100 Watts | 180 to 300 Watts (Includes dedicated GPU power) |
How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use Per Hour?
If you have a normal laptop, then it can easily last 3 to 6 hours. However, gaming laptops only last from 2 to 4 hours in most cases. The power consumption of a normal and a gaming laptop can vary.
If you are surfing the web or watching offline movies, then the power consumption will be way less than you would expect from normal gaming laptops. However, if you are playing a game or editing a video, then the battery won’t last long.
Normal Laptops: The power consumption of laptops for every hour depends upon the wattage. Generally, a normal laptop consumes 55 to 60 watts of power per hour.
For instance, if your laptop consumes 55 watts, then it means that in 1 hour, it will consume 55 watts or 0.55 kWh. This will cost you around $0.00825 per day, depending upon the electricity cost in your area.
Gaming Laptops: Gaming laptops generally consumes more power per hour. Entry-level gaming laptops use 120 watts per hour, and mid-range laptops can use up to 160 to 180 watts of power per hour.
Some popular laptops like Macbook Air consume 30 watts, MacBook Pro 13″ consumes 61 Watts, Macbook Pro 16″ consumes 96 to 140 watts, Lenovo Ideapad 3 consumes 65 watts, and Lenovo Yoga consumes 65 watts per hour.
So now you know, How Many Watts Does a Lenovo Laptop Use. Also, 65-watt-hour usage is the most common among most Windows laptops.
Also Read: Can you upgrade your gaming laptop
Which Part of the Laptop Requires more power?
In normal laptops, it’s the CPU or central processing unit that consumes most of the power. Approximately 70 to 80% of the power is consumed by a CPU in a normal laptop.
However, if you have a gaming laptop, then the Graphics card will certainly consume more power than the CPU. For instance, it can take up to 200 watts of power.
Power Consumption of Normal Laptop Components | |
| Laptop Components | Power Consumption |
| CPU (Central Processing Unit) | 50 to 150 Watts |
| Graphics Card | 30 to 200 Watts |
| Hard Disk (HDD) | 01 to 10 Watts |
| Solid State Drive (SSD) | 0.6 to 3 Watts |
| RAM | 02 to 5 Watts |
| Cooling Fans | 0.6 to 3 Watts |
| Display (May vary upon the display resolution, such as FHD, 2K, 4K) | 20 to 60 Watts |
| Motherboard | 25 to 100 Watts |
Why the Laptop consumes more power sometimes?
Outdated Components: Sometimes, your laptop will consume more power than usual. This may be caused by outdated technology and hardware.
The most common reason for this problem is the processor or the battery. If the processor is too old, it might not be able to handle heavy tasks and will consume more power. If your battery is low, it may need to be replaced; this also causes an increase in power consumption.
Software: Another reason for this problem could be a software issue on your laptop. Some programs require more resources when running than others do; if you have an older version of Windows, it might take longer for the computer to boot up or shut down, causing it to consume more power when needed.
Dust in the Fans: Sometimes, under certain circumstances, the laptop may consume more power than usual. This is because dust in the fans can cause them to work harder and thus consume more energy. The dust is sucked into the fan by the fan motor, and then it gets stuck there.
Also Read: Best laptop for Note-taking
How to Find out your Laptop’s Power Consumption?
There are two ways to find out how much power your laptop consumes. The first one is via software and the second one is via hardware.
For hardware testing, you can use dedicated electricity usage monitors. With these devices, you can monitor your laptop power consumption. But we will discuss how you can measure power consumption via software.
The easiest way to find out the power consumption is by using software-based tools. You can use the OuterVision Power Supply or Let’s Save Electricity calculator, which is 100% free to use.
If you have complete information about your laptop, then with this tool, you can easily find out the power consumption.
How to Save Power with Different Power Modes in Laptop?
If you want to save more power, then you can change the settings on your laptop so that it uses different power modes.
Use Battery Saver: The battery saver will eliminate the background apps and will save as much power as possible. To enable it, navigate to Settings >> System >> Battery. After that, click on Turn Battery Saver On Automatically if my battery falls below, and use the slider to set the battery saver.
Change Power Settings: Go to Settings >> System and then click on the Battery option from the left panel. Next, click on Power & Sleep Settings, and under the Related Settings, you will see the Additional Power Settings option, click on it.
On the next page, you will see three Power plans: Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance, so you have to select the Power Saver mode.
Apart from these settings, you can change display and sync settings to get the best performance out of your laptop.
Other Ways to Save Power in Laptops
- Remove External Devices
- Lower the Brightness
- Maximize Hibernation and Sleep
- Uninstall Unwanted Applications
- Remove Background Apps
Conclusion
So, there is everything you need to know about How many watts a laptop use. Yes, laptops use a lot of power, but it is not very high. Laptops don’t add a lot to your monthly electricity bills.
However, gaming laptops can add a basic amount to your monthly electricity bills, especially if you have a high-end gaming laptop that consumes 200 watts or more power.
Also Read:
How much ram do I need on a laptop
How much storage do I need on a laptop
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