Streaming Electricity Cost Calculator
Calculate how much it really costs to run your PC for 24/7 streaming. Compare electricity costs, hardware wear, and hidden expenses against cloud streaming services.
Your Setup
Electricity Cost
Local PC vs Cloud Streaming
Running Your PC 24/7
TheLoops Cloud
* Hardware wear estimate based on typical PC component lifespan when running 24/7. Time value estimated at minimum wage for monitoring and maintenance.
Environmental Impact
Cloud data centers are typically 2-3x more energy efficient than home PCs due to optimized cooling, power management, and hardware utilization.
Frequently Asked Questions
A typical streaming PC uses 200-400W. Running 24/7 that's 144-288 kWh per month. At average US rates ($0.12/kWh), that's $17-35/month in electricity alone, not counting internet, hardware wear, or your time.
Cloud services like TheLoops ($10/month) are usually cheaper than running your own PC 24/7 when you factor in electricity ($20-40), internet stability, hardware depreciation, and maintenance time. Plus no risk of your stream going down while you sleep.
For basic 1080p streaming: i5/Ryzen 5 CPU, 8GB RAM, and a decent GPU for encoding. However, running any PC 24/7 causes significant wear on components, especially power supplies and storage drives.
Yes, continuous operation accelerates wear on fans, power supplies, storage drives, and thermal paste. Most consumer PCs aren't designed for 24/7 operation. Server-grade equipment is, but costs significantly more.
Laptops are not recommended for 24/7 streaming. They have limited cooling, battery degradation issues, and aren't designed for continuous load. The heat alone can significantly shorten laptop lifespan.