There is no supported universal winner. One review measured a Raspberry Pi 5 drawing 5.7–6.8 W at the wall while Chromium played YouTube fullscreen at Full HD using H.264. No comparable used-laptop measurement is established here, so the fairest way to decide is to measure both complete setups during similar playback and calculate the cost at your electricity rate.
What the Raspberry Pi 5 measurement tells you
CNX Software reported a wall-meter reading of 5.7–6.8 W for its Raspberry Pi 5 setup while Chromium played a YouTube video fullscreen at Full HD using H.264/AVC1. The test included an active cooler. It is a useful real-world example, not a guaranteed draw for every Pi 5: playback settings, connected equipment, cooling and individual setups can change the result.
Raspberry Pi says peak consumption can reach around 12 W under particularly intensive workloads. That peak is not an estimate for ordinary YouTube playback, and it should not be substituted for a playback measurement.
Why the used laptop cannot be declared cheaper or more expensive
Laptop power use varies with the model and its configuration. There is no verified, apples-to-apples used-laptop YouTube measurement here, so comparing a generic laptop figure with the Pi review’s reading would give a false sense of precision. Measure the particular laptop you plan to use.
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- Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
Also define what you mean by “the setup.” If the laptop has a built-in screen but the Pi is connected to an external monitor, include both displays for a whole-viewing-system comparison. Displays typically need their own power source; a monitor can materially change the total. A device-only reading and a complete viewing setup are different comparisons.
How to compare electricity use fairly
- Choose the system boundary. Decide whether you are comparing just the computer or everything needed to watch: display, power adapter and peripherals. Include the same categories for both options. Measure at the wall to include adapter losses.
- Match playback conditions. Use the same video, resolution, browser where practical, volume, network conditions and peripheral arrangement. Avoid comparing a low-resolution test on one device with Full HD on the other.
- Measure each setup over a representative interval. Use a plug-in watt meter or another suitable power meter and record average wall power during playback, rather than relying on a power supply’s printed rating. If tests happen at different times, keep conditions as similar as practical.
- Calculate energy and cost. Use your actual local electricity price per kilowatt-hour. The formulas below work for any currency.
Energy (kWh) = average power (W) × playback hours ÷ 1,000
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Electricity cost = energy (kWh) × your price per kWh
For a direct running-cost comparison, let H be playback hours and R your price per kWh:
Rank #3
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Difference (laptop cost − Pi cost) = (laptop watts − Pi watts) × H ÷ 1,000 × R
A positive result means the laptop costs more to run for the measured period; a negative result means the Pi costs more. This is an estimate of electricity cost only.
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- Efficient Active Cooler: Effectively lowers operating temperature and prevents performance throttling. Runs quietly even under long-time heavy load, ensures stable operation all day long. SANOOV RPi 5 4GB kit offer an active cooler, which combines an aluminium heatsink with a high-performance PWM fan. Active cooler is fully compatible with the Pi OS, which can effectively reduce the temperature of RPi5 and ensure its good performance during long-term high load operation
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Worked example using the reviewed Pi range
For illustration, if a measured setup averaged 6 W and played for 24 hours, its energy use would be 6 × 24 ÷ 1,000 = 0.144 kWh. Multiply 0.144 by your own electricity rate to estimate that day’s electricity cost. The 6 W input is a rounded illustration within CNX Software’s reported 5.7–6.8 W range, not a prediction for your Pi or a laptop comparison.
Power supply rating is not power consumption
Raspberry Pi recommends a 27 W USB-C power supply for the Pi 5. That is the supply’s capacity, not a claim that the Pi continuously consumes 27 W. Raspberry Pi also says a 5 V, 3 A supply limits downstream USB current to 600 mA. Check supply suitability against the peripherals you plan to connect.
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- 【What you Get】You will get 1*Pi 5 8GB Single Board,1*RasTech Case,1*Active Cooler,1*Screwdriver,1*Installation instructions,12-month free warranty, lifetime service, 24-hour prompt and friendly response.
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- 【 Support Dual 4Kp60 Display 】Each of the two microHDMI sockets can control a 4K display at 60 Hertz, now support HDR, offering super HD video for media streaming projects. RPi 5 is the first RPi model that comes with a PCI Express port (PCIe 2.0 x1 with 500 MB/s) to attach SSDs (requires separate M.2 HAT).
- 【 Excellent Chips And Applications】Pi 5 is a full-size Pi computer using silicon built in-house at Pi. The RP1 “southbridge” provides the bulk of the I/O capabilities for Pi 5. Pi 5 is more friendly and convenient in the development of Internet of Things, Web development, machine identification, automatic control and other electronic equipment applications and network.
- 【 Faster CPU, Better GPU 】 Pi 5 features a Broadcom BCM2712 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4GHz, it delivers a 2–3× increase in CPU performance relative to RaspberryPi 4. The 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU is compatible to OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2, substantial uplift in graphics performance. Pi 5 Offers lightning-fast CPU speed, a PCI Express interface, a Real Time Clock (RTC) and a power button and runs significantly cooler than Pi 4.
For a standard HDMI monitor, Raspberry Pi documentation lists a micro-HDMI-to-HDMI cable as an option; the display itself typically has a separate power source. If you are evaluating the cost of watching a playlist, include that monitor’s power in the Pi setup measurement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Electricity is only one part of the cost
If you already own a usable laptop, its purchase cost may not be an additional cost for this decision. A Pi setup may require the board, storage, a suitable power supply, a display connection and possibly cooling. Compare those acquisition and setup costs separately from electricity. A payback estimate would require dated hardware prices, your own measured power difference, playback hours and local tariff; without those inputs, a payback period cannot be responsibly stated.
When a cloud service is a different kind of solution
A Pi or laptop plays YouTube on your own equipment; it is not the same use case as keeping a YouTube channel’s livestream running from pre-recorded videos. For that separate 24/7 streaming task, StreamNeo is a cloud service that loops uploaded videos or playlists to YouTube, so your computer and home connection do not need to stay on.
Or let it run in the cloud
With StreamNeo, upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It runs in the cloud and automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. Your video streams as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; there are no quality tiers or re-encoding. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month.
Each slot includes one always-on stream, 10 GB storage per slot pooled across active slots, looping and playlists, and support from the StreamNeo team. The same product is available on every plan; only billing length changes. StreamNeo streams to YouTube and plays uploaded videos rather than broadcasting from a camera. See StreamNeo, or start the free first day.
Quick Recap
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.
