PC electricity
cost calculator.

Multiply the average draw in kilowatts by the hours you use it and by your rate. A machine pulling 400 W for four hours a day uses about 48 kWh a month — a modest sum in most places, and one that grows quickly with heavy use and a high tariff.

Often, yes, and it surprises people. A machine left on at 60 W for twenty hours a day uses more electricity than four hours of gaming at 400 W. Hours matter as much as watts, which is why sleep settings are the easiest saving available.

No. The rating is a ceiling, not a consumption figure. What you pay for is what the components draw, plus the small amount the supply itself loses as heat — and a lightly loaded unit tends to lose slightly less of it.

In order of effect: fewer idle hours, a power limit or undervolt on the graphics card (a 10% cap typically costs a few percent of performance), a frame-rate cap so the card stops rendering frames the monitor never shows, and finally an efficient power supply.

The full per-kilowatt-hour figure from your bill, including standing charges and taxes divided across your usage — not the headline rate. If you are on a time-of-use plan, enter the band you actually play in, which for most people is the expensive evening one.