How Many Watts Does an Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Use?
The popularity of ninth generation gaming consoles and rising electricity costs might have you wondering how many watts does an Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X use?
This article will provide practical power consumption numbers for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in a variety of modes, such as gaming, streaming, scrolling the menu, idle and off. In addition, this article will tell you how much it costs to power these Microsoft consoles for an hour, a day and a year.
Highlights:
- The Xbox Series S uses 74 watts while playing games.
- The Xbox Series S uses much less power, between 0.4 and 31 watts, while streaming, menu scrolling, sleeping and shutdown.
- The Xbox Series X uses 153 watts while playing games.
- The Xbox Series X uses much less power, between 0.5 and 48 watts, while streaming, menu scrolling, sleeping and shutdown.
To help compare the power usage between the two different Xbox Series consoles we’ve tabulated and summarized the different modes and power dissipation, in watts, in the table below.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | 0.4 watts | 0.5 watts |
| Sleep Mode | 10 watts | 13 watts |
| Menu Scrolling | 28 watts | 48 watts |
| Streaming | 31 watts | 48 watts |
| Gaming | 74 watts | 153 watts |
Gaming clearly requires the most power from the Xbox Series consoles, but it’s worth noting that streaming uses a lot of electricity too just to watch TV.
By only using the TV and it’s WiFi connection, or an Amazon Firestick, to do TV streaming, you will save a lot of power and money compared to using the Xbox Series to stream movie, videos and Youtube.
How Much Energy Does an Xbox Series S and X Use?
Energy is measured by multiplying the power used over a time period. Energy is commonly measured in units of kilowatt-hours, which means 1 kilowatt of power used for 1 hour, and it is abbreviated as kWh.
Since Xbox Series power consumption depends on the mode of the console, you need to add up and average the usage in the different modes (shutdown, menu scrolling, streaming and gaming) over time to get an accurate value.
Based on this study of the average gaming playtime, the average gamer plays 8.6 hours per week!
This streaming study shows that people stream about 1 hour and 22 minutes per day, so we will use that number for our Xbox Series power consumption calculation.
The following table shows the hourly, daily, yearly breakdown for hours in each console mode.
| Mode | Hourly | Daily | Yearly |
| Shutdown | 0 hours | 21.4 hours | 7811 hours |
| Streaming | 0 hours | 1.37 hours | 500 hours |
| Gaming | 1 hour | 1.23 hours | 449 hours |
Now that we estimates for how long the Xbox Series S and X are in each mode, we can easily calculate how much power they dissipate per hour, day, month and year.
We will simply multiply the power, in watts, by the time, in hours, and then divide it by 1000 to calculate the energy used by the Xbox Series console in kilowatt-hours.
How Much Power Does an Xbox Series S and Series X Use Per Hour?
For the hourly calculation we simply used the Xbox Series S and X gaming power consumption because it’s the most power and most meaningful power number to list for each gaming console.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | 0 kWh | 0 kWh |
| Streaming | 0 kWh | 0 kWh |
| Gaming | 0.074 kWh | 0.153 kWh |
| Total | 0.074 kWh | 0.153 kWh |
How Much Power Does an Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Use Per Day?
For the daily power calculation we took into account the power dissipation during shutdown, streaming and gaming modes.
We calculated the shutdown time based by substracting the average streaming and gaming times from 24 hours.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | 0.009 kWh | 0.011 kWh |
| Streaming | 0.043 kWh | 0.066 kWh |
| Gaming | 0.091 kWh | 0.188 kWh |
| Total | 0.143 kWh | 0.265 kWh |
How Much Power Does an Xbox Series S and X Use Per Month?
Getting the monthly Xbox Series power numbers was simple since we had the daily value available.
We used 30 days in a month to calculate the monthly energy usage in the table below.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | 0.270 kWh | 0.330 kWh |
| Streaming | 1.290 kWh | 1.980 kWh |
| Gaming | 2.730 kWh | 5.640 kWh |
| Total | 4.290 kWh | 7.950 kWh |
How Much Power Does an Xbox Series Use Per Year?
We simply multiplied the monthly power numbers by 12 to get an estimate for Xbox Series console energy consumption for a year.
As a comparison, these energy numbers are very similar to how much power a modern TV uses.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | 3.240 kWh | 3.960 kWh |
| Streaming | 15.480 kWh | 23.760 kWh |
| Gaming | 32.760 kWh | 67.680 kWh |
| Total | 51.480 kWh | 95.400 kWh |
Why Do Xbox Series S and X Use So Much Power?
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles use a lot of electricity in order to produce the high-quality graphics needed for console gaming.
High-end graphic processor units (GPU) and processors are required to produce 1440P resolution at 60fps for the Xbox Series S and the 8K resolution at 120fps for the Xbox Series X.
In addition, the gigabytes of memory, flash and solid-state drive also require power to run the consoles.
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Hardware Specs
The following table provides the relevant hardware specifications.
| Specs | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Dimensions | 10.8 x 5.95 x 5.95 in | 11.85 x 5.95 x 5.95 in |
| Weight | 4.25 pounds | 9.8 pounds |
| Graphics / GPU | 4 TFLOPS, 20 CUs @ 1.565 GHz, Custom RDNA 2 CPU | 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz, Custom RDNA 2 CPU |
| Processor | 8x Cores @ 3.6 GHz, Custom Zen 2 CPU | 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz, Custom Zen 2 CPU |
| Memory | 10GB GDDR6 RAM, 8GB @ 224GB/s, 2GB @ 56GB/s | 16GB GDDR6, 10GB @ 560GB/s optimal memory, 3.5GB @ 336GB/s standard memory, 2.5GB @336GH/s reserved memory |
| Expandable Storage | 1TB Expansion Card | 1TB Expansion Card |
| Storage | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Disc Drive | No | 4K UHD Blu-ray |
| Power Supply | 165W, internal | 255W, internal |
| Resolution and Refresh | 1440p @ 60fps (up to 120 fps) | 8K @ 120fps |
| Display Out | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| Wireless | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet | Yes | Yes |
| Ray Tracing | Yes | Yes |
| Backward Compatibility | Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox | Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox |
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Power Supplies
The various Xbox Series consoles all have unique power supplies due to their different power needs.
Each of the power supplies, along with how much power they might draw, are detailed below.
Xbox Series S Internal Power Supply
The Xbox Series S has an internal, 165W, power supply module.
The power supply has an AC input voltage range from 100-240VAC and has a 12VDC at 13.75A output.
Many third party replacement power supplies exist for the Xbox Series S.
Power efficiency is typically in the 85-90% range for offline, AC power supplies this this, which means that the 165W power supply may draw up to 194W at full power!
Inside of the console there will be power losses converting the 12VDC voltage down to the lower voltages needed to power the GPU, processors, memory and peripherals.
Xbox Series X Internal Power Supply
The Xbox Series X has an internal, 255W power supply module.
The official name for is is the AC power supply adapter 1920, in case you are looking for a replacement power supply for a failed one.
Offline power supplies like this are typically 85-90% efficient, which means that this 255W power supply could actually use up to 300W at full power!
The power supply has an AC input voltage range from 100-240VAC and has an output of 12VDC at 21.25A.
Power supplies have power losses in the conversion from AC power to DC power, which is what’s used by the electronic boards with the GPU, processors and memory on them. In addition, there’s circuitry to perform power factor correction (PFC) to make sure the power supply does inject noise onto the 120VAC power system.
How to Measure Xbox One Power Usage
It’s very easy to measure Xbox Series power usage.
An outlet power meter, like the one shown below, provides how much power is being used by the console when it is plugged into it.
You should place the Xbox Series S and X consoles in the various power modes (standby, menu scrolling, streaming, or gaming) and see just how much power is being consumed in each mode.
Most of the time people do not care how much power they are using unless they are on a constrained power system, like a battery bank or in an RV with limited current capacity.
Regardless, these outlet power meters are a great way to measure Xbox console power consumptions, which can easily be calculated into how much that will cost in electricity!
Xbox Series Energy Saving Tips
Even though the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles consume a lot of power when streaming or playing games, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce power usage when not playing games or watching videos.
- Turn off the console when you are done using it. You can do this manually after you finishing playing, or you can also set a timer to turn the console off after 30 or 60 minutes by default.
- Unplug the console power cord from the wall outlet. This can be tedious to do every time you want to play, but it’s the simplest and cheapest option to save energy and money.
- Plug the console into a programmable outlet. Program the outlet to shutdown off power to the Xbox Series console at pre-determined times, like at night, to save power and money while you sleep.
- Use a power strip with an internal timer in it. This is a great idea to limit how long each gaming session lasts and will save power when the console isn’t being used for streaming or gaming.
- Reduce the resolution and frame rate. While you probably want the best quality settings for most gaming, some games don’t require it and you won’t notice a difference in the gameplay.
How Much Does an Xbox Series S and X Cost to Run?
Based on the average gaming and streaming data, the cost to run an Xbox Series is as follows:
- The Xbox Series S console costs $8.24 per year to run.
- The Xbox Series X console costs $15.27 per year to run.
It’s worth mentioning that the Xbox Series console running costs are only one part of the electricity costs associated to using them. You should also calculate how much electricity is used and costs to run the TV or monitor that the games are being viewed on.
How to Calculate How Much an Xbox Series Costs in Electricity
Calculating how much electricity costs to run a Xbox console is simple given all of the data provided in this post.
You simply need to figure out how much time the console is in each mode, in hours, and then you multiply that time the power consumed, in watts. Once you have this number for one day, you can multiply that times 30 days to get an approximate value for one month.
Divide that number by 1000 to get the number in kWh units, which is what the power company charges you on your electric bill.
Look at your electric bill to determine your kWh rate, which is usually between $0.15-0.20 per kWh.
Multiply those two numbers together to finish calculating the monthly costs of running an Xbox Series S or X.
How Much Does an Xbox Series Cost to Run Per Year
The following table provides the costs to run an Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X console for one year based on the power usage calculated earlier in this post.
| Mode | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X |
| Shutdown | $0.52 | $0.63 |
| Streaming | $2.48 | $3.81 |
| Gaming | $5.24 | $10.83 |
| Total | $8.24 | $15.27 |