Which is more electricity consuming for gaming: PC vs Laptop
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Do you love gaming but not your high energy bills? When we spend a lot of time gaming we can really rack up our energy usage, leaving us with a nasty surprise when the bill comes through. There are ways to cut your costs though, starting with the machine that you use to play your favourite games. Read on as we compare gaming PCs and laptops to find out which consumes the most electricity.
Laptops are more Efficient
It is a fact that laptops are more efficient than any PC, including gaming PCs. So much so, that they consume up to 80% less electricity. Energy efficiency varies depending on which laptop you use but as a rule, they are always going to be better than PCs. Those with efficiency levels that are not as good might be in line with PCs that are super efficient but generally, laptops usually do win out. Laptops are even around 20% more efficient when running on AC when compared with your PC. If you could stand to make the switch to laptop gaming, it does seem that you could save yourself some money.
Measuring Energy Consumption
If you wanted to actually test your devices to work out just how much they are costing you, you could always look at the Wh. Put simply, this measurement tells you the average wattage that device uses over the course of an hour. Using an average measurement is important when you are comparing two devices for energy efficiency because computers will usually consume differently depending on the task that they are performing at the time. Do some research online and see if you can get some information for devices that you use or are interested in and you should be able to work out which might be cheaper for you to run. Don’t forget to compare energy prices too. this could be extremely useful to you when it comes to saving money.
The Benefit of Battery Power
Laptops just win out every time when it comes to energy efficiency. One of the features that help them achieve this is the fact that they are battery powered. They effectively use less electricity because they are not constantly plugged in. You simply need to charge the laptop for a short time and then you are good to go for a while without using any of your energy supply. How long your battery will last depends on the laptop but all in all they do cost less to run. That being said, there is often no comparison between the two machines when it comes to gaming. PCs often offer a smoother and more visually appealing experience. check out our post on the best 4K gaming monitors if you can’t give up your PC.
Less Potential Means Less Consumption
Laptops can’t really perform as well as PCs because they have smaller PSUs. For this reason, they can’t compete with the playability of a gaming PC but it does mean that they consume less electricity. Laptops simply have less potential than gaming PCs but using one does mean you could save on your electricity costs.