Leaving Computer on

fordtruckman_05 · 11-01-2006, 11:24 PM

This is a subject i have not yet seen. My family always argues about and no one really knows. So here are the questions.
1. Is it bad to leave a computer on all of the time?

2. Or is it better to shut it off when you are done with it?

I just thought this would be a good thread to start, thinking it could be helpful to some people. :rolleyes:

Will.Spencer · 11-02-2006, 04:27 AM

That depends upon how long you leave the machine off.

Each time you turn on a machine, it wears it out as much as X minutes of operations wears a machine out.

So, if you are going to leave the machine for more than X minutes, it makes sense to turn the machine off. But, if you are going to leave for less than X minutes, you should leave the machine on.

How much is X? I don't think that anyone knows for sure. Off the top of my head, I would guess a few hours.

Of course, energy consumption is another concern. That motivates you to reduce the value of X.

Personally, I power off my 24" monitor, but I never turn any of my computers off.

eeeboy · 11-02-2006, 08:35 AM

Cool Thread. I was looking for this also. I always do the same thing what will does. I have another 2 questions.

1. How much watt computer [ excluding monitor , all the components and cards including processors and other cards] consumes ? I mean is it too much expensive for me to off my monitor and on cpu all the day.

2. Is it harmful , to off and on monitor frequesntly ? I mean is there any chance of to be damaged by this ?

Will.Spencer · 11-02-2006, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eeeboy

1. Homuch watt computer [ excluding monitor , all the components and cards including processors and other cards] consumes ? I mean is it too much expensive for me to off my monitor and on cpu all the day.

It is impossible to tell exactly how much power your computer uses, but the wattage of your power supply can be used for a rough (high) estimate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eeeboy

2. Is it harmful , to off and on monitor frequesntly ? I mean is there any chance of to be damaged by this ?

Yes. Turning equipment on and off causes thermal wear which will eventually break the equipment. Now, that may not be in your lifetime, but eventually it will happen.

My big Sony monitor has a large relay which makes a loud noice every time the monitor powers on. Relays are mechanical devices, I'm sure that's not going to last forever. But, it should have a good MTBF.

eeeboy · 11-03-2006, 03:04 AM

Thats why I am having problem with my monitor so frequently I guess.

pctec · 11-04-2006, 07:05 AM

My computer is on 24/7/365
The monitor on the other hand, I do shut off when Im not at the comp...

dpSubi1 · 02-09-2008, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will.Spencer

That depends upon how long you leave the machine off.

Each time you turn on a machine, it wears it out as much as X minutes of operations wears a machine out.

So, if you are going to leave the machine for more than X minutes, it makes sense to turn the machine off. But, if you are going to leave for less than X minutes, you should leave the machine on.

How much is X? I don't think that anyone knows for sure. Off the top of my head, I would guess a few hours.

Of course, energy consumption is another concern. That motivates you to reduce the value of X.

Personally, I power off my 24" monitor, but I never turn any of my computers off.

I agree with you.

I used to turn off my monitor (26" samsung). And I used to shutdown if i am not going to use for more than 30 mins.

From my experience, the performance will be good if we restart or power off then on, instead of running the system continuously.

Badboy0419 · 02-09-2008, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordtruckman_05

This is a subject i have not yet seen. My family always argues about and no one really knows. So here are the questions.
1. Is it bad to leave a computer on all of the time?

2. Or is it better to shut it off when you are done with it?

I just thought this would be a good thread to start, thinking it could be helpful to some people. :rolleyes:

There are a few other things to consider when you're debating to leave it on or off. The first thing is if the Computer is off then it can't run scheduled task like scan for viruses. If you're plugged into the internet all the time via cable/dsl or whatever, your computer can gets it's Microsoft Updates, Virus Scan Updates, and thing like that.

If you're going to be away from your computer for like a day or an over night, then might be a more acceptable time. I leave both of my computers on and plugged into the cable internet all the time. The downside to leaving it on all the time is the computer whether desktop or laptop takes in air to keep the system cool, and sucks in an incredible amount of dust. If you don't keep the inside from accumulating a lot of dust it can cause the system to over heat and at the minimum just keep shutting down.

I hope this helps.

-Brian Beck

**Lyte** · 02-09-2008, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pctec

My computer is on 24/7/365

Me too, but my monitor goes to sleep when my computer does. I feel it's strain on the hardware to be shut down and rebooted so many times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badboy0419

The downside to leaving it on all the time is the computer whether desktop or laptop takes in air to keep the system cool, and sucks in an incredible amount of dust.

This is true! The more you run it the more you're going to have to clean it!

Dan24 · 02-11-2008, 08:59 PM

I run my computer like 12+ hours everyday, it's about two years old and runs great. I haven't encountered any technical issues due to overheating or anything but I am kind of worried this might be damaging my cpu. I might have to consider turning my computer off from time to time or putting it on standby.

racknrail · 02-11-2008, 10:13 PM

I leave my computer on 24/7 also. I use an APC battery backup, which shuts my computer off safely, if there's a power outage. As far as hydro consumption, once the monitor is sleeping, there's not too many moving parts, therefore not much power used.

I have also heard that hard drives will last longer if you don't turn them on and off constantly.

AngelArs · 02-11-2008, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will.Spencer

Each time you turn on a machine, it wears it out as much as X minutes of operations wears a machine out.

This is just an urban myth. For example; modern day TV's use a lot of the same circuitry as computers do, and they are turned on/off everyday, sometimes many times a day, and they never 'wear out'. Around 5-6 years ago a University did a study on this topic and found that turning off the computers is better for it than leaving it on, plus these days it just wastes electricity and adds to the global warming issue. Another reason that they found leaving it on was bad for a computer is that it decreases the lifespan of a PC caused from parts aging quicker due to constant heat build up inside the computer.

**Lyte** · 02-13-2008, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racknrail

..hydro consumption, ....

Hydro consumption?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelArs

... plus these days it just wastes electricity and adds to the global warming issue.

Ya know, I hadn't thought of that! One might think, "My lil computer doesn't use up much electricity." But when you think about all the MILLIONS of computers out there all using just a lil bit. It adds up!

AngelArs · 02-13-2008, 12:21 PM

Yeah it all adds up, and it's all very wasteful. There simply is no good reason to leave a computer on these days, plus over time it hurts the computer. It boils down to people just being lazy. They equate turning a computer off with an Olympic event

abraxus · 02-14-2008, 03:43 AM

Based on my reading (i don't remember which magazine) laptop consume less power than desktop. But based on my experience it's very difficult to determine how much power that desktop use unless you do your own research. I always let my desktop on 24hrs 5days a week because of download. But there is no sudden increment in my electric bill..but if i don't have anything to do with my computer..i simply turn it off, try to save some electricity.

Badboy0419 · 02-14-2008, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pctec

My computer is on 24/7/365
The monitor on the other hand, I do shut off when Im not at the comp...

Like I mentioned earlier I also leave my laptop and desktop on all the time. I'll power them down if I am going to be away for a while (12+ hours or more). Many of us in the PC repair field have said your computer get older the longer it is off. Meaning without the OS, virus, and hardware updates your computer will begin to run into hardware/software conflicts and not keep your Anti-Spyware and Virus definitions up to date. If you have a Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware program that only updates once a week, then you won't be fully protected until you get the most current software updates and definitions. Out of all the Client computers I've repaired do to conflict or a 1000+ viruses I ask right away how often do they turn off their computer. The most common response I receive (nearly 60-70%) is they turn them off every evening or night, and only use the computer 8 hours or less daily. So while you want to use your computer you also have to schedule or manually download and install the updates and Virus definitions at the same time you want to use it.

Instead of turning off your monitor you can just change the power setting to not just go to the screen saver, but set the computer to power down the monitor after like 5-10 of inactivity.

Power consumption isn't as much as you think if you're concerned about wasting energy, and MS Vista allows a variety power setting options. If you're worried about too much heat, Vista ALSO allows you to set the fan speed. XP has some of the same settings, but not as easily located.

"-Quote- If it isn't broke TWEAK IT!"

abiji · 02-14-2008, 05:54 AM

Well i dont know but once my laptop was on for like whole 1 month and it didnt get over heated. Did get a bit slow so i used to restart the laptop after every 10 days or so.

Max my PC has been on is for like 20 days in a row but then on 21st day we had an power outage lol and my invertor and UPS unable to handle the load.

AngelArs · 02-14-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badboy0419

If you're worried about too much heat, Vista ALSO allows you to set the fan speed. XP has some of the same settings, but not as easily located.

No matter where you set a fan speed at the constant heat will still dry out the computers components. Fan speed has nothing to do with it, but fan speed will use up more electricity.

AngelArs · 02-15-2008, 08:36 PM

We just came across this which is along similar lines. Another myth says that it is better to leave your lights on, because the 'initial shock' will cause them to wear out quicker. As you can see this is the same "initial shock will wear out the electronics quicker' myth. Mythbusters tested this and found that it was not true, that there was no difference and no 'shock' that could hurt anything! Glad someone actually busted this 'shock/electronics' myth

While doing research on this topic we found this and this:

"It's a myth that it takes more energy to start a computer than to keep it running. It doesn't. You'll always save energy by turning your computer off when you're not using it. If that's inconvenient you can always use the sleep or standby mode. And no, you won't wear your computer out any faster by cycling it once a day, or even a few times a day. Modern computers aren't that fragile. I did hardware troubleshooting at Apple, I know what I'm talking about. If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe Jonathan Koomey, a project scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who says, "PCs are not hurt by turning them on and off a few times a day. Economic obsolescence is much more dangerous to PCs than turning them on and off."

I've heard this myth that turning a computer on/off may hurt it for many years now, but in that entire amount of time not one single person has ever presented ANY CREDIBLE evidence to prove their claims. It's all based on guessing and conjecture on their part. Several universities have studied this myth and have disproved it, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory mentioned above.

McDaddy · 07-27-2008, 04:33 AM

i just sleep the monitor when i am not around. other than that the computer stays on all the time. i just reboot once a week or so.

dr911 · 07-30-2008, 04:11 AM

Ok..people,

Here's some links..............help you decide.

Should I Leave My Computer On All The Time?

Howstuffworks

Smart Computing Article - Leave It On Or Shut It Down

Bad to leave computer running all the time? - VideoHelp.com

ubuntu (Linux)
do you leave computer on all the time - Page 3 - Ubuntu Forums

Mac

Apple - Support - Discussions - Is it bad for my computer to leave it ...