How Many Amps Does A Laptop Consume?

The same way offices and households nowadays use laptops, computers, tablets, etc., shows that the reliance on these gadgets is not getting out of fashion anytime soon. Therefore, bothering about electricity consumption is quite a matter of consideration and valid, especially for energy efficiency, which has become a popular term in our day-to-day life.

Low consumption of electricity directly means low bills, which ultimately means more savings. But before starting an energy conservation initiative, it is necessary to have complete knowledge about overall energy consumption by a unit. Therefore, let’s with the very question, how many amps does a computer or laptop use?

The answer comes to 3 to 5 amps on average. Is that the full stop? No, it isn’t, a being layman answer you may get after searching “how many amps does a desktop computer or laptop use?” That’s is very much dependent on the laptop one has. When we look from a technical point of view, there are plenty of things with which you can calculate the overall energy consumption by a device.

Factors in a Laptop’s Consumption of Electricity

The arrangement of the Laptop and the way a user uses the laptop are the deciding factors. First, let’s control these and then move forward to look at actual amps that a laptop pulls.

Arrangements and Elements of a Laptop

There’re a large number of ways to how one configures his/her laptop. The need for an individual, hardware components, and overall budget are a few factors that one must consider before purchasing a laptop.

People using the laptop for personal usage can satisfy over a low-end unit. On the other hand, people using laptops for professional purposes will prefer high-end laptops. Offices and organizations usually prefer the latest technology laptop to provide them better functionality. 

Here is a general rule that a higher power needs more powerful hardware setups than a basic design. Some professionals who are not into graphics or photo, video editing but prefer writing on laptops don’t need to look for some high-end configurations in the laptop. Still, the choice will be in favor of an animator or graphic designer would.

Similarly, a person who is a gamer usually looks forward to having a decent setup. Thus, if you prefer a laptop for personal entertainment, it is advisable not to spend money on high-end configurations.

Overall power consumption also depends on how long a laptop is in operational mode. Using a laptop for nine hours will consume much more power consumption than the laptop used for fewer hours only. Usually, people thought that a laptop on standby mode doesn’t consume power, not exactly the case. The reality is that standby units one-third of the amount needed for the busy ones.

Power Consumption of Laptops and Computers

When it comes to ‘Desktop vs. Laptop’, the most general argument includes usability, price, repair cost, performance, etc. To get to know about the significant energy consumption, we will point a few points on it.

The most important and essential point being, Laptops usually consume up to 80% more power than Desktops. The reason being, PSUs- Power Supply Units, laptops are generally energy-efficient comparatively.

Let Us Now Discuss How Do You Calculate Power Consumption?

Let’s check for the PSU of a laptop, depending upon the wattage rating. One can also look at the user manual or PSU module. You can use the following method to find the overall consumption of amps.

Watts (Adapter rating)/Voltage = Amps

That means, if you use a 300 watt, then the amps your computer use should be 2.5. (300 watts per (line voltage = 120 volts) = 2.5 amps).

The cooling component is the element that determines the overall energy consumption. Thus, with a single fan’s help, the unit won’t consume much power without any cooling component. On the other hand, the more fans with an active cooling system, the more the energy requirement of that particular Laptop or desktop unit will be.

How Many Amps Does A Computer Require?

Usually, a computer unit draws nearly 0.25 to 2 or more amps in a single run. On the other hand, a desktop PC can use up to 1.67 amps per hour when its speakers or printers are running. So, for eight straight hours, your desktop is not going to consume more than five amps.

As with the enhancement of technology, users rely on the output and input tools they are using instead of the desktop itself. It means the overall amps that your laptop or desktop is going to use contains a total of amps consumed by elements connected to it, along with the unit.

• For some internet-connected device or modem, it requires 0.083 amp per hour.
• On the other hand, loudspeakers require 0.17 amp per hour.
• The computer, on the other hand, needs 1.43 amp per hour. For a higher workload, this consumption can go up to 2 amps.
• A printer can consume up to 0.04 amp per hour.

Although you may find a significant difference in the power consumption by a system when you are using a workstation computer, as it can consume about 2 to 3.5 amps when the workload is 100% at them and sleep, they require 0.75 – 1.2 amps.

Amps A Laptop Consumes on An Average

We have discussed the amp consumption of a desktop per hour, which is significant and evident simultaneously. Now, as laptops are low energy consumption devices, you will significantly decrease the energy consumption by a laptop when compared with a desktop.

Usually, a laptop requires only 0.41 amp to 0.84 amp per hour, which is only 1/3rd of the amps consumed by a desktop. That means, if you are working on a laptop for 8 hours a day, it’s going to consume a maximum of 6.7 amps with its multitasking sessions. 

This consumption slightly differs if you own a gaming laptop or even a gaming desktop. The reason behind this could be the more robust specifications of a gaming laptop when compared with a normal one. Thus, these containing special features consume more power.

How Many Amps Does Gaming Laptop Consume?

Gaming PCs usually rely on a 750W power supply module and cutting-edge components, known as a beast in laptops’ world because of their rich graphics. With this specification, I hope you won’t be surprised if I tell you that a gaming PC consumes as many as 6.25 amps per hour.

It means, if you are playing the game on it for five hours, it is going to consume 31.25 amps, which is comparatively very high. On the other hand, while using a gaming laptop, then this upper bound is slightly lower, with an average of 15.80 amps per five hours of game playing experience. 

Thus, gaming laptops are slightly optimal than gaming desktops. Still, amp consumption is more prominent in gaming systems than regular ones.

How Many Amps Does A Mac Laptop Consume?

The only reason behind the popularity of Mac PCs and MacBook devices is their energy efficiency.

A decent MAC model, which has a 27-inch display and a 2.66GHz processor and a 4850 ATI Radeon graphics card, is going to consume up to 1.21 amps per hour on sleep or when sitting idle and consumes on an average 3.04 amps per hour, when running with 100% load on it.

On the other hand, a low-end Mac system with a 21.5-inch large display and 2400Mhz, 16GB SDRAM without any graphics card integration needs only 0.28 amp per hour when sitting idle, while it requires 0.62 amps per hour when working with 100 % load. It has another amp consumption lower than that of the laptop, which means it is a more optimal system comparatively.

You can observe the similar energy-efficient factor in MacBook devices as well. It usually consumes 0.72 amp/hour at max with 100% load. While when sitting idle, it consumes 0.04 amp/hour.

Lastly, in the sleeping mode, it requires 0.01 amp/hour only.

How Many Amps Does A Laptop Monitor Consume?

Monitors usually are the most power-consuming peripherals among laptops. Usually, monitors that we see require from 0.15 amp to 0.5 amp per hour at max. 

Tips to Ensure Energy Efficiency in a Laptop

Now that we know the overall amp that your laptop needs for day-to-day working, here we are with some general tips that an individual can follow to ensure energy efficiency while working on a laptop.

• Try to disconnect the external peripherals when not in use.
• Remove the peripherals that are not in need currently right from the home server.
• You can even customize the management settings of your laptop.
• Try to avoid search engines or websites that consume more energy.
• You can even try to adjust pc settings, such that it shutdowns automatically after a certain threshold.
• Try to shut down your PC when you are not using it.
• Don’t keep your laptop plugged in charging for the whole day long.