This article is about the mammal. For other uses, see Porcupine (disambiguation) . Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that protect against predators. The term covers two families of animals, the Old World porcupines and New World porcupines.
An average desktop computer uses between 60 and 300 watts. It is very difficult to know exactly how much computers use on average because there are so many different hardware configurations.
By choosing efficient products and powering down after use, you can significantly reduce your energy costs. The average desktop computer is in active mode for 2,954 hours per year, in sleep mode for 350 hours and switched off for 5,456 hours. The typical desktop consumes 75 watts in active mode, 4 watts in sleep mode and 2 watts while shut down. These averages translate to a total of 236 kWh per year. However, a desktop computer left on continuously will consume more than 650 kWh annually, and a high-performance gaming system with a powerful graphics card and multiple drives can use even more.