A laptop is a portable computer that runs primarily on batteries. There may be instances when you require a replacement for its power supply or charging system. In this scenario, knowing how many amps does a laptop use is critical for devising an efficient charging solution.
A typical laptop can only draw up to 2 amps. However, several factors must be considered before determining its amperage. Let’s discuss this further below.
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How Many Amps Does a Laptop Draw?
You may wonder why your laptop battery keeps draining while charging it. This could be because it draws more current from your use than it receives. As a result, you may need to obtain the amp rating of your unit to select a suitable charger that can sustain its current demand.
So, how much electrical current does a laptop require?
An average laptop’s amperage rating may range from 0.1 up to 2 amps, depending on the type and how it is used. Moreover, some laptops, such as gaming laptops, may demand more current. This is due to the powerful components that they require for their performance.
At the same time, it is good to know that a laptop draws current even in sleep or off mode. It may draw 0.007 amps in sleep mode and 0.003 amps when the power is off. This is why your laptop battery keeps draining per hour even if you are not using it.
How to Calculate the Amps, Watts, and Volts of a Laptop?
To calculate laptop power consumption, you can use the formula:
\begin{equation}
\text{A} = \frac{\text{W}}{\text{V}}
\end{equation}
You can use the tool below, which makes it easy to swiftly determine amperage.
For example, you have a laptop with a rating of 80 watts and a voltage of 110v. In this case, 80 watts divided by 110v will get you an amperage rating of 0.73 amps.
A typical laptop charger has an output current of 2 to 6 amps, which is sufficient for an 80 watt portable computer.
However, if you want a fast charging system, you may need a charger with a higher amperage.
You should also have a look at the chart below, which contains the average ratings of gaming and non-gaming laptops.
| Types of Laptop | Average Power Ratings (watts) | Voltage Ratings (V) | Average Amperage Ratings (Amps) |
| Non-gaming Laptop | 70 watts | 110V | 0.64 Amps |
| Gaming Laptop | 300 watts | 110V | 2.7 Amps |
Note: Getting a laptop’s exact amperage draw might be difficult. This is because there are many factors that may affect its usage, which you can read below.
Related: Amperage Requirement for Computer (Laptop, Desktop, Gaming PC).
Factors Affecting Laptop’s Amp Usage
1. Types of Laptop
One big factor affecting the ampere laptops use is the device type. In general, a higher-spec laptop consumes more amps than a lower-spec laptop. These models include strong components such as new processors, higher screen resolutions, advanced graphics cards, and other features. The gaming laptop is one example of this.
2. Laptop Peripherals Used
Connected peripherals such as external speakers and hard drives can also cause the laptop’s amperage draw to increase, leading the battery to drain faster. This is because the unit energizes these components.
3. Tasks Performed on Laptop
Another factor affecting the laptop computer amp draw is how you use it. For example, if you use your laptop for a hard task like gaming, the electrical component inside will work harder than if you use it for typing documents.
4. Battery Capacity and Age
Lastly, the laptop capacity and age of the battery influence how much current it draws. Typically, the larger the capacity and the newer a device is, the more amps it requires.
Tips to Reduce Power Consumption of Your Laptop
Though it is not true that a laptop use a lot of electricity, it is good to save some power consumption on it, especially when you need it the most. In this case, here are some tips that you may want to consider.
- Disable any unwanted applications that are running in the background.
- Enable the battery-saving feature, switch to power saver mode, and adjust the screen brightness to an optimum level for your vision.
- Avoid using an external keyboard and mouse.
- Avoid using an external speaker. Use headphones instead.
- When streaming video, use the lowest video quality possible.
- Enable sleep mode to save energy while not in use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Battery Capacity of Laptops
Laptop battery capacity is measured in mAh (milliamp hours). This refers to the amount of current it can store. In general, the higher the battery capacity, the longer you may use your laptop, depending on the operation.
The maximum battery capacity of laptop is about 7,000 mAh, though you can find devices with about a third of this rating. Higher mAh are most commonly found on gaming laptops, so you can play games for up to 4 hours on regular settings.
However, if you use the device normally, you can considerably extend its battery life to up to 26 hours.
Can I Use Other Brands of Chargers for My Laptop?
Using other brands of chargers for a laptop is not recommended, even if they have the same amp rating. Chargers from incompatible brands can possibly damage your laptop battery, leading to costly replacements.
For example, if you have a Dell unit, you should only use Dell laptop charger amps and cable that the manufacturer recommends. Some models may use 3 amps, while others need 6 amps.
What is the Voltage Rating of a Laptop Battery?
You may find laptop battery voltages of 14.4v or 10.8v. However, these ratings are just a series of laptop battery cells connected together.
Usually, laptop battery voltage comes at 3.7v or 3.6v. Using a series of 3 or 4 of this rating, users can build a total voltage like the ones said above.
How Much Electricity Does a Laptop Use?
An average laptop uses less energy than a PC. If you wonder how many amps does a pc use, the average is 3 to 5 amps.
Even if you use your laptop for 8 hours a day, a 70 watt average laptop may only add $2.73 to your monthly utility bill. This is based on a $0.16 per kWh electricity pricing. However, the cost will vary based on your area’s electricity rate.
Conclusion
It is important to know how many amps does a laptop use to prevent future problems such as a lack of charging capacity. Furthermore, this information will also give you an idea of how you can properly switch to a fast charging system.
Laptops are not power-hungry machines that can significantly increase your utility bills, even when set to the highest settings.
However, unlike desktop computers with significant cooling systems, laptops should not operate at full capacity all the time. They may generate additional heat, reducing the lifespan of the internal electrical components.
Calculating the ideal amps for your home appliances like:
I am Edwin Jones, in charge of designing content for Galvinpower. I aspire to use my experiences in marketing to create reliable and necessary information to help our readers. It has been fun to work with Andrew and apply his incredible knowledge to our content.