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Budget separately for the dedicated PC and display you buy, the electricity they use, and any optional subscription. To estimate electricity, measure average power draw at the wall while playing at your intended resolution, multiply by 720 hours for a 30-day month, then multiply by your local electricity rate per kilowatt-hour. One important catch: YouTube’s web player may stop for a “Continue watching?” prompt after 60 minutes of uninterrupted viewing, so a PC is not guaranteed to advance through videos unattended all month.
What belongs in the budget?
Separate one-time equipment costs from recurring costs. The total depends on your country, electricity tariff, chosen resolution, whether a display stays on, and whether your current internet plan is sufficient.
- Upfront: a dedicated desktop PC and, if needed, a display. The available evidence does not establish a suitable model or price; compare systems against your playback needs rather than assuming a particular configuration.
- Monthly electricity: calculate from the average power draw of the equipment that will actually remain on.
- Internet: include an additional plan or data charges only if the setup requires them—for example, if it exceeds a data cap.
- Optional subscription: YouTube Premium is a possible budget line if you want ad-free playback. YouTube says individual Premium, Premium Lite, or Music Premium accounts can stream video or audio on one device at a time; household plans have different limits. Regional prices are not established here.
Estimate monthly electricity from measured watts
Use the system’s average draw at the wall during representative playback, ideally measured at the resolution you plan to watch. A PC’s power-supply rating is not its typical playback consumption. If the display will also stay on, measure or estimate its draw separately unless your wall measurement already includes it.
- Calculate monthly energy: average wall draw in watts ÷ 1,000 × hours running. A 30-day month at 24 hours per day is 720 hours.
- Calculate electricity cost: monthly energy in kWh × your applicable electricity price per kWh.
- Make the estimate representative: measure during normal playback, including the display if it will run continuously. Use your electricity bill or tariff for the rate that applies to you.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2025 annual average residential electricity price was 17.30 cents per kWh. At that benchmark, these are arithmetic examples—not measurements of particular PCs:
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| Assumed average draw | Energy for 30 days, 24 hours/day | Cost at 17.30¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 50 W | 36 kWh | $6.23 |
| 100 W | 72 kWh | $12.46 |
| 200 W | 144 kWh | $24.91 |
The 2025 state range was 8.20 cents per kWh in North Dakota to 35.72 cents in Hawaii; those state figures are average retail prices for all utility customer types, not residential-only rates. The EIA’s July 2026 national monthly residential average was 18.31 cents per kWh. These dated U.S. figures are reference points, not substitutes for your own tariff, which can differ by location and customer type. The examples exclude equipment purchase, display draw, taxes or fixed bill charges, internet, replacement parts, and subscriptions.
Check playback and internet needs
YouTube recommends using a current browser and operating system for computer viewing. Its sustained-speed recommendations are 5 Mbps for 1080p and 20 Mbps for 4K UHD; lower resolutions have lower recommendations. These are service recommendations, not a guarantee of uninterrupted playback.
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Use the resolution you actually intend to watch when checking that your connection can sustain the recommended speed. If playback fails, YouTube’s troubleshooting guidance recommends updating the computer and browser, closing excess tabs, and trying Chrome or another supported device. That advice does not establish that any PC has been tested for month-long operation.
Account for YouTube’s unattended-playback interruption
With Autoplay on, YouTube says another related video plays automatically after a video ends. But on the web, the “Video paused. Continue watching?” prompt may appear after 60 minutes of uninterrupted viewing when Autoplay is enabled. YouTube says the prompt is “to protect your watch history and help make sure you don’t use internet data if you’re not actually watching YouTube.” If nobody responds, the PC may stop advancing through videos until someone does.
Therefore, budget for a PC as a way to keep playback available, not as a guaranteed all-month unattended playback appliance. A PC also requires the display, browser, and internet connection to remain available if you want to watch on-screen.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or let it run in the cloud
If your actual goal is to keep a YouTube channel live around the clock using uploaded videos, a dedicated playback PC is not the same as a cloud streaming service. StreamNeo keeps an uploaded recording or playlist live on YouTube: upload the video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; it streams the uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, and it automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo, or start the free day.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
