Mid-range PC (RTX 3070) electricity cost — 2 hours gaming + 6 h idle standby
PC is on for 8 hours (2 h active gaming + 6 h idle/video/browsing) on 5 days. Idle system draw estimated at 80 W. A <strong>Mid-range PC (RTX 3070)</strong> draws 350 W total (GPU 220 W + rest of system 130 W). Cost: £1.54/week at Ofgem cap 26.11p/kWh (1 July to 30 September 2026).
Mid-range PC (RTX 3070) — 2 hours gaming + 6 h idle standby: 0.350 kW × 2 h active = 0.700 kWh + 0.08 kW × 6 h idle = 0.480 kWh. Session total: 1.180 kWh = 30.8p. Weekly (5 sessions): £1.54. Monthly: £6.68. Annual: £80.11. Source: Nvidia / AMD / Intel — published TDP specifications for GPU and CPU components + Ofgem (OGL v3.0).
- Per session
- 30.8p
- Per week (5 sessions)
- £1.54
- Per month
- £6.68
- Per year
- £80.11
Rig specification
- Tier
- mid-range
- GPU
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
- GPU TDP
- 220 W
- Rest of system
- 130 W
- Total system
- 350 W
- Sessions/week
- 5
Nvidia RTX 3070 TDP 220 W (published spec); rest of system ~130 W mid-range build
How the cost is worked out
- Active gaming (2 h): 350 W ÷ 1000 × 2 h = 0.700 kWh × 26.11p = 18.3p.
- Idle (6 h): 80 W ÷ 1000 × 6 h = 0.480 kWh × 26.11p = 12.5p.
- Per session total: 1.180 kWh = 30.8p.
- Weekly: 30.8p × 5 days = £1.54.
- Annual: £1.54 × 52 = £80.11.
Same scenario — other gaming rigs
Track gaming PC running costs
Updated each time the Ofgem cap changes.
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GPU TDP from Nvidia / AMD / Intel — published TDP specifications for GPU and CPU components. Unit rate 26.11p/kWh from Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 July to 30 September 2026), OGL v3.0. Last updated: 2026-06-20.