Should I turn-off my PC to save energy or PC lifespan..

[D'same]

Saw an interesting thread on this today on Yahoo about shutting down PC at night... thought I would ask here, seeing that more knowledgeable and technical folks are members here...

My personal preference is for leaving the PC on 24/7 for updates, virus checks, quick access etc...also to save the components from going through speedier wear and tear from the constant cooling and heating cycles and power surges to the components associated with turning it off and on regularly.

Would like to hear your opinions...as I usually advise people to leave the system on when asked. I am not a computer hardware specialist...

Cheers...

 

[Leading Names]

I have the free software at http://localcooling.com/ installed. I also manually shut down my computer at night, seems like a no brainer to me – saves energy and cash

Whether you believe in global warming or not, I think we should all do our bit to reduce energy consumption.

- Rob

 

[D'same]

A tech friend of mine says turning on and off regularly is like murder on the components as the constant contracting and expanding of things like the traces on the boards etc. shortens the lifespan. He says its like bending and straightening a piece of wire all the time, eventually it breaks.

Energy use is minimal and cost to me is negligible.

 

[GAMEFINEST]

I turn mine off at night.....because if there is a power surge at night....and ur sleeping ...ur pc will crash and burn.....unless you have a very good backup power source, and i mean VERY GOOD

 

[D'same]

What about the issue of PC lifespan? Do you know if turning off shortens or lengthens it or do you see better performance in the computer if you turn it off or keep it on?

 

[mulligan]

So ... How is a power source going to protect you against a power surge?

I turn mine off at night.....because if there is a power surge at night....and ur sleeping ...ur pc will crash and burn.....unless you have a very good backup power source, and i mean VERY GOOD

 

[RatherGood]

A tech friend of mine says turning on and off regularly is like murder on the components as the constant contracting and expanding of things like the traces on the boards etc. shortens the lifespan. He says its like bending and straightening a piece of wire all the time, eventually it breaks.

Energy use is minimal and cost to me is negligible.

I suffered through electronics in college and have never anything so stupid.

Nothing kills even basic electronic components faster than heat and heat build up. Let alone CPU's, RAM, and the motherboard.

The only people I've ever known that regularily ruin PC's are the "always on" types.

You might also want to take into account that every PC component comes from the third world and is usuallly defective in some way so why take a chance on starting a fire when your power supply shorts out or your CPU fan dies?

 

[GAMEFINEST]

So ... How is a power source going to protect you against a power surge?

computer battery backup system

 

[H2FC]

I shut mine down every night and most times during the day when I'm not planning on using it for at least 3 or 4 hours. I think it helps to let it cool down as often as possible....and it helps the global warming problem too.

 

[DNGeeks]

Global warming? Isn't that caused by 21" CRT monitors?

Seriously, heat kills. But mine is on 24 hours a day. Power spikes? Get a UPS (a nice one from APC will protect against surges, spikes and brownouts). Use clean energy such as hydro or wind vs nuclear, coal, fuel or oil.

 

[Dimva]

Mine is often online 24/7. I have a lot programs etc running so it need to be on. My laptop i close everyday when im not using it though. Havent really thought about it that I maybe should close it often or at least once an while.

 

[D'same]

Nothing kills even basic electronic components faster than heat and heat build up. Let alone CPU's, RAM, and the motherboard.

So far the consensus seems to be to turn it off when not in use....
How is heat going to be all that critical if the PC is properly cooled.

The only people I've ever known that regularily ruin PC's are the "always on" types.

Have given my kids a Dell and recently an HP. Dell lasted 2 years, HP isn't a year yet had to return cause the hard drive and dvd drive failed. Kids would turn them on and off when they are finished using. I have had the same IBM for the past 5 years no problems. Always on, runs beautifully...only added a dvd drive and some memory.

You might also want to take into account that every PC component comes from the third world and is usuallly defective in some way so why take a chance on starting a fire when your power supply shorts out or your CPU fan dies?

I disagree, companies like Intel etc..have very high QA standards and contrary to popular belief some of the best products come from third world countries.

 

[Raider]

Seriously, heat kills. But mine is on 24 hours a day.

Mine too, The computer I'm on now gets so much use per day that shutting it off is pointless, I've had it running 24/7 for 6 years now, the only problem I had in that time was the power supply had to be replaced and a few case fans. About every 4 months my husband opens the case, blows out the dust and makes sure all the fans are working OK, especially on the CPU and video card.....The other computers in the house we shut them off before we go to bed.

 

[whitebark]

I'm viewing this thread on a home-built computer that has only been off during power failures and the addition of a third drive in the past six years. Start with good parts - especially cooling and all is well.

Our workstations always go into low-power stand-by when not being used.

 

[DomainsInc]

I've left my on 24/7 for the past 5 years. the only thing i've ever had to replace on it besides fans is the power supply.

 

[D'same]

Ok...so does standby or hibernate not save you energy? I thinks so....so my opinion is to leave the computer on..I understand that when the PC hibernates it actually writes the state of the computer at the time to a file and them actually shuts down. On restarting it reads the file and returns to this state.

On stand by it just powers down the components...but is still on...