The regular load-shedding schedule forces us to look for alternative power sources to keep the lights on. In 2023, South Africa hasn't had one day without power cuts, and it's only getting worse with Stage 6 and possibly higher.
To counter load shedding, companies such as EcoFlow have developed brilliant solutions to provide electricity to the devices we use most. These battery backup devices provide hours of electricity and can power various appliances, TVs, and gaming consoles.
This article will test the EcoFlow Delta 2 and see how long it can run on the PS5 during load shedding, a TV, and a light. We will use real-world testing to show how many watts a PS5 draws clearly.
The EcoFlow Delta 2
For these tests, we're using the EcoFlow Delta 2, one of the latest models from EcoFlow. It offers 1024wh (watt hour) and can power multiple devices simultaneously. What makes these battery systems impressive is that they can fully recharge in less than 60 minutes and have a life span of over 3,000 cycles, after which you can still expect 80% and above battery life.
The EcoFlow devices provide many other impressive features, which you can read about on the EcoFlow website. I won't bore you with all those details.
However, I will mention that the second-gen devices have mobile app support, adding the ability to monitor your EcoFlow, see how much power it's using, setup charging watts, and much more. The app is available for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
How Much Power does the EcoFlow Delta 2 have?
Before we dive into testing to see how long the EcoFlow can power a PS5, we first need to understand how much power we have.
As mentioned, the EcoFlow Delta 2 has 1024 watts or 1 kilowatt. However, you shouldn't drain the battery fully, as this would decrease your device's lifespan. In the app, you can set the minimum charge, by pressing the settings button and choosing "energy management". Here you can set both the maximum charge and discharge to help protect the battery. We've set our device to mot discharge to less than 20%.
Therefore, we only have 800 watts, as 20% of the total capacity is not accessible. Even with 800 watts, you can still run devices for incredibly long, for example:
10-watt Light Bulb - 80 Hours (800w / 10w = 80 Hours)
70-watt Television - 11.4 Hours (800w / 70w = 11,43 Hours)
The higher the watts of the device, the faster you'll drain the battery, but to calculate it, take the number of watts available and divide it by the number of watts drawn per hour, which gives you the number of hours it will last.
How Much Power Does the PS5 Draw in Load Shedding?
If you do a Google search "how many watts does PS5 draw," you'll find it says 350w for the disc version and 340w for the digital version.
The above-mentioned rated power represents the maximum your PS5 can draw, not the constant energy it consumes. It all depends on the game you're playing and how demanding it is on the components of the PS5 console. In other words, if you're playing a less graphic-intensive game, the PS5 will consume less energy.
Even the latest games, such as Gran Turismo 7, don't use the PS5 to its full capability. Below, we will run a few real-world tests to see how many watts the PS5 uses while playing Stranded Deep (digital) and Gran Turismo 7 (disc). We'll also test how many watts a PS5 uses in standby and on the Home Screen.
The EcoFlow shows the current watts drawn in real-time, making it much easier to see how long it will last. You can also use it to see what devices draw the most power and when.
In these tests, you'll see the PS5 uses less than 350w, sometimes less than half that amount. Let's get started:
How Many Watts Does the PS5 Draw in Rest Mode?
Depending on your rest mode settings, the PS5 can draw as little as 18w every few seconds. Of course, if you're installing a game or downloading during rest mode, it would consume more energy.
Even if the PS5 draws 18w constantly, the EcoFlow Delta 2 (with a 20% discharge limit) will power the console for nearly 45 hours.
How Many Watts Does the PS5 Draw on the Home Screen?
Once again, the number of watts drawn by the PS5 on the Home Screen would depend on what you're doing. If you're installing games or downloading, it will consume more energy.
In our tests, we had no downloads or installs. The Gran Turismo 7 disc was in the PS5 and running, but we had not launched the game. On the Home Screen, the PS5 used 52w, fluctuating between 45w and 60w.
If you leave your PS5 on the Home Screen, the EcoFlow will power the device for over 15 hours.
How Many Watts Does the PS5 Use with Digital Games?
We used Stranded Deep, an open-world survival game that originated on PS4. Of course, we downloaded the PS5 digital version, which does seem to consume as much energy as we thought.
While playing the game, the EcoFlow showed 133w, which fluctuated between 130w and 160w, so we'll use an average of 145w. However, this was with a 55-inch Samsung Crystal UHD television and a Sound Bar plugged in and working simultaneously.
In this test, our TV and sound bar consumed an average of 70 watts. Therefore, the PS5 used 60w to 90w to run the game, much lower than the rated 350w stated on the box on the PS5.
With the TV, sound bar, and PS5 playing Stranded Deep, you can play for 5 to 6 hours before reaching the 20% battery discharge limit.
How Many Watts Does the PS5 Use with Disc Games?
To test how many watts the PS5 uses to run disc games, we used Gran Turismo 7, one of the most power-hungry games.
As with the digital game test, we again used the 50-inch Samsung Crystal HD TV and a sound bar, which consumed an average of 70w per hour.
During a race on Gran Turismo 7, the PS5 uses the most energy. The EcoFlow supplied 268w, 70w for the TV and sound bar, and 198w for the PS5.
The EcoFlow Delta 2 will provide 3 hours of gaming time with the TV, sound bar, and the PS5 with a disc game before reaching the 20% battery discharge limit.
Is the EcoFlow Worth Getting for the PS5?
If you're winning to spend R25,000 on the EcoFlow Delta 2, it's well worth getting to supply power during power cuts. While it works well with the PS5, remembering that you can use it for various devices around the house makes it more valuable.
EcoFlow also provides smaller, less expensive power supplies like the River Series. However, other than the River 2 Max (512wh) and the River Pro (700wh), I wouldn't depend on the device powering a PS5 and TV for much longer than an hour.
To game during load shedding, even those 4-hour cuts, the EcoFlow Delta 2 is the option that makes the most sense.
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