GeForce RTX 3060 Power Consumption and Cost
170 W Total Graphics Power — about 145 W sustained in a real game, and 265 W from the wall with the rest of the machine. NVIDIA suggests a 550 W supply. 12 GB VRAM, RTX 30, 2021.
Running a GeForce RTX 3060
- System draw
- 265 W
- Per month
- $9
- Card alone / yr
- $47
- Suggested PSU
- 550 W
- Gaming hours
- Idle hours
Where the watts go
| Item | Power | Per year | Cost / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming hours | 265 W | 386.2 kWh | $75 |
| Idle hours | 70 W | 153.3 kWh | $30 |
| Whole machine | — | 539.5 kWh | $105 |
| GeForce RTX 3060 alone | 145 W | 243.8 kWh | $47 |
What 170 W actually means
Total Graphics Power is a ceiling, not a running average. A GeForce RTX 3060 will touch 170 W in a synthetic stress test, but a real game at a real frame rate sits below it — which is why the figures here apply a 85% load factor by default rather than multiplying the headline number by hours. Cap your frame rate or play something older and the draw falls further; the calculator above lets you set the factor yourself.
The card is also not the whole bill. A mainstream CPU, board, drives, fans and the power supply's own conversion loss add roughly 120 W under load, so a GeForce RTX 3060 machine pulls about 265 W while gaming. Of the $187 a year that costs in California, the card itself accounts for around $85 — the rest of the computer is the remainder.
Where you live changes the answer more than which game you play. The same GeForce RTX 3060 costs $71 a year to run in Nevada and $284 in Hawaii — a 4.0× difference for identical use.
Running cost by state
| State | Cents / kWh | Per month | Per year whole machine | Card alone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13.11 | $6 | $71 | $32 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $6 | $71 | $32 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $6 | $72 | $33 |
| Louisiana | 13.49 | $6 | $73 | $33 |
| Tennessee | 14.07 | $6 | $76 | $34 |
| Arkansas | 14.12 | $6 | $76 | $34 |
| North Dakota | 14.12 | $6 | $76 | $34 |
| Kentucky | 14.26 | $6 | $77 | $35 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33 | $6 | $77 | $35 |
| Idaho | 14.37 | $6 | $78 | $35 |
| North Carolina | 14.74 | $7 | $80 | $36 |
| Mississippi | 14.88 | $7 | $80 | $36 |
| Washington | 14.91 | $7 | $80 | $36 |
| New Mexico | 15.06 | $7 | $81 | $37 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $7 | $81 | $37 |
| Montana | 15.14 | $7 | $82 | $37 |
| Arizona | 15.18 | $7 | $82 | $37 |
| Wyoming | 15.24 | $7 | $82 | $37 |
| South Dakota | 15.36 | $7 | $83 | $37 |
| West Virginia | 15.45 | $7 | $83 | $38 |
| South Carolina | 15.55 | $7 | $84 | $38 |
| Kansas | 15.71 | $7 | $85 | $38 |
| Iowa | 15.93 | $7 | $86 | $39 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $7 | $86 | $39 |
| Missouri | 16.22 | $7 | $88 | $40 |
| Oregon | 16.32 | $7 | $88 | $40 |
| Georgia | 16.36 | $7 | $88 | $40 |
| Alabama | 16.40 | $7 | $88 | $40 |
| Colorado | 17.13 | $8 | $92 | $42 |
| Virginia | 17.22 | $8 | $93 | $42 |
| Indiana | 17.51 | $8 | $94 | $43 |
| Minnesota | 17.52 | $8 | $95 | $43 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $9 | $104 | $47 |
| Delaware | 19.29 | $9 | $104 | $47 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56 | $9 | $106 | $48 |
| Illinois | 19.89 | $9 | $107 | $49 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73 | $10 | $117 | $53 |
| Maryland | 21.84 | $10 | $118 | $53 |
| Michigan | 22.99 | $10 | $124 | $56 |
| Connecticut | 24.32 | $11 | $131 | $59 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39 | $11 | $132 | $59 |
| Vermont | 24.44 | $11 | $132 | $60 |
| New Jersey | 24.95 | $11 | $135 | $61 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01 | $12 | $146 | $66 |
| Alaska | 28.21 | $13 | $152 | $69 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23 | $13 | $158 | $71 |
| New York | 29.49 | $13 | $159 | $72 |
| Maine | 29.59 | $13 | $160 | $72 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $13 | $160 | $72 |
| California | 34.74 | $16 | $187 | $85 |
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $24 | $284 | $129 |
4 h gaming and 6 h idle a day, at 85% load with 120 W of system overhead.
The rest of the RTX 30 range
| Card | TGP | Suggested PSU | Per year US average | In California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 450 W | 850 W | $172 | $308 |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 350 W | 750 W | $148 | $265 |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 350 W | 750 W | $148 | $265 |
| GeForce RTX 3080 | 350 W | 750 W | $148 | $265 |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 290 W | 650 W | $134 | $239 |
| GeForce RTX 3070 | 220 W | 650 W | $117 | $209 |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 200 W | 600 W | $112 | $200 |
| GeForce RTX 3050 | 130 W | 550 W | $95 | $170 |
Frequently asked questions
How much power does the GeForce RTX 3060 use?
How much does it cost to run a GeForce RTX 3060?
What power supply does a GeForce RTX 3060 need?
Do idle hours matter?
Power figures: nvidia.com GeForce specifications (Total Graphics Power). Electricity: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, residential, June 2026.
Estimates for informational purposes only. Total Graphics Power is a power limit, not an average: real draw depends on the game, resolution, frame cap, board partner design and any factory overclock. Electricity prices are state residential averages and your tariff will differ.