A useful estimate for a Beelink mini PC running YouTube playback continuously is about 9.65–11.02 kWh over 30 days, using one published Beelink EQi test as a reference. Multiply that energy by your own all-in electricity rate per kWh to estimate the charge; your actual result depends on your machine and setup.
The reference is not a measurement of every Beelink model or a month-long looping test. It was a wall-power reading during 4K, 60 fps YouTube playback in Firefox on one EQi setup, which also had Wi-Fi, a wireless keyboard-and-mouse receiver and a portable monitor attached.
What this estimate covers
The calculation estimates electricity use over a 30-day period at a constant average draw. It uses the measured playback range described below and assumes the device and included setup stay on for all 24 hours of every day. The estimate is energy, expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), rather than a bill amount.
It does not include an electricity tariff until you apply one, and it does not estimate the cost of a separate router, internet connection, or equipment outside the measured setup. Nor does it tell you how much any individual Beelink will draw while sending a live broadcast. Your result can be higher or lower depending on the PC, playback settings, connected display and peripherals, and the way you use it.
That distinction matters for a YouTube channel that plays recorded material around the clock. A computer may play a video locally, or it may encode and send a live stream to YouTube. These jobs are related but not identical: a playback result provides a useful reference for its particular conditions, not a universal figure for every live-stream workflow. If you are still comparing ways to run a channel, this beginner’s guide to how YouTube live streaming works explains the basic pieces without treating one device’s electricity draw as the whole operating cost.
What the EQi wall-power test tells you
CNX Software’s review of the Beelink EQi reports a wall-meter reading of 13.4–15.3 W while playing a YouTube video in Firefox at 4K and 60 fps. This is measured consumption for the tested computer and attached setup, rather than an estimate derived from a processor specification or power-adapter label. Read the CNX Software review.
The setup included Wi-Fi, a wireless keyboard-and-mouse receiver, and a Crowview portable monitor connected over HDMI. The measurement therefore should not be described as the EQi alone drawing that amount, still less as the draw of every Beelink mini PC. A different screen or no screen, a different browser, another resolution, or a separate stream-encoding workload could produce a different reading.
The review also gives idle readings of 5.7–6.2 W on Wi-Fi and 6.0–6.4 W with 2.5GbE. Those figures help show that idle and video playback are different conditions; they are not substitutes for playback consumption. If you are estimating a channel that actively plays or processes video, use a measurement from that workload rather than an idle result.
Beelink’s EQ14 product page describes an Intel Twin Lake N150 system and positions it for light office work and multimedia playback, but it does not provide a measured wall draw for YouTube playback. Beelink’s EQ14 page is useful for identifying what that particular model is intended to do, not for assigning it the EQi review’s measured figure. Do not use an adapter rating, processor description, or product category as if it were a consumption test.
Convert watts into 30-day kWh
Use this formula:
Monthly kWh = average watts × hours per day × days ÷ 1,000
For continuous operation over a 30-day month, the time is 24 × 30, or 720 hours. Applying that assumption to the review’s lower reading gives 13.4 × 720 ÷ 1,000 = 9.648 kWh, rounded to about 9.65 kWh. Applying it to the higher reading gives 15.3 × 720 ÷ 1,000 = 11.016 kWh, or about 11.02 kWh.
| Assumed average wall draw | Hours in 30 days | Calculated energy |
|---|---|---|
| 13.4 W | 720 | About 9.65 kWh |
| 15.3 W | 720 | About 11.02 kWh |
These are arithmetic results, not additional measurements by CNX Software. They assume that the test’s draw remains constant for the full month, which is a simplifying estimate. Actual playback can vary over time, and a wall meter’s accumulated kWh over a representative period can capture that variation more directly.
The range is a better starting point than pretending there is a single exact monthly number. If your setup averages less than 13.4 W, the same formula gives a lower energy estimate; if it averages more than 15.3 W, it gives a higher one. The formula itself does not change with the electricity tariff, because the tariff affects the bill rather than the amount of energy the equipment uses.
Apply your electricity rate
Take the kWh estimate and multiply it by your all-in electricity price per kWh:
Estimated electricity charge = monthly kWh × price per kWh
Use the per-kWh figure that applies to your bill, rather than a rate from a different household or country. If the bill lists charges in another format, convert the applicable electricity charges to a per-kWh figure before calculating. Keep any fixed monthly charges separate if you want to isolate the extra usage from the mini PC; a fixed charge generally does not change just because this device is on.
For example, if your all-in rate is R per kWh, the 30-day estimate is about 9.65 × R at the lower end and 11.02 × R at the upper end. Substitute your own rate and currency. This method works whether you pay in rupees, pounds, dollars or another currency, provided the tariff and result use the same currency units.
A simple spreadsheet can help if you want to include more than one device: enter each device’s measured average watts, calculate its monthly kWh on its own line, then add the kWh figures and apply the same rate. Avoid adding equipment that was already included in a wall-meter reading, or you will count it twice. The monitor and receiver in the EQi review’s setup are already part of the reported test context, so treat the range as a setup reading rather than an isolated PC figure.
What the $0.15/kWh illustration means
At a hypothetical rate of $0.15 per kWh, 9.65 kWh costs about $1.45 and 11.02 kWh costs about $1.65 over 30 days. The arithmetic is simply monthly kWh multiplied by the assumed rate.
This is an illustration, not a current national average, a quoted tariff, or a prediction of your bill. Your actual rate may be different, and your actual equipment draw may also differ from the test. For instance, applying a higher local rate raises the estimated charge even if the machine uses exactly the same kWh; changing the playback workload can change the kWh even if your rate stays fixed.
Keeping those two factors separate helps when comparing choices. Energy use belongs to the equipment and hours of operation; the charge belongs to the energy use and tariff. A low electricity rate does not make the computer use less power, and choosing lower-power equipment does not change the rate on your bill.
Why your workload and device may differ
The most important limitation is the difference between the tested task and the actual task. The EQi reading came from YouTube playback at 4K and 60 fps in Firefox. It did not separately test a prerecorded video looping for an entire month, and it did not establish a draw for a computer encoding and uploading a continuous live broadcast. Treat it as a bounded example, not a guarantee for uninterrupted looping.
Resolution and frame rate can affect what the computer has to decode and display. YouTube’s help guidance discusses adjusting playback quality and gives approximate sustained network speeds by resolution, but bandwidth figures are not electricity measurements. YouTube’s video playback troubleshooting guidance can help you think about playback quality and connection conditions; it cannot tell you the wattage of your mini PC.
The display is another practical difference. The review’s portable monitor was connected during the wall test, while your channel may use a different monitor, a television, or no display after setup. A screen can add to a wall reading, so include it if it will normally remain connected and powered. The same principle applies to USB receivers and other peripherals.
The exact model matters too. Beelink sells different systems, and a manufacturer’s stated use case or component list is not a wall-power result. There is no basis in the cited evidence for a model-versus-model comparison, so do not assume the EQi range applies to an EQ14 or another mini PC. If you are deciding between a local computer and another approach, compare the specific equipment and tasks you will actually keep running. For a channel based on recorded services, this guide to scheduling recorded church services as a YouTube live stream in India is relevant to the workflow, while electricity remains a separate cost to estimate.
Finally, continuously playing YouTube on a browser is not the same as maintaining a live channel that sends a broadcast to YouTube. The computer, software, network connection and stream configuration all matter to whether the broadcast stays running. If dropped frames are your concern, this practical guide to reducing them in an always-on animated stream covers a different operational problem from the one this electricity calculation answers.
Measure your own setup
A plug-in electricity usage meter can replace the EQi reference with a reading from your own equipment. Connect the equipment you intend to leave on through the meter, then run a representative playback or streaming session and note either average watts or accumulated kWh. The cited review itself used a wall meter; no particular meter model is required for the calculation.
Make the test resemble normal use. Use the same video quality, browser or application, display arrangement and peripherals you plan to keep. If your channel will use a lower resolution than the review’s 4K/60 playback, test that lower-resolution workload rather than assuming the reference transfers directly. If the PC will encode or upload a live stream, test that actual workload rather than measuring only browser playback.
A short test can miss variation across content or normal system activity. For a more representative estimate, observe over a period that reflects your ordinary use, then use the meter’s accumulated kWh if available. If it reports only average watts, convert that reading with the formula above and the hours you expect to operate. Keep notes on what was plugged in; a reading that includes the monitor is not comparable to a PC-only reading unless you measure both arrangements consistently.
Once you have measured, calculate your own range if readings move around: use a representative lower and upper average, or use the accumulated kWh and scale cautiously to the hours in a 30-day month. A month is 720 hours under the continuous-operation assumption. If the equipment is off for part of each day, substitute the actual daily operating hours; the energy estimate falls in proportion to those hours if average draw remains similar.
The measurement also helps you decide whether a hardware change is worth considering. Compare the new reading under the same workload and attached equipment, not a product’s adapter rating against a wall measurement. Then apply your tariff to the difference in monthly kWh. This keeps the decision grounded in your use rather than a generic claim about what a mini PC should consume.
If the specific pain is leaving your own computer powered for a prerecorded YouTube channel, StreamNeo removes that computer-from-the-loop requirement: you upload the video once and the 24/7 YouTube broadcast can continue with your computer switched off. It is YouTube-only, so it is not the right fit if you need a local PC for another task or want to broadcast to a different platform.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Is the EQi’s 13.4–15.3 W figure a Beelink-wide estimate?
No. It is a wall-power measurement for one Beelink EQi test setup playing YouTube at 4K and 60 fps in Firefox. The setup included a portable monitor, Wi-Fi and an input receiver, and it does not establish consumption for other Beelink models or configurations.
Does the 9.65–11.02 kWh range come from a month-long test?
No. It is calculated from the cited 13.4–15.3 W readings, multiplied by 720 hours for a 30-day month. The reviewer measured playback, not a 30-day looping workload.
How do I find the cost in my own currency?
Take the monthly kWh estimate from your own measurement, or use the EQi example as a rough reference, and multiply it by your all-in electricity price per kWh. Keep fixed bill charges separate if you want to estimate only the additional cost of operating the device.
Will a lower YouTube resolution always lower the electricity bill?
Not necessarily by a predictable amount from the evidence here. A lower resolution changes the playback workload and may change consumption, but the cited test does not quantify that difference; measure your own setup at the quality you plan to use.