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Separate the upfront purchase from monthly costs
Start with the one-time cost of a dedicated desktop PC. Add the display if you need to buy one. The available evidence supports budgeting for the category, but does not establish a suitable specific model, purchase price, or tested power draw; choose hardware for your intended video resolution and measure its operating cost rather than assuming a particular PC’s efficiency.
Keep recurring costs separate from the purchase:
- Electricity: calculate from the measured average wall draw and your tariff.
- Internet: include an added plan only if the dedicated setup requires one, or account for extra charges if it pushes your existing service over a data cap.
- Optional subscriptions: include one only if you want its benefits. YouTube Premium is one possible budget line for ad-free playback; prices and regional availability are not established here.
- Other costs: the electricity examples below exclude taxes, fixed bill charges, replacement parts, the display, internet, and subscriptions.
Estimate the electricity bill from measured power
Measure the computer’s average draw at the wall while it plays video at the resolution you expect to use. A plug-in power meter can capture the whole PC’s consumption; do not use the power supply’s maximum rating as though it were the computer’s typical draw. If the display will also stay on, measure it separately and add its consumption.
- Convert watts to kilowatts: divide average wall draw in watts by 1,000.
- Calculate monthly energy: multiply kilowatts by operating hours. A 30-day month at 24 hours per day is 720 hours.
- Calculate cost: multiply monthly kWh by your applicable price per kWh. Use your bill or tariff, including the relevant rate for your customer type.
Formula: monthly energy (kWh) = average wall draw (W) ÷ 1,000 × hours per month. Monthly electricity cost = monthly energy (kWh) × electricity price per kWh.
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- HP 600G1 Intel I5 Quad-Core 3.2 GHz Processor.
- What's Inside: 8GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, DVD Optical Drive.
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- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit-Multi-Language Supports English/Spanish/French.
The following are arithmetic examples using the U.S. 2025 residential annual average of 17.30 cents per kWh reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), not measurements of particular PCs:
| Assumed average PC draw | Energy for 30 days at 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 EIA’s 2025 residential annual-average figure is a U.S. benchmark, not a rate to apply worldwide. For additional context, the EIA reported a 2025 range of 8.20 cents per kWh in North Dakota to 35.72 cents per kWh in Hawaii; that range is the average retail price for all utility customer types in those states, not a residential-only comparison. The EIA’s national monthly residential average for July 2026 was 18.31 cents per kWh. Rates vary by place and customer type, so use your own tariff for a useful estimate. EIA electricity data.
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Check playback, bandwidth, and interruptions
Plan for your video resolution
YouTube recommends sustained internet speeds of 5 Mbps for 1080p and 20 Mbps for 4K UHD. These are YouTube recommendations, not guarantees of uninterrupted playback; actual results depend on the connection and other factors. YouTube also recommends using a current browser and operating system for computer viewing. YouTube’s computer playback guidance.
Autoplay is not a reliable all-month loop
With Autoplay enabled, YouTube says “another related video will be played automatically after a video ends.” This advances to a related video; it does not mean the same video repeats in a controlled loop. More importantly, YouTube says the “Video paused. Continue watching?” prompt may appear on the web after 60 minutes of uninterrupted viewing when Autoplay is enabled. A person may need to respond before playback continues. YouTube explains that the prompt is intended “to protect your watch history and help make sure you don’t use internet data if you’re not actually watching YouTube.” Do not treat a browser playing on a dedicated PC as guaranteed unattended, month-long playback. YouTube Help on Autoplay.
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- Model: Dell OptiPlex 7050 Small Form Factor (SFF)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-7700 3.60 GHz
- Memory: 32GB DDR4 Ram
- Storage: 1TB Solid State Drive (SSD) Fast Boot + Storage
- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (64-bit)
Make the setup decision with the right comparisons
When comparing dedicated PCs or deciding whether to keep an existing computer running, compare the factors that determine the real cost and effort:
- Upfront PC and display purchase costs.
- Average measured playback draw, including the display if it will run continuously.
- Your local electricity tariff and the number of hours the setup will actually run.
- Desired resolution and whether your internet connection can sustain YouTube’s recommended speed for it.
- How often someone can respond if playback pauses or otherwise needs attention.
Do not infer monthly running costs from an untested model or its power supply rating. A wall measurement under representative playback gives you a more defensible estimate.
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- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit – Multi-language supports English/Spanish/French.
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Keep a YouTube channel live without leaving a PC on
If the real goal is a 24/7 YouTube live stream of prerecorded videos, that is different from playing videos on YouTube in a browser. StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops the uploaded video in the cloud, so your computer and home connection do not have to stay on. StreamNeo streams to YouTube only.
Each slot supports one always-on stream, 24/7 looping and playlists, uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps without re-encoding or quality tiers, 10 GB storage per slot pooled across active slots, and automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The same features apply to every plan; only the billing length changes. The first day is free with no card, one free day per account. Billing options are:
- Daily: $0.99 per day
- Weekly: $2.99 per week
- Monthly: $9.99 per month
- 6 months: $49.99 for 6 months
- Yearly: $89.99 a year
Billing can be cancelled any time. UPI and cards are accepted in India; card checkout is available worldwide. For five or more slots, contact the StreamNeo team. Compare the StreamNeo service and its plans.
Or let it run in the cloud
- Upload a recording or build a playlist.
- Add your YouTube stream key once.
- Go live; StreamNeo loops the uploaded videos from the cloud.
Nothing has to stay on at home. Each slot streams the uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, with automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card; after that, the monthly option is $9.99 per month. Start your StreamNeo free day.
Quick Recap
Troubleshoot playback on the dedicated PC
- Video will not play or keeps buffering: update the computer and browser, close excess tabs, and check whether the connection sustains the recommended speed for the selected resolution. YouTube suggests trying Chrome or another supported device if playback problems continue. YouTube playback troubleshooting.
- Playback stops and asks whether you are still watching: respond to the prompt to continue. YouTube documents its appearance after 60 minutes of uninterrupted web viewing with Autoplay enabled; this is not evidence of a PC fault.
- The next video is not the one you expected: Autoplay chooses another related video after the current one ends. It is not a dependable method for repeating a specific video.
- The electricity estimate seems too low: confirm that the wall measurement includes the components you intend to run. Add display energy separately if it was not included, and recalculate with your local per-kWh rate.
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.
