On or Off?
 

Do you leave your computer on 24/7? From the time you wake up til the the time you go to bed? Just when you are using it? Something else?

Is it bad for your computer if you leave it on all the time? Is it bad if you turn it on and off all the time?

Maybe this should go in the computer tech help forum, but 3 people visit that a day. Mods, feel free to move if you deem it necessary.

Re: On or Off?
 

Leaving it on all the time, is usually better than turning it off/on too much, power surges contacts etc.

Re: On or Off?
 

Usually 24/7, but if I'm gonna be gone more than 24 hours I turn it off. (It's a laptop, so I also turn it off whenever I have to take it someplace, but that is rarely now)

Re: On or Off?
 

From a Tech, leave it on all the time , reboot it once in awhile [ once a week maybe not even] yes even a windows OS can last this long but no need to do a full shutdown unless you go on vaca and thats just to save elec.


it does no harm to your PC to keep it on, in fact its better to keep it running 24/7 , kind of like a car if you left a car running all the time you'd have less problems,same as far as the computer goes.the most stress is when it starts up.

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It's equally true on your electric bill. Although I can't confirm the exact number, but turning on your computer requires as much electricity as it does to run it for about 4 hours.

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Have you got any source for that? Seems vanishingly unlikely to me...

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Yeah, probably. This is from at least 5 years ago. Although if your computer only has like 2 fans in it, I can't see why it would use much electricity. Obviously those numbers don't include running two 21' flat screens. No, I don't have a source I can point you to.

Re: On or Off?
 

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kind of like a car if you left a car running all the time you'd have less problems

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I'll give you the computer scenario, cause I'm no techie . . . but your car example is just plain wrong . . . and hopefully you see why . . .

Re: On or Off?
 

Well it's true enough, its not 4 or 5 hours but it does initially draw more power on start. This is just from experience not that I was reading the meter's But when have UPS (battery) system hooked to a PC and that Battery is near capacity, when you start the PC the Battery "Beeps" Overload, but once the PC is on it goes back down to a "normal" level.

Re: On or Off?
 

[ QUOTE ]
From a Tech, leave it on all the time , reboot it once in awhile [ once a week maybe not even] yes even a windows OS can last this long but no need to do a full shutdown unless you go on vaca and thats just to save elec.


it does no harm to your PC to keep it on, in fact its better to keep it running 24/7 , kind of like a car if you left a car running all the time you'd have less problems,same as far as the computer goes.the most stress is when it starts up.

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the car analogy only applies to diesel engines. With that said, there really is no reason to leave a computer on all the time anymore, components are built much hardier now than they used to be.

Re: On or Off?
 

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Leaving it on all the time, is usually better than turning it off/on too much, power surges contacts etc.

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it has nothing to do with power surges, it's mostly just the stress on the components (cpu, memory, motherboard) from warming up and then cooling back down (expansion and contraction of the metals and plastic).

Re: On or Off?
 

its a loose example, I relaize and car needs fluids to run, clean oil etc etc

But the general theroy is that its more stress on a car/computer when you start then if you just left it running

Re: On or Off?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Leaving it on all the time, is usually better than turning it off/on too much, power surges contacts etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

it has nothing to do with power surges, it's mostly just the stress on the components (cpu, memory, motherboard) from warming up and then cooling back down (expansion and contraction of the metals and plastic).

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if anyone can confirm this, this guy should lose a star.

Re: On or Off?
 

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With that said, there really is no reason to leave a computer on all the time anymore, components are built much hardier now than they used to be.

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Tell that to the Apple IIe that still worked when I gave it away last month.

~D

Re: On or Off?
 

Every time you power cycle your computer, the capacitors charge and discharge, which wears them out a bit faster.

I generally turn my computer off if I won't be using it for an extended period (say, going away for the weekend or very busy after work the next day) and otherwise just turn off my monitor.

Re: On or Off?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
With that said, there really is no reason to leave a computer on all the time anymore, components are built much hardier now than they used to be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tell that to the Apple IIe that still worked when I gave it away last month.

~D

[/ QUOTE ]

why would you give that away?

Re: On or Off?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Leaving it on all the time, is usually better than turning it off/on too much, power surges contacts etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

it has nothing to do with power surges, it's mostly just the stress on the components (cpu, memory, motherboard) from warming up and then cooling back down (expansion and contraction of the metals and plastic).

[/ QUOTE ]

if anyone can confirm this, this guy should lose a star.

[/ QUOTE ]


He is correct. But power surges, well releasing/charging capacitors (which is what I meant), also wears on things, as stated above.

Re: On or Off?
 

Typically the turning off and on will result in thermal stress on components. A componenet may be able to safely run at 100 degrees C but if run up to 100 and cooled to 20 then back up many times you will get die bond fractures (the wires frames connected to the silicon semi conductor seperate)

Thermal cycling will kill any active component at least 10 times faster than a constant temperature.

Easiest example, ever had a light bulb go out an hour after it was turned on? Its fails almost 100% of the time at turn on.

Re: On or Off?
 

Leave the main machine on all the time except when I leave town for a few days.

Laptop gets turned off about once a week.

Re: On or Off?
 

Just curious. Is the computer similarly stressed when it hibernates and then you turn it on again? Also you guys are leaving it on standby when you say your leaving it on right?

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Most new computers don't even turn off. They go into standby or hibernate when you press the button. Even in windows on most retail machines you have jump through some hoops to get it to turn the machine off.

Of course Standby and Hibernate mode are for the convenience of the user (less start up time) and to save power not to protect the hardware in any way.

Re: On or Off?
 

When I had my old cpu I used to close it every night before going to bed and then reopen it in the morning, it usually had a rough time starting up (made more noise than supposed) but then it would eventually dissapear after I spent some time on the desktop. I figured this was because my room was cold (I used to sleep in the basement).

I recently got a new cpu and didnt have the noise problem but recently it's been happening (I always clean it, so it's not because of dust). It's funny tho, that it just started when winter arrived and obv my room has been colder than usual but I dont sleep in the basement anymore. I wouldnt turn it off if I had a choice, but since the cpu is in my room it really dampers with my sleep. (yes, I am weak)

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I went to Germany for 10 days, and I still left my computer on.

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My computer has been on for 4 years straight now. (except for when I had to add RAM or a new video card -- or the rare power outage).

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My computer has been on for 4 years straight now. (except for when I had to add RAM or a new video card -- or the rare power outage).

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you can probably afford to get a newer machine now

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you can probably afford to get a newer machine now

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I could but the thing is... my machine isn't that much worse than what is out there now...

It is 2ghz, 1.5 GB RAM, 128 MB video card... Some of the games are becoming a little too much for it but it is still plenty good for what i'd have to spend to get a better machine today. It was state of the art when I bought it... cost a little over 2 grand right after the september 11th attacks, the machines for 2k now a days just don't seem that much better.

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I cycle mine daily, it's off when I sleep and I'm an old school tech guy. It just seems wastefull to me.

All the wear and tear stuff is theoretical. Makes sense, but I've never seen a study.

With modern technology it probably translates to your computer dying 10 years after it's obsolete instead of 17.

Re: On or Off?
 

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All the wear and tear stuff is theoretical. Makes sense, but I've never seen a study.


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For the most part it is all theoretical. You would have to turn your computer on/off several thousand times (probaby ten's of thousands of times) before it would make a difference. I just leave mine on because i still have win2k and it takes too long to boot up.

Re: On or Off?
 

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You would have to turn your computer on/off several thousand times (probaby ten's of thousands of times) before it would make a difference.

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Kinda my point. 10,000 power cycles is over 27 years assuming 1 cycle/day. If you are using the same computer in 27 years, you'd best be saving every friggin dime in power.

I kinda equate the morning boot to my morning dump. Cleans out the pipes.