Cost per hour of gaming at 26.32p per kWh (UK average), the live standard variable rate since 1 October 2026. Per hour.
The short answer
RGB lighting uses very little power compared with the rest of a gaming PC. Windows Central reports that a typical RGB LED strip uses less than 3 watts, and that four strips add about 10 watts. RGB fans and hubs add only a little more. Your graphics card, by comparison, can use 250 watts or more.
| RGB setup | Typical power | Per hour | Per year (3 hrs/day) | Per year if left on 24/7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One LED strip | under 3 W | 0.1p | 86p | £6.92 |
| Full RGB build (strips, fans, RAM) | about 10 W | 0.3p | £2.88 | £23.06 |
| Heavy RGB plus desk light strips | about 20 W | 0.5p | £5.76 | £46.11 |
Power use varies with brightness and colour. White at full brightness uses the most, because every LED is lit.
The real cost: lighting that never turns off
Some motherboards keep the RGB lights and USB ports powered when the PC is shut down or asleep. Desk and wall LED strips on their own plugs are also easy to leave on. Lighting left on all day and night costs about 8 times as much as lighting used only while you play 3 hours a day.
To stop it:
- Look in your motherboard's BIOS for a setting like "RGB LED lighting in S5" or "ErP mode", and turn off lighting when the PC is off.
- Put desk strips and room lights on a smart plug with a schedule.
- Set the lighting software to switch off when the PC sleeps.
Should you turn RGB off to save money?
While you're playing, turning RGB off saves about £2.88 a year at 3 hours a day. If you like the look, keep it. It's the lights left running all night that are worth fixing.
For the bigger costs, see graphics card running costs or gaming PC running costs.
Sources: Windows Central, Octopus Energy tariff data.