On this page, you will find out how many watts an Xbox 360 draws.
Let’s play video games. What’s your all-time favorite? Mine is Red Dead Redemption. Nothing beats riding around the wild west on my noble steed. It was one of the great Xbox 360 games (and still is). The only problem is that you can get lost in it for days on end. Of course, this means your console is working hard for long periods. And this gets me thinking about the power consumption. In addition, you might want to play video games in an RV, car, or other vehicle so the wattage is important when choosing a power inverter.
Below we will discuss and test Xbox 360 wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is an Xbox 360?
An Xbox 360 uses 160 watts while playing a game and less than 80W when watching a DVD.
The exact number depends on what function you are using on the games console. For example, when streaming TV or watching DVDs you will use less than 100W. When playing games it will usually use 120W – 200W.
The Xbox 360 has a maximum power rating of 280 watts but it never reaches this maximum. The actual continuous wattage depends on how hard the PSU (computer) is working. A more intensive game that requires a lot of computing power uses more than a simple game or watching a DVD.
You should also be aware that an Xbox 360 uses 2.2W when in standby mode.
To completely shut off power you should switch it off at the mains or unplug it completely.
How to Find Out Your Xbox 360 Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of an Xbox 360.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the Xbox 360’s specification. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details. This will show you the maximum and continuous power consumptions which aren’t always accurate to your gameplay.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your Xbox 360 to get instant information.
I used one to test an Xbox 360 which gave a live reading of 116W while playing Red Dead Redemption.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your Xbox 360 you can use this to find the maximum watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
How Much Electricity Does an Xbox 360 Use?
You can use Xbox 360 wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your Xbox 360.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, an Xbox 360 drawing 160W would use 160Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 160W Xbox 360 running for 1 hour uses 0.160kWh.
In reality, you use an Xbox 360 for 2 hours a day. This means an Xbox 360 uses about 280Wh or 0.280kWh electricity a day. That’s 8.4kWh a month and 102kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $0.04 a day or $15 a year to play Xbox 360 for 2 hours every day.
Using an Xbox 360 Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your Xbox 360 in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, car, or semi-truck, the information above is important. It enables you to pick the correct power products and know how long you can run your games console.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator to produce AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your Xbox 360. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To play video games, you will need at least 500W of power capacity. This allows you to comfortably run your games console and a TV at the same time without overworking your equipment.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the Xbox 360 for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use about 160Wh electricity for an hour. This is the equivalent to 13.33Ah on a 12V battery.
How Many Watts Does an Xbox 360 Use Summary
I hope you now understand how many watts an Xbox 360 uses.
A games console is essentially a computer which means the power consumption varies depending on what task you are performing. Playing a high end video game will use much more electricity than watching or streaming a movie. If you want accurate information for your own usage then it is best to do a test. Alternatively, you can use averages when working out general energy usage and requirements.
