If you’re into gaming and plan to go on a road trip or camping then you might be considering an inverter to keep your gaming laptop running reliably!
But what size of inverter should you use? And, how do you avoid draining the car battery?
Read on to find what size of inverter you can use and for tips to avoid draining the car battery flat.
What Size of Inverter to Run a Gaming Laptop?
The minimum inverter size to use depends on the gaming laptop’s power consumption. If the laptop uses as much as 180 watts then aim for a 250-300 watt inverter, preferably a pure sinewave inverter as a minimum.
The Power Consumption (watts) of a Gaming Laptop
While a basic (non-gaming) 15″ laptop may draw as little as 40-50 watts, It’s not unusual for a gaming to draw as much as 180 watts depending on the processor and graphics card specs.
Always consult your gaming laptop’s power manual or use the power rating (watts) on the laptop power brick as a guide and add an additional 50-100 watts as a buffer.
With a 180-watt draw, you can use a 250-300 watt inverter or higher to run or charge the laptop reliably depending on what additional appliances you may want to run off the inverter at the same time.
Note, this also avoids running the inverter at 100% of its maximum capacity. Some power inverters are overrated while others can only run at maximum capacity for a limited time.
With the inverter running below capacity, it runs cooler and quieter and will not shut down from overheating.
Tips to Avoid Draining the Car Battery
- Keep the engine running to keep the battery topped up.
- You should also connect the inverter to a house battery instead of the starter battery to avoid the risk of accidentally draining the battery!
Plugging the Gaming Laptop Inverter into the Car Charging port (Cigarette Lighter socket): Should you Do it?
Consider wiring the 250-watt inverter or higher directly to the battery and avoid connecting to the cigarette lighter port. The power draw of the inverter at maximum capacity will likely exceed the maximum power handling capacity of most car (charging ports) that safely handle up to 10A (120 watts) or 15A (180 watts).
Consult your car or truck’s owner manual for the maximum power draw that your lighter socket can handle.
What Size of Car Inverter for a Non-Gamer Laptop?
You can use a lower-capacity inverter for a non-gaming laptop. For a laptop with a power consumption of 30-50 watts, I’d use at least a 100-watt inverter if there’re no additional accessories that need to run at the same time.
Otherwise, go for one with more capacity. Consult your power inverters’ owner manual.
Sine-wave vs. modified sine wave
While Several modified sine-wave inverters can power a laptop, I prefer not to take chances with laptops and always use pure sine-wave inverters for fear of damage to the laptop’s electronics.
You may also be interested in this post: What size of Inverter for a CPAP machine?
Alternatives to Powering a Gaming Laptop
Instead of an inverter, you can use:
1. a DC-DC power converter. It’s more efficient (supplying more power to the laptop per unit of power drawn from the battery. Make sure it is adequately sized to handle the power draw of the laptop though.
For a laptop with a power draw of 300 watts, use a 350-watt DC-DC converter or greater.
2. You can also use a solar power station to power the laptop using the inbuilt inverter or DC socket if using a DC-DC converter.
You’ll usually be able to charge the inbuilt lithium batteries by plugging it into the grid, the car or truck’s charging port, or by connecting a solar panel.
It provides you the flexibility to charge the laptop from anywhere using a power station instead of being restricted to a car’s charging port.
Closing Thoughts
The minimum inverter size to use depends on the gaming laptop’s power consumption. Use a 250-300 watt pure sine wave inverter for instance for a gaming laptop with a power draw of 180 watts.
Besides a power inverter, you can use a suitably sized DC-to-DC converter or portable power station to power the gaming laptop.
