A fanless mini PC measured at 14.7–17.9 watts while playing YouTube would use 10.584–12.888 kWh over a 30-day, always-on month. Multiply that energy by the per-kWh usage rate on your own electricity bill; at an illustrative rate of $0.12/kWh, the usage cost is about $1.27–$1.55.
That is an example based on one tested PC and one expressly illustrative tariff, not a prediction of your bill. Measure your own machine under the workload you intend to run, then use the tariff and billing period that apply to you. This article concerns local power used by a computer playing YouTube; keeping your own channel live from prerecorded videos is a different job.
Start with a wall-power reading
For this calculation, the useful input is average power drawn from the wall while the computer is doing the relevant task. A wattage figure from a processor specification or a power adapter label answers a different question: it describes a component limit or an adapter capacity, not necessarily what the whole setup draws during playback.
CNX Software reported wall-meter readings for the fanless MINIX NEO Z100-0dB while playing YouTube. In its Windows 11 test, YouTube in Chrome at 8K60 used 14.7–17.9 W. Its separate Ubuntu 22.04 test reported the same range while playing YouTube at 8Kp60 in Firefox. Those are measurements for the tested machine and setups, not a category average or a guarantee for another PC.
The test conditions matter. The Windows setup included Wi-Fi 6, an RF dongle for keyboard and mouse, and a VGA display connected through an HDMI-to-VGA adapter. The Ubuntu setup included Wi-Fi 6, two USB RF dongles, and a VGA monitor connected through an HDMI adapter. The reports identify connected equipment, but do not establish that every separately powered peripheral was included in the mini PC’s wall reading. Read the Windows playback test and Ubuntu playback test with those limits in mind.
For your own estimate, use a plug-in wall electricity meter between the outlet and the computer’s power adapter. Run the intended content, browser or player, network connection, and connected equipment for long enough to see a representative average rather than a momentary number. Record whether the reading covers only the computer and adapter or includes other loads as well.
Turn watts and hours into monthly energy
A watt is a measure of power at a point in time; a kilowatt-hour is an amount of energy accumulated over time. To estimate the energy used during a month, multiply average watts by the number of operating hours, then divide by 1,000 to convert watt-hours to kilowatt-hours:
Monthly energy (kWh) = average wall power (W) × running hours ÷ 1,000
A 30-day period contains 720 hours if the device runs continuously. At 14.7 W, the calculation is 14.7 × 720 ÷ 1,000 = 10.584 kWh. At 17.9 W, it is 17.9 × 720 ÷ 1,000 = 12.888 kWh. These are energy quantities before applying an electricity tariff.
The hours should reflect the period you are estimating. For a shorter month or a planned restart window, replace 720 with the actual number of operating hours. For a device that runs continuously through a calendar month, the number of days in that month determines the hours; the 30-day example is a convenient comparison, not a claim that every billing month has 30 days.
If your meter provides accumulated kWh over a period, that reading can avoid converting a fluctuating watt display into an assumed average. Note the start and end times and make sure the test reflects normal playback, rather than setup, downloading, or an idle desktop. A few short observations at different moments can otherwise miss variation in playback or background activity.
Apply your own per-kWh rate
Once you have the energy figure, multiply it by the applicable price for each kWh. The basic calculation is:
Variable usage cost = monthly energy (kWh) × electricity rate per kWh
Use the rate that applies to your account and the relevant billing period. Bills may show more than one rate, taxes, time-based pricing, or other charges, so look for the part that prices consumption rather than assuming that a single number printed prominently is the right marginal rate for this device.
The $0.12/kWh rate used below is only an illustrative input that makes the arithmetic visible. It is not offered as a current tariff, a typical tariff, or a rate for a particular country. If the rate on your bill is stated in another currency, keep the currency consistent: energy in kWh multiplied by that currency’s per-kWh rate produces a usage cost in that currency.
Where your plan changes price by time of day, a single average rate can obscure the result. If you know how much of the device’s energy falls in each rate period, calculate the cost for each portion and add them. If you do not know the split, measure or estimate operating hours in the relevant periods and state that the result is approximate. Avoid using a national or online average in place of the rate on your own bill when the aim is to estimate your own cost.
Worked example: the MINIX test
The table applies a 30-day, 720-hour month to CNX Software’s reported 14.7–17.9 W YouTube playback range. It then multiplies the resulting energy by an illustrative $0.12/kWh rate. The test range is device-specific, while the tariff is an arithmetic example only.
| Average wall power | Energy over 720 hours | Usage cost at illustrative $0.12/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 14.7 W | 10.584 kWh | $1.27 |
| 17.9 W | 12.888 kWh | $1.55 |
For the lower reading, 10.584 × $0.12 = $1.27008, which rounds to $1.27. For the higher reading, 12.888 × $0.12 = $1.54656, which rounds to $1.55. Rounding is shown to the nearest cent; your bill may use different rounding rules.
To adapt the table, keep the measured watts and hours from your own case, calculate kWh, and replace $0.12 with your billed usage rate. For example, a different tariff changes the final cost in direct proportion to its rate; a different measured average changes the energy before the tariff is applied. This avoids treating the published test as if it described every fanless mini PC or as if its test setup matched yours.
The 8K playback setting is a condition of the cited measurement, not a recommendation for a live channel. The Ubuntu report noted that 8Kp60 playback was not watchable in that test, with many dropped frames. You should measure the workload you actually plan to run rather than choose a resolution just because it appears in a review’s test conditions.
Measure the setup you will really leave running
A practical measurement should reproduce the operating pattern as closely as possible. Connect the intended network, open the same playback software, play the same type of content at the intended resolution and frame rate, and leave normal background services running. If the computer will be headless, test it headless; if a display will remain on, include it in the scope of the estimate.
It helps to define the boundary before measuring. If you want the mini PC’s cost, measure the adapter and PC only. If you want the cost of the complete station, include the loads that will actually run around the clock, such as a separately powered monitor or network equipment. Do not silently combine a PC-only reading with a whole-room estimate, or assume that a connected display was powered from the PC’s adapter.
A display that sleeps after setup is not the same load as a display left on continuously. Likewise, a Wi-Fi router may serve several devices, so assigning its full electricity use to the stream can overstate the stream’s marginal cost. You can either exclude shared equipment and label the result as PC-only, or make a separate estimate for the full arrangement and explain what it includes.
The intended use also matters because local YouTube playback and operating a live channel are not interchangeable workloads. If you are planning an always-on prerecorded-video channel, power is only one operating consideration. The practical choices in comparing a continuous-stream service with OBS on a VPS and running a 24/7 nature-sounds stream on a Windows VPS address stream operation rather than the local playback calculation here.
Why another PC or workload may differ
A fanless case does not set one fixed power draw. Different processors, memory, storage, power adapters, operating systems, browsers, playback formats, display connections, and background tasks can change what the wall meter sees. The CNX figures are valuable because they are measured examples with stated conditions; their repeated range across two reports on one model does not prove that settings or components never matter on other machines.
Do not substitute CPU TDP for the wall reading. TDP is not the same as average power for the complete computer at the outlet during your chosen task. Similarly, an adapter’s maximum output rating is capacity, not a statement that it draws that amount all the time. Either number can lead to a poor bill estimate if treated as measured continuous consumption.
Idle readings are also not a substitute for playback readings. CNX reported 8.9–9.2 W idle in the Windows test and 7.5–7.6 W idle in the Ubuntu test. Those results describe idle conditions for their respective setups; they should not be compared with playback as though both represent the same use. If your computer spends part of the day idle, estimate those hours separately and add the energy for each operating state.
When comparing two devices, compare wall power under similar playback conditions, with the same scope of attached equipment and a clearly stated workload. A lower wattage reading from a desktop at idle does not show that it will use less energy during video playback. The keyframe interval guide and 1080p 30fps playlist settings guide cover stream configuration; they are useful context for the channel workload, but neither replaces an electricity meter for measuring your PC.
Separate usage cost from the rest of the bill
The calculation estimates variable electricity use attributable to the measured load. A fixed account fee or standing charge generally exists whether this mini PC is connected or not, so it is not part of the device’s marginal usage cost. Do not add the whole fixed charge to the PC estimate unless you are deliberately apportioning the complete household or business bill across equipment.
Bills can also include taxes, delivery or network charges, and adjustments. Whether any of those change with consumption depends on the supplier and tariff. If you are estimating the amount that the device adds to a bill, include only charges that apply to each additional unit of electricity, and follow the bill’s own definitions. If the bill does not make the distinction clear, present the energy estimate separately from the cost estimate rather than implying a precise final amount.
For a business channel, there may be a useful distinction between a small device’s direct electricity use and the wider cost of keeping the operation available. Internet service, a backup connection, or maintenance may matter to the business, but those are not kWh consumed by the mini PC. Keeping them separate makes the number useful when comparing a local machine with another way of running a channel.
If the purpose is to compare a local PC with a hosted arrangement for a prerecorded stream, compare like with like: define what each option runs, what hardware remains on at your premises, and which recurring charges belong to each. A local computer can be attractive if you already own it and want direct control. A cloud-run arrangement can remove the need to leave that computer on for a channel built from uploaded videos; StreamNeo is relevant to that specific pain, rather than to watching YouTube locally.
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
How much does it cost to run a mini PC for a 24/7 YouTube stream?
There is no single cost without a measured average and your electricity rate. In CNX Software’s test of one fanless MINIX NEO Z100-0dB, 14.7–17.9 W over a 30-day nonstop month works out to 10.584–12.888 kWh; multiply that by your own per-kWh rate.
Is $0.12 per kWh a current electricity rate?
No. It is an illustrative figure used to show the arithmetic, not a verified current tariff or a universal rate. Use the usage price and rate period shown on your own bill.
Can I use a mini PC’s TDP to calculate its monthly bill?
TDP is not a measurement of the complete PC’s wall draw during your workload. Use a plug-in wall meter while the intended playback is running, then convert the average watts and hours into kWh.
Does this estimate include a monitor or router?
Only if those loads were included in the measurement. Decide whether you want a PC-only figure or a whole-setup figure, and measure or estimate each separately powered device accordingly.