Computer

How to make your PC consume less and save on the bill

Nowadays, the electricity bill is a cause for concern for many users, and of course, today’s PCs are not like those of yesteryear and their consumption can be a reason for this bill to be increased. For this reason, in this article we are going to tell you what you can do to reduce PC consumption and so try save money a little in the electricity bill.

Modern PCs today usually have power supplies whose power ranges, depending on the range and model, between 400 watts for the most basic office equipment and exceeding 1,000 watts in high-end gaming PCs. However, the power of the power supply is not an indication of its consumption (since you can put a 1,500W source on an office PC if you want, for power…), so we are going to start by really seeing how much your pc consumes and if there is anything you can do about it.

Do you really know how much your PC consumes?

Measuring how much your PC really consumes can be very simple if you have or decide to buy a plug-in consumption meter. These devices are connected directly to the electrical wall outlet and we will have to connect the power strip where we have connected all the elements of the PC (the tower, the monitor, etc.) to it, and it will inform us in real time of the electrical consumption of the whole set .

consumption meter

If you don’t have one of these devices and you don’t want to buy one, there are also other ways to know how much your PC really consumes, for example if you have a digital source, you can use software like iCUE to measure it, or if it’s not your case , you can even use a consumption calculator that will tell you the theoretical consumption of your equipment, which although it is not the real consumption, it will be a data that can help you to get an idea.

In any case, you must bear in mind that the power of your power supply only indicates the maximum that it is capable of transmitting to the PC, but it is almost never indicative of consumption; For example, a mid-high-end gaming PC usually has a power supply of 700 or more watts, but the reality is that it will not normally consume more than 400-450W (depends of course on the hardware, especially the graphics card). ).

Reduce consumption to save on electricity bills

At this point, the first thing you should know is that the PC has a consumption, and there is not much you can do (except of course use the PC less, which is unfeasible for many). However, there are some things you can do on your PC that can help you reduce consumption and that will logically serve to save on your electricity bill.

Source performance in iCUE

  • Undervolt / underclock to processor / graphics card: This technique involves reducing the operating frequency and/or voltage of the processor and/or graphics card. It is a relatively complicated technique (which we already explained to you in its day) and that will obviously reduce the performance of the equipment, but also its consumption.
  • Change graphics settings in games: Reducing the resolution or quality of the games will reduce the load on the graphics card and thus the consumption. Remember that in a gaming PC, the graphics card is the element that consumes the most, so there you will see a notable factor to save on the electricity bill with your PC.
  • change your habits: those of us who work many hours in front of the PC (or those who use it to play for many hours) usually have it always on even if they don’t use it, and this is obviously generating excess consumption that can be avoided. If you are not going to use your PC for a while, turn it off. And if you are only going to be away for a few minutes, make sure to at least turn off the monitor so that it is not consuming. Putting your PC to sleep also helps reduce power consumption when you’re not using it, in case you don’t want to turn it off completely.
  • Use a more efficient power supply: The last recommendation that we are going to give you to save on your electricity bill with your PC is to make sure you have an efficient power supply. Efficiency, expressed as a percentage, marks the difference between the actual power going into the power supply and the power being delivered to the PC, and the more efficient the power supply, the lower the overall consumption. In all modern power supplies you will see their efficiency represented with the 80 Plus certification, being their categories from lowest to highest White, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium.

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