How Much Electricity (Power) Does a PS3 Use?

The Sony PlayStation 3 was introduced in 2006 and became the ultimate gaming machine. Its popularity was huge, even before smartphones and tablets took their place on the market. Even though PS3 has been on the market for many years, it is still popular among gamers.

That’s because you can get one on a very low budget. However, today we are facing an increase in electricity prices, so the question arises how much electricity does the PS3 actually consume? In this article, we’ll talk about that and how you can calculate the power consumption of PS3 and PS3 Slim. Let’s get started!

How Much Electricity Does a PS3 Use? Playing PS3 on a normal LED TV will consume approximately 230 watts (60 W for the TV + 170 W for the PS3). A normal gaming session of 3 hours will consume 690 Watt-hours, which will be equal to about 9 cents (using the average price in the United States of 13 cents per kWh).

The PlayStation 3 has a 380W power supply, but its power consumption is between 170-200W while playing games. This is possible because PS3 has a built-in 90 nm Cell CPU. Newer 40GB PS3 model that has 65 nm Cell CPU/90 nm RSX consumes only 120-240W. However, PlayStation 3 Slim is even more efficient, featuring a 45 nm Cell CPU/40 nm RSX, and it only needs 65-84W during normal use.

> Measure PS3 Power Consumption With Watt Meter <

This table provides power information for PS3 and PS3 Slim in different operation modes:

Operation Mode	PS3	PS3 Slim
Standby	1.22 W	0.36 W
Idle operation	172 W	75.2 W
Blu-ray	173.3 W	80.9 W
YouTube	182.2 W	85.1 W
Play (Idle)	200.9 W	95.4 W
Play (full load)	205.9 W	100.1 W

If we look power consumption of competitive consoles of PS3, we can notice that Xbox 360 uses 187 watts during the game mode, while the Nintendo Wii consumes only 40 watts in the normal mode. Now that we know that let’s get a little bit deeper into the topic.

Power Comparison: PS3 Vs PS3 Slim

The power consumption in standby and operation mode depends on which PlayStation 3 model you have. According to Sony, it is stated that PS3 Slim consumes up to 34% less energy in comparison to PS3. However, energy consumption is significantly higher compared to Blu-ray players. Now that we’re familiar with that let’s look at the power comparison between PS3 and PS3 Slim:

1. Power Consumption of the Original PS3

First-generation PS3 is recognizable by its curved, thick housing. This original PS3 model consumes a lot of power. Let’s see how much exactly:

• During Idle operation (i.e. main menu mode), PS3 consumes around 170 watts.
• PS3 Blu-ray and playing Youtube videos use around 180 watts. Playing games at full load you will consume around 200 watts.       
• PS3 Standby mode consumes 1.22W (when the red light is turned on). Even though this is very low, it is still significantly higher than newer devices. By disconnecting the PS3 completely you will save money in the long run.

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2. Power Consumption of the PS3 Slim

PlayStation 3 Slim involves changes in design and technical specifications. It offers a thinner design but, what is more important, it consumes less power. Here are the numbers:

• During Idle operation (i.e. main menu mode), PS3 Slim consumes around 75 watts.
• PS3 Slim Blu-ray and Youtube videos use around 80 watts. This model under full load consumes much less power than the original model. During full load, it only uses around 100 watts (50% less than PS3).
• PS3 Slim standby mode uses 0.36 watts. This is at the level of TV and receiver.

Related Article: Why Is My PS4 Fan Loud? 6 Ways How To Fix It!

Why is the PS3 Slim Power Consumption so Low?

The original PS3 was a relatively big console with high power consumption. As a result, PS3 produced more heat and was much bigger. On the other hand, the PS3 Slim was upgraded and launched with a lighter design, which fixed heat issues. Another thing is that the Slim model comes with a newer and smaller cell chip, and for that reason, it needs less power to run.

How Many Watts Does a PS3 Use?

The Original PS3 consumes around 200 watts during gaming mode, 173 watts if you watch movies on Blu-ray, and 171 watts during the idle mode. When it comes to PS3 Slim, the power consumption is only 70 watts during idle mode (normal use), which is drastically lower. Therefore, to get the exact number of how much power does your PS3 consumes, multiply the number of watts by the number of hours you play and you will get watt-hours (Wh).

• The “Original” PS3 uses 170 Wh (watt-hours)
• The PS3 Slim uses 70 Wh (watt-hours)

We assume that watt-hours (Wh) don’t mean anything to you. Don’t worry! We’ll now calculate how much it will cost you to play PS3. It’s quite simple. First, electricity in the world and in the US is billed in c/kWh. Therefore, you must convert Wh (watt-hour) to kWh (kilowatt-hour). 1 kWh is equal to 1000 Wh. Now, we’ll get the following:

• The “Original” PS3 uses 0.170 kWh
• The PS3 Slim uses 0.070 kWh

Next, you need to know what is the price of electricity in your country. The average electricity price in the United States is around 13 c/kWh. Understand that this will vary depending on the state you live in. Now you have to multiply the amount of electricity in kWh with the price in cents, and you’ll get the answer!

• The „Original“ PS3 Calculation: 0.170 kWh x 13 c/kWh = 2 cents per hour
• The PS3 Slim Calculation: 0.070 kWh x 13 c/kWh = 0.91 cents per hour

Example: (170 Watts x 3h/day x 365) ÷ 1000 = 186 kWh. If we use the average electricity price in the United States which is 13 cents per kWh, will get the following: 186 kWh x 0.13 = $24.18 cost per year! By that, we’ll get $2,01 per month.

Note! Remember that PS5 power consumption is much higher compared to PS3 and PS4.

Do Game Consoles Use a Lot of Electricity?

Did you even think about how much energy does playing games use? To find out how much it consumes, use our console energy calculator. By our estimation, we assume that playing an average video game on a console will consume around 150 watts, while the standby mode will use around 1-2 watts. Of course, these are just assumptions because a lot of factors depend on it.

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How to Actually Measure PS3 Power Consumption?

The best and the most accurate way to measure PS3 power consumption is to use a Kill A Watt meter. This device is specially designed to precisely measure the power of any device (such as PS3) that is connected to the grid.

By using a Watt Meter, you can precisely measure the power consumption of your PS3. Get it HERE.

Therefore, if you want to measure the power consumption of your gaming console, be sure to buy Kill A Watt meter if you don’t have it. You can get it also on Amazon, by clicking HERE. This device can also be used to measure any home appliance easily. If you ask me, this is a cool gadget to have.

Here is and example of how much PS3 “fat” and PS3 Slim will consume if you play them for 3 hours each day:

PlayStation model	Power consumption	Gagming duration	Anuall Cost:
PS3 “fat”	172 Watts	3 hrous/day	$18.84
PS3 Slim	75 Watts	3 hrous/day	$8.21

Tips For Electricity Savings on the PS3

If you are one of those who monitor their power consumption and want to reduce it without affecting the comfort of your gaming, we have some tips for you. However, keep in mind that these savings will not be anything special, but any savings are good. Here’s what you can do:

1. Blu-ray Player: PS3 consumes much more power than a classic Blu-ray player. Therefore, if you want to watch movies, be sure to use a Blue-ray player instead of a PS3.
2. Switchable multiple sockets: By using this, you can easily switch off all devices that are connected to it, and that way they won’t consume electricity even when you are not using your PS3 console.
3. Sleep mode: Be sure to activate the sleep mode on your console. When you are not playing PS3, its good to have sleep mode ON.

Does the PS3 Consume Power When Turned Off?

Every gadget and device, including the PS3, consumes power even when it is turned off. As the devices are connected to the power source, they draw energy from the grid. This is also called a phantom load.

The amount of power that PS3 consumes is small, around 0.45 watts, and it goes to a red light that is turned on. However, this only applies if your PS3 is plugged into a power source. This will not affect your electricity bill in any way.

Playing PS3 During Whole Year Could Cost You $227

Surely you have sometimes wondered what if your PS3 would work 24 hours a day, during the whole year (365 days)? How much would this cost you? A study was conducted, where all household appliances were tested, including the PS3. The results showed that using the PS3 for 365 days will cost you $227.

It is taken into account that the console operates at 200W, 24 hours per day, during the whole year. This gives a number of 1,752 kWh. When we multiply that by the average price of electricity in the US of 13 cents, we get $ 227 per year.

Also if you want to learn more about PS3 and PS3 Slim, be sure to watch this Youtube video:

FAQ: People Also Ask

Final Thoughts

Now that we’ve gone through it all, we can say that the PS3 Slim is definitely the better choice when it comes to power consumption. This was not a surprise, as the Slim version came after the original “fat” PS3. Now that you have a sense of how much each of these devices consumes, you can rest in peace and enjoy gaming without too much stress.

Remember, you can play your PS3 every day for a few hours, and it won’t affect your energy bill. I hope we have helped you, and if you have any questions about the PS3 feel free to contact us.