| Turning Computer On and Off vs. Leaving It On I want to know if leaving my computer on is better than turning it off and on repeatedly during the day. I have been told that it is better to leave it on because it is better for the hard drive because it does not have to spin as much. Also what about the power consumption?? Is my electricity bill going to be high if I left the computer on? Any advice? |
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IAmTheEvilestThere Is Nothing Like A Restart
join:2001-01-03
Milpitas, CA | I would turn off the computer. Your computer wastes quite a bit of power even when it is doing absolutely nothing.
Hard drives are designed to spin up and down. And by the time most hard drive die anyway, the computer is already obsolete.
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 hitachi369Embrace Your RightsPremium
join:2001-10-03
Grand Rapids, MI
kudos:4
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| I would disagree, computers themselves use a tiny amount of power, as long as you turn off your monitor it shouldn't really matter. I leave my computers on 24X7 all of them crunch, and my main desktop is in charge of my downloads.
As to increasing or decreasing the life of your comp, power up is the hardest thing on your computer, but heat can be another even more important issue.
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 ChumpSupport Bbr Rc5Premium
join:2002-10-27 | reply to rl73blue
There have been many arugment/threads over this. It all boils down to what each user pefers!
»To leave on or off
»HDD: Power it down?
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Reviews:
 ·Frontier Communi..
| reply to hitachi369
said by hitachi369: computers themselves use a tiny amount of power, No offense, but this is nonsense. Some of the newer CPU's (i.e. Prescott) are approaching or have already exceeded 100W of heat dissipation, and then there is the power supply, hard disks, and graphics cards that may generate a significant amount of heat. I don't know how much heat the "hottest" graphics card can generate, but that can possibly also add another 100W. |
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hitachi369Embrace Your RightsPremium
join:2001-10-03
Grand Rapids, MI
kudos:4 Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
3 edits | most of which would idle down.
First thing from google with "computer power usage cost per year"
»www.techreviewer.com/viewpage.cf···26130555
as it is a google link take it with a grain of salt
$9 at most per month is hardly breaking the bank. |
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| reply to rl73blue
I just use S3 Suspend when I'm not using my computer.
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Formerly DSLWho |
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| reply to rl73blue
I am not the expert on this, but somewhere I read that "someone" calculated 16 hours as the sweet spot.
What that means is that if you are not going to use your computer for the next 16 hours, then you should probably put it off. If you will use it within the 16 hours, then leave it on.
I leave it to others to determine whether this is a good idea or not. I follow it, since it seems to have a certain attractive logic to me, at least. |
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 ccallanaHuh?Premium,VIP
join:2000-08-03
Folsom, CA | reply to rl73blue
I've left my PC on for years - doesn't hurt anything. Hard drives have gotten better over the years, but they used to seem to have problems spinning up and down a lot. I don't even let my systems go into S3 or S4 (well, except my laptop)- everything runs full bore all the time. The monitor shuts off after 20 minutes or so (and its an LCD, so even that is pretty small)
For me it comes down to the fact that I don't want to wait for boot up, I want to sit down, move my mouse and have my screen up and ready to go.
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When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) |
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| reply to rl73blue
I leave mine on 24/7 including a laser printer (HP LaserJet 4v). The laser printer I have set it on power save mode after 15 minutes, but the computer is not. My power bill is very small, less than $25.00/month. I agree with hitachi369  , power up is the hardest thing on your computer. Also, make sure the case is well ventilated. The more fans the better. My case has the side windows with a fan, besides the power supply fan. The case will also include a case fan in the front and in the back. It may sound like a jet plane, but she'll be cool.  |
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 Tursiops_GTechnoidPremium,MVM
join:2002-02-06
Norwalk, CT | reply to rl73blue
If you use your PC on a DAILY basis, I'd leave it on 24/7, and just turn off the Monitor itself when you're not using it for several HOURS at a time... (While you're at work, overnight, etc.)
If you don't use that PC *EVERY* Day (or when you go on Vacation, etc.), then I'd just shut it down entirely...
I'd also recommend having it on a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) as well... 
-Tursiops_G.
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If You're Unsure, "RTFM"... If You're SURE, "RTFM" Anyway. |
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 DustynPremium
join:2003-02-26
Ontario, CAN
kudos:7 | reply to rl73blue
I leave mine on 24/7. |
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 ironwalker World RenownedPremium,MVM
join:2001-08-31
Keansburg, NJ | reply to rl73blue
I had problems back when I used to turn my boxes off.Now I just turn the monitor off....even though its lcd.
On my boxes that run 24/7....if for some reason say vacation I shut it off....whenever I turn it back on something is borked.Odd.
So Ive found in my own experiances leaveing them on 24/7 is wise.I just stop folding n crunching when I go away for extended time,leaveing them run though, in case of heat build up or worse!!!.
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| reply to rl73blue
I turn mine on in the morning and shut it off when I go to work, then back on again when I get home, and off when I go to bed. I agree that powerup time is the hardest on the components, but I have followed this habit for years to no ill effect that I can see. Weekends the box gets powered up in the AM and basically left on all day until bedtime. |
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Reviews:
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I always turn off mine when they are not in use. I had about 4 - 5 fan failures (PS & CPU) I can remember, and in a couple of cases I noticed that because I felt the usual smell of overheated electronics. One thing I worry that a fan failure may eventually lead to fire if it goes unnoticed.
Another thing is heat -- they generate enough heat that in wintertime, my bedroom is sufficiently heated by computers and lighting. They'll be out by summer since it will be hot enough without them. People who use AC to cool their homes during summertime want to think twice about heat because they'll pay not only for the electricity for the computers, but their AC will use more electricity, too. |
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ironwalker World RenownedPremium,MVM
join:2001-08-31
Keansburg, NJ | said by aurgathor:I always turn off mine when they are not in use. I had about 4 - 5 fan failures (PS & CPU) I can remember, and in a couple of cases I noticed that because I felt the usual smell of overheated electronics. One thing I worry that a fan failure may eventually lead to fire if it goes unnoticed. Another thing is heat -- they generate enough heat that in wintertime, my bedroom is sufficiently heated by computers and lighting. They'll be out by summer since it will be hot enough without them. People who use AC to cool their homes during summertime want to think twice about heat because they'll pay not only for the electricity for the computers, but their AC will use more electricity, too. Good thing about todays boards and os's is ya can set limits and have the pc do a nice shtdown if it exceeds it.:)
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| said by ironwalker:Good thing about todays boards and os's is ya can set limits and have the pc do a nice shtdown if it exceeds it.:) Do they also monitor the power supply's temperature? Or is there a PS that automatcally shuts down in case of overheating? The very first failure I had was with a 90 mm fan in a PS for a 286/10 (!), and based on the smell and the hotness of the case, I was sure that the PS got burned out, but to much of my surprise, both the PS and the computer survived with no apparent damage from that cooking incident. I even put the fan back for a short time after cleaning and lubricating the seized sleeve.
With multiple fans in modern PCs, a PS fan failure may not lead to much increase in the inside temperature, so I'm not sure if the overtemp protection for the computer would kick in. |
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