GeForce RTX 4090 Power Consumption and Cost
450 W Total Graphics Power — about 383 W sustained in a real game, and 503 W from the wall with the rest of the machine. NVIDIA suggests a 850 W supply. 24 GB VRAM, RTX 40, 2022.
Running a GeForce RTX 4090
- System draw
- 503 W
- Per month
- $14
- Card alone / yr
- $115
- Suggested PSU
- 850 W
- Gaming hours
- Idle hours
Where the watts go
| Item | Power | Per year | Cost / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming hours | 503 W | 733.6 kWh | $142 |
| Idle hours | 70 W | 153.3 kWh | $30 |
| Whole machine | — | 886.9 kWh | $172 |
| GeForce RTX 4090 alone | 383 W | 591.3 kWh | $115 |
What 450 W actually means
Total Graphics Power is a ceiling, not a running average. A GeForce RTX 4090 will touch 450 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 4090 machine pulls about 503 W while gaming. Of the $308 a year that costs in California, the card itself accounts for around $205 — the rest of the computer is the remainder.
Where you live changes the answer more than which game you play. The same GeForce RTX 4090 costs $116 a year to run in Nevada and $468 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 | $10 | $116 | $78 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $10 | $118 | $78 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $10 | $119 | $79 |
| Louisiana | 13.49 | $10 | $120 | $80 |
| Tennessee | 14.07 | $10 | $125 | $83 |
| Arkansas | 14.12 | $10 | $125 | $83 |
| North Dakota | 14.12 | $10 | $125 | $83 |
| Kentucky | 14.26 | $11 | $126 | $84 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33 | $11 | $127 | $85 |
| Idaho | 14.37 | $11 | $127 | $85 |
| North Carolina | 14.74 | $11 | $131 | $87 |
| Mississippi | 14.88 | $11 | $132 | $88 |
| Washington | 14.91 | $11 | $132 | $88 |
| New Mexico | 15.06 | $11 | $134 | $89 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $11 | $134 | $89 |
| Montana | 15.14 | $11 | $134 | $90 |
| Arizona | 15.18 | $11 | $135 | $90 |
| Wyoming | 15.24 | $11 | $135 | $90 |
| South Dakota | 15.36 | $11 | $136 | $91 |
| West Virginia | 15.45 | $11 | $137 | $91 |
| South Carolina | 15.55 | $12 | $138 | $92 |
| Kansas | 15.71 | $12 | $139 | $93 |
| Iowa | 15.93 | $12 | $141 | $94 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $12 | $141 | $94 |
| Missouri | 16.22 | $12 | $144 | $96 |
| Oregon | 16.32 | $12 | $145 | $97 |
| Georgia | 16.36 | $12 | $145 | $97 |
| Alabama | 16.40 | $12 | $145 | $97 |
| Colorado | 17.13 | $13 | $152 | $101 |
| Virginia | 17.22 | $13 | $153 | $102 |
| Indiana | 17.51 | $13 | $155 | $104 |
| Minnesota | 17.52 | $13 | $155 | $104 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $14 | $170 | $113 |
| Delaware | 19.29 | $14 | $171 | $114 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56 | $14 | $173 | $116 |
| Illinois | 19.89 | $15 | $176 | $118 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73 | $16 | $193 | $128 |
| Maryland | 21.84 | $16 | $194 | $129 |
| Michigan | 22.99 | $17 | $204 | $136 |
| Connecticut | 24.32 | $18 | $216 | $144 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39 | $18 | $216 | $144 |
| Vermont | 24.44 | $18 | $217 | $145 |
| New Jersey | 24.95 | $18 | $221 | $148 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01 | $20 | $240 | $160 |
| Alaska | 28.21 | $21 | $250 | $167 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23 | $22 | $259 | $173 |
| New York | 29.49 | $22 | $262 | $174 |
| Maine | 29.59 | $22 | $262 | $175 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $22 | $263 | $175 |
| California | 34.74 | $26 | $308 | $205 |
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $39 | $468 | $312 |
4 h gaming and 6 h idle a day, at 85% load with 120 W of system overhead.
The rest of the RTX 40 range
| Card | TGP | Suggested PSU | Per year US average | In California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER | 320 W | 750 W | $141 | $252 |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 320 W | 750 W | $141 | $252 |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | 285 W | 700 W | $133 | $237 |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | 285 W | 700 W | $133 | $237 |
| GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER | 220 W | 650 W | $117 | $209 |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | 200 W | 650 W | $112 | $200 |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti | 165 W | 550 W | $104 | $185 |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | 115 W | 550 W | $92 | $164 |
Frequently asked questions
How much power does the GeForce RTX 4090 use?
How much does it cost to run a GeForce RTX 4090?
What power supply does a GeForce RTX 4090 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.