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How Long Will a Power Station Run a Desktop PC?

By Hicham M. · Updated October 17, 2026 · How we calculate

Look past the number on the power supply. A desktop with a 750 W unit might idle at 20 W and pull a few hundred watts in a demanding game. For an office or home PC plus a monitor we plan on about 150 W, which gives about 5.7 hours on a 1,000 Wh power station and 11 hours on a 2,000 Wh one.

A gaming PC under load can draw two to three times that. The sections below show where the real numbers come from, and what to check before you use a station as a UPS for a desktop.

Running150 Wtypical range 100–400 W
Starting (surge)150 Wno startup surge
Average150 Wwhile on
Per day0.9 kWhat 6 h/day
Calculate with your model Find the right size

Runtime by power station

Nonstop runtime for one desktop PC + monitor at 150 W average, with 85% inverter efficiency. Models that can't supply its running or starting power are listed separately below.

How long each power station runs a desktop PC + monitor: longest 10
Power stationBatteryRuntimeBar
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus5,040 Wh29 hours
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 34,096 Wh23 hours
Goal Zero Yeti PRO 40003,994 Wh23 hours
Anker SOLIX F38003,840 Wh22 hours
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus3,840 Wh22 hours
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Older3,600 Wh20 hours
Anker SOLIX F30003,072 Wh17 hours
BLUETTI Elite 3003,014 Wh17 hours
BLUETTI Apex 3002,765 Wh16 hours
BLUETTI Elite 200 V22,074 Wh12 hours
Show the other 44 models that can run it
How long each power station runs a desktop PC + monitor: the rest
Power stationBatteryRuntimeBar
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max2,048 Wh12 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus2,048 Wh12 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Older2,048 Wh12 hours
BLUETTI AC200L2,048 Wh12 hours
BLUETTI AC200MAX Older2,048 Wh12 hours
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 22,048 Wh12 hours
Anker SOLIX F2000 (767) Older2,048 Wh12 hours
DJI Power 20002,048 Wh12 hours
Jackery Explorer 2000 v22,042 Wh12 hours
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Older2,042 Wh12 hours
BLUETTI AC200P Older2,000 Wh11 hours
Jackery Explorer 1500 v21,536 Wh8.7 hours
Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra1,536 Wh8.7 hours
Goal Zero Yeti 1500X Older1,516 Wh8.6 hours
Goal Zero Yeti 15001,505 Wh8.5 hours
Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus1,264 Wh7.2 hours
Anker SOLIX F1200 (757) Older1,229 Wh7 hours
BLUETTI AC1801,152 Wh6.5 hours
Jackery Explorer 1000 v21,070 Wh6.1 hours
Anker SOLIX C10001,056 Wh6 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 31,024 Wh5.8 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus1,024 Wh5.8 hours
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Older1,024 Wh5.8 hours
BLUETTI Elite 100 V21,024 Wh5.8 hours
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 21,024 Wh5.8 hours
DJI Power 10001,024 Wh5.8 hours
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro Older1,002 Wh5.7 hours
Jackery Explorer 1000 Older1,002 Wh5.7 hours
Goal Zero Yeti 1000998 Wh5.7 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro Older768 Wh4.4 hours
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus768 Wh4.4 hours
BLUETTI EB70S Older716 Wh4.1 hours
Goal Zero Yeti 700677 Wh3.8 hours
Jackery Explorer 500 Older518 Wh2.9 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Older512 Wh2.9 hours
DJI Power 500512 Wh2.9 hours
Jackery Explorer 300293 Wh1.7 hours
Jackery Explorer 300 v2288 Wh1.6 hours
Anker SOLIX C300288 Wh1.6 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus286 Wh1.6 hours
BLUETTI EB3A Older269 Wh1.5 hours
Jackery Explorer 240 v2256 Wh1.5 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 3245 Wh1.4 hours
Jackery Explorer 240 Older240 Wh1.4 hours

We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes our numbers, and every model in our database is included whether or not it pays us. Learn more.

The power supply rating is a ceiling, not a draw

We went through ENERGY STAR’s list of certified desktop computers (Version 9.0, 166 models with an internal power supply, October 2026). ENERGY STAR measures them sitting idle with the screen on (short idle) and after the display sleeps (long idle). The median power supply is 330 W, and the median short idle is 16.3 W.

Desktop computer power supply ratings and measured idle power
Desktop (ENERGY STAR test)Power supplyShort idleLong idleSleep
Median of 166 desktops330 W16.3 W7.6 W1.6 W
Median, with a discrete graphics card (105)330 W20.6 W12.1 W1.9 W
Lenovo ThinkCentre X Tower1,200 W34.6 W24.3 W1.8 W
HP OMEN 35L gaming desktop (GT18)1,000 W32.0 W4.9 W4.9 W
Lenovo Legion T5 30IAX10850 W25.8 W24.9 W0.9 W

Our calculation from ENERGY STAR’s certified computers data (type “Desktop”). The test doesn’t cover gaming loads; idle is where most office PCs spend much of their time.

The power supply’s own losses come on top of whatever the parts use. Intel’s ATX design guide sets a minimum of 70% efficiency at full load, 72% at half load and 65% at 20% load. Certified desktops do better than that floor: the median internal power supply on ENERGY STAR’s list is 92% efficient at 20% load. Still, the wall always sees more than the parts inside use.

Gaming load: add up the maximums

Graphics card makers publish a “total graphics power” and processor makers a TDP. Both are maximum ratings, not measurements of what a game draws. Adding them gives a rough worst case for the two biggest parts:

Graphics card and processor maximum power for example gaming builds
Example buildGPU (total graphics power)CPU (default TDP)TogetherOn 2,000 Wh
RTX 5070 + Ryzen 7 7800X3D250 W120 W370 W4.6 hours
RTX 5070 Ti + Ryzen 7 7800X3D300 W120 W420 W4 hours
RTX 5090 + Ryzen 9 9950X575 W170 W745 W2.3 hours

Figures from Nvidia’s and AMD’s product pages. Runtimes assume the two parts run flat out nonstop with 85% inverter efficiency, and leave out the motherboard, drives, fans and the power supply’s own losses. Nvidia lists a required system power of 650 W for the RTX 5070, 750 W for the 5070 Ti and 1,000 W for the 5090, based on a PC with a Ryzen 9 9950X.

Most games don’t hold both parts at their limit, so this is the top of the range. Our 150 W planning figure suits a home or office PC; for a gaming PC, enter your own watts in the calculator. A monitor is small by comparison: the median 27-inch monitor on ENERGY STAR’s list uses 16.8 W.

Using a power station as a UPS for a desktop

When the grid drops, a station in UPS or EPS mode needs a few milliseconds to take over. A desktop keeps running only if its power supply rides out that gap on stored energy, which the ATX guide calls hold-up time.

PC power supply hold-up time compared with power station switchover times
FigureTime
ATX guide, hold-up time required (power-good signal, any load)more than 11 ms
ATX guide, hold-up time recommended (at 80% load)more than 16 ms
ATX guide, outputs stay in regulation (T5 + T6)12 ms required at full load, 17 ms recommended at 80%
Stations in our database listing a 10 ms switchover12 models
Stations listing 15 ms4 models
Stations listing 20 ms (the most common figure)21 models
Stations listing 30 ms3 models

Intel ATX Version 3 Multi Rail Desktop Platform Power Supply Design Guide, revision 2.1a, tables 4-8 and 4-10. Switchover counts are from our spec database; one more model lists 0 ms and 13 list none.

A 10 ms switchover sits inside every one of those figures. A 20 ms switchover is longer than all of them, so whether the PC survives depends on how much margin your particular power supply has beyond the guide. Test it before you rely on it: save your work, pull the station’s wall plug, and see whether the PC stays on.

Getting more from the battery

Questions

Does a 750 W power supply use 750 W?
No. That’s the most it can deliver. ENERGY STAR-certified desktops with power supplies of 750–1,200 W idle at roughly 10–35 W. What the PC actually draws depends on what it’s doing.
What size power station do I need for a gaming PC?
For continuous output, at least what your PC and monitor draw at full load, plus headroom. The graphics card and processor ratings alone add up to about 370–420 W for builds around an RTX 5070. For battery, 1,000 Wh gives roughly 2 hours at a 400 W gaming load.
Can a power station work as a UPS for my desktop?
Sometimes. Intel’s ATX guide requires a PC power supply to hold up for more than 11 ms and recommends more than 16 ms. Station switchover times in our database run from 0 to 30 ms, and 20 ms is the most common. Test it with your own PC.

Related

Sources

Wattage figures are typical values from the sources below. Your appliance may differ, so check its label or measure it with a plug-in watt meter.

  1. waterrights.utah.gov/sustainability/Appliances.pdf
  2. powerequipment.honda.com/generators/generator-wattage-estimation-guide
  3. championpowerequipment.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Generators-WattageChartFlyer-…
  4. dam.generac.com/ImConvServlet/imconv/b807fd2cc096c5464d1d28bc6f16d391f50…
  5. data.energystar.gov/resource/rxdj-2c88.json
  6. cdrdv2-public.intel.com/336521/336521_Rev2p1a.pdf
  7. nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/50-series/rtx-5070-family
  8. nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/50-series/rtx-5090
  9. amd.com/en/products/processors/desktops/ryzen/7000-series/amd-ry…
  10. amd.com/en/products/processors/desktops/ryzen/9000-series/amd-ry…
  11. data.energystar.gov/resource/qbg3-d468.json