Turn the PC off or leave it on?

[Smith6612]

Power failures hardly happen here. If they do happen, my three least used computers which are always on are instantly killed, while my Linux box in the basement sharing a UPS with my DSL modem and Router keeps the network running for a few hours (which are always on as well), which is useful if I'm not home, and my gaming computer has it's own UPS (which is always running as well), which runs both of my monitors and the tower. I'm not in need for my printers, speakers or my other accessories to be powered on, so there's no need for a UPS to come here.

When I get FiOS, I'll be powering two routers and a Fiber Optic ONT here, which requires slightly more power, but will only kill my Linux Box's UPS by a few minutes in life. The Fiber ONT has it's own battery backup, but it shuts down all internet and TV services after ten minutes, and leaves the phone part of the fiber powered up for a good 8 hours, and leave about 2 hours of emergency power in. But yet, power failures are rare here, so there's really no need for me to have all of these UPSs sitting around. But hey, they do come in handy sometimes.

 

[David_Tiger]

mine is on all day and off at night, its cleaned out for dust every weekend because its on the floor and has a 15cm fan on the front and 12cm on the back and a 30 cm one on the side which pulls in quite some dust xD eventhough my idle temp is just over 20 when in games like crysis it may reach 60+, i dont think the dust is a problem,

as for leaving it on all night well its a 2 sided argument because if its on 24/7 then it might ware hardware out faster beut on the other hand shutting it down and booting it up can ware the hardware out as well so id say its a matter of your opinion whether to leave it on or not xD

cheers, Tiger

 

[koolkid]

I personally always leave my compter on but it is a matter of opinion i have always left my cmputer on i only turn it off when i restart it after installing a new program/update that needs to restart.

my mom always turns her computer off and she has had more hardware problems then i have had and my computer is worse than hers (thats sad i know) IMO i think it is better to leave the computer on but that's just me

 

[Sup3rkirby]

Well if you are looking at a 'hardware preservation' level, it of course depends on the environment and user(s). A clean environment that has suitable tempatures and conditions, well leaving it on isn't a problem at all. Of course you have to keep in mind that when a computer is always on, you need to be careful about what is running and what is being used. If you don't remember to close out things and make sure no unnessicary processes or services are running you may end up using more resources and causing your PC to have to work a bit harder. And with it being on 24/7 that can actually shorten the life. Not that it will 'die' in a year, but compared to a properly managed PC, it would 'die' a good while before.

Of course, turning off your computer every time you leave it isn't a great idea. Now I saw a reference to lightbulbs. Well you don't really blow a bulb unless you flip the switch constantly causing a stobelight effect. That is not good for a bulb. But there was actually an episode of mythbusters working on the whole is it better to turn off a light when you leave a room or not? I believe the result was in most cases you should just leave it on. But of course PCs are different.

I personally turn them off basically each night before bed. Then whenever I need to use one in the day(whether it be when i get up or maybe closer to lunch), i will turn it back on and leave it on for the day until i go to bed. I also try to watch how many PCs/laptops are on. I have 4 PCs(3 active) and 3 laptops. Well my internet connection isn't 'top-notch'. It is very low end dsl. and I also have a PS3 and like to play online so bandwidth usage is important. Leaving multiple PCs and laptops on can hurt the bandwidth when you don't have much. But mainly for me it is closing a laptop(putting it in either standby or hibernation) and PCs usually stay on all day. I never really measure power usage and electric bills. They are of extreme importance. It is possible to save a few $ but i'm a bit too lazy to care and take any effort. There is one of my PCs that I tend to hibernate a good bit. Most of the time it is to clear out some bandwidth but also sometimes when I know i'll be gone for the rest of the day I just hibernate the PC for a quick startup and to not use up any engery or bandwidth by just having a PC sit there for a day doing nothing.


It honestly doesn't matter in most cases. PCs are made to last years, but you usually buy a new one before the old one wears down. I have a computer from maybe 2001, but the specs on the computer(like the 256 MB RAM or 1.0 GHz processor) are just so rediculous that the PC has become useless(except for linux ). So while people may concern themselves about how to save their PCs and make them last, well, it doesn't matter too much. Even if you extend the life of your PC for a year or two, you probably won't be using it long enough to notice. Unless you are one of those 'server' people.

 

[noerrorsfound]

Now I saw a reference to lightbulbs. Well you don't really blow a bulb unless you flip the switch constantly causing a stobelight effect. That is not good for a bulb.

It was me who used light bulbs as an analogy, but I said burn out, not blow. They usually burn out right when you turn them on, which I assume is caused by the initial surge of electricity. That initial surge could cause more stress on the PC than just leaving it on, couldn't it?

 

[Sup3rkirby]

oh, sorry for the slight misreference. But actually if you watch the episode of mythbusters(can't tell you how to find it other than google and maybe look on discovery.com's site), but actually one of the things they wanted to know was what used more energy, keeping a light on or turning it off then on? Well the reason turning it off might be considered a problem is because of the surge when you turn it on, so it uses more electricity. But they found that the surge isn't that much greater. Which is how the conclusion came about. Most of the time, turn the light off, but if you are not going to be gone long, then the surge will use more electricity than the constant flow already being used. I also made a big typo, but that was because i was trying to remember. Took a guess but it was wrong.

But of course, once more lightbulbs and PCs are different. Lightbulbs don't take in as much electricity as a PC(since I can't convert watts to volts i can't tell you the difference, but i know PCs(the power source as in the box and not the outlet source from your wall) has quite a punch. Got shocked by it one time). So since PCs do use more electricity the surge would most likely be greater but it is hard to say if this effects the parts greatly or not much at all. Since computers last for years it would take a long time to run an experiment like that. I'm also not sure what equipment you would use to set up a measurement of electrical surges in power and how you would set it up to know how much wear and tear has been put on a part....


Still, either way, what all does it really matter. If you are using a PC for more than 3 years... well it might be time to start thinking about an upgrade. Or just a new PC(which would more than likely after 3 years still be an upgrade). PCs will always get better and the better technology will get cheaper over time. Quad-cores will be standard after so much time(first dual-core has to be standard. almost is but those single cores are still floating around on low end machines.) and right now you might spend about 1k on a PC(and or package) that has a quad-core. But when they become standard, they get cheaper and the new stuff comes in at high prices. So really, unless you run servers, preserving the life of a PC shouldn't be something to worry about. Turn it off, turn it on, or just put it in a corner and forget about it. It will last for years either way and it will be replaced. Honestly, computers get destroyed from the 'inside' more times than the 'outside'. Viruses and such usually end a PCs life. I guess the parts are still functional...

 

[Twinkie]

I think that this thread should be made into a poll...

 

[Smith6612]

PCs do not use bandwidth from your internet connection while they are running, unless programs are open, such as IM. IM only requires bytes of data to be sent, so that still shouldn't hurt anything. What really kills stuff is BitTorrent and heavy downloading from all of the computers. For example, right now, I'm looking at my Westell 6100 DSL modem, along with my Linksys WRT54GX router. Right now the Westell has a green power light, a solid green Ethernet light (blinking indicates activity), DSL is solid (my modem hasn't lost a connection in over a year), and my Internet Light is solid green as well (if it's red, I've lost my IP address, if it's out, the connection has been lost, and if it's blinking green, the modem is transfering data). Right now on my Linksys, Ethernet ports 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all lit, the Internet Light is lit, along with Wireless and Power. None of the lights are blinking. PC 1 is my gaming computer, PC 2 is the Linux box in my basement, PC 3 is a slower computer in my house that doesn't take wireless, and PC 4 is a PS2 which is currently online. The wireless services two PCs, both connected at 108Mbps, one laptop, one desktop, along with a PSP connected as well. Running a speed test, I get 7202kbps/790kbps on my DSL, so even though all of my networked devices are powered on, I haven't lost any bandwidth.

I'm sure this entire post pushed that idea out... I have the tendency to over-do stuff sometimes. Otherwise, all leaving your PCs on really does is chew up some electricity, and take up your Local Area Connection IP addresses in the IP block. Right now with all of the devices I've had online, I have about 12 IPs leased from the Linux box for my local network, and few of them using IPv6 with IPv4.

 

[jeyson65]

I think this question has been answered but I'll throw in my 2 cents.

It's pretty obvious that turning on your computer is more stressful to the hardware than when it is idling. It causes the hardware to increase in temperature which causes unseeable expansions. But then again, if you leave your computer on for days, that would be more stress than just turning it on. So, I handle this the same way Sup3rkirby does. I turn it off every night before I go to bed (unless I'm downloading something). When I go to use it during the day, I'll turn it on and leave it on. This way you're not turning it on multiple times during the day.

As far as electricity goes, I don't know the numbers but a computer at idle does not use much electricity. It's not as big of a deal with LCD monitors, but it's usually good to turn your monitor off when you're not using it. Monitors are a similar topic here. Personally, I think whoever thought up screensavers is an idiot. My monitor is set up to automatically turn off after 10 minutes. I move my mouse and it comes back on. If you access multiple computers with the same monitor, this isn't as big of a deal. But, especially if you're using a bunch of CRTs, turn them off!

 

[sprnews4u]

I leave mine on when I know i'm going to be using it within a couple of hours. Otherwise I turn it off or I turn off my screen, internet and other inputs/outputs. The srceen on standby is the worst wasetage of eletricity.

If I leave it on all day, by the end of the day my internet will be as slow as a snail!! Even through i've got broadband!

One thing about the evironment is that you problery use more energy starting up a computer than leaving it on. A car engine does the same, it takes more petrol just to get it started!

Very good thread makes you think!

 

[willythechilly5]

I normally leave my computers on, but my PC is set to go to standby (S3 mode) after 5 minutes.
My laptop is set to always remain on, but turn off screen after 20 min and hibernate at a 10% battery charge.
You could put it on S3 standby mode, which allows quick recovery time, and you only use a little trickle of electricity (the RAM)

 

[Sup3rkirby]

PCs do not use bandwidth from your internet connection while they are running, unless programs are open, such as IM. IM only requires bytes of data to be sent, so that still shouldn't hurt anything. What really kills stuff is BitTorrent and heavy downloading from all of the computers. ... ...Running a speed test, I get 7202kbps/790kbps on my DSL, so even though all of my networked devices are powered on, I haven't lost any bandwidth.

Alright, as you will see, your connection is rather good, and so you wouldn't have my problem. After just now running a speed test(with only one computer on and using my router) i got 655kbps/111kbps. And so doing the math you can see that my upload is just over 13 KBps. And well, that is just crazy slow. So ANY SLIGHT thing using just A BIT of bandwidth hurts when you play a PS3 online with games like Call of Duty 4. I honestly need more bandwidth just to play the game alone, but when only 1 other thing uses the connection I can usually play with little or no lag. the download rate is fine for me though at about 80 KBps. The upload is what kills me and so this is why I watch my devices so much. I can't afford to lose a few KB. Dial-up gets you about 7 KBps so I'm getting an upload speed of about 2x dial-up. Amazing. You wouldn't have more than one device on a dial-up connection. But I usually run into problems with programs that update themselves or check for updates.

I honestly want to see some test results because while things like a car takes more gas(energy) to start up than to sit at idle, we are talking about computers. same goes for lightbulbs. So really I don't think any person here actually knows how much more engery, if any at all, it takes to start up a computer than for it to sit idle. I don't know who would simply have that kind of equipment laying around, but I just don't think it really takes that much more enegery. I'm sure it might possibly take a bit more, but not much more. Not enough to really matter. You have to remember, when you turn it on the moniter cuts on, all the lights and fancy stuff get going, but when you have a computer at idle, most of the time the moniter is off, the fans are spinning a slower rates(well, depending on your computer), the processor(s) is not requiring much electricity nor are many other parts. So since you aren't really using anything on the PC, it doesn't need much energy. But I really want to say if you will not be using a PC for a couple hours, I think you might want to shut it down, or at least use standby. If you logically think about it, could the startup energy use more electricity than 3-4 hours of idle(not in standby or anything, just idle)? I mean, even if it is hardly using anything, you still have to think about the constant rate of slow power draw for hours, non-stop.

But still, until someone actually gets some numbers, we will just have to have opinions instead of facts.

 

[mqute]

Me will leave it on but will switch off broadband if I am away from pc....cos this lessens the likelihood of failing anti-hack anti-virus software and later, a failng pc...I don't trust those software fully!

 

[frankfriend]

Hi,

Some reasons for turning a machine off include

Security - both from the Internet [a constant threat without adequate defences], and 'passer-by' use of your machine in an office or other public place. A timer-program can guard a little against 'passer-by' problems.Obviously if you use start up passwords [you do don't you!] and the machine is `turned off, then you also have an `extra libne of defence against casual use or theft.

Cash & the environment - don't burn money and power, carbon and other elements by leaving it on when it isn't needed

Equipment life, saves the battery life on portables, saves somponent life on most machines

Dust - that was a great point by Livewire,

Fire risk especially if left unattended

Some reasons for leaving it on include

Avoids wear and risk from powersurges when you fire it up - normally power consumption if momentarily higher on start up than in normal running

Laziness - can't be bothered

Time saving - esp with windows and a badly maintained start up file, it can take an age to start up

A 'normal' compromise is to power down when you leave a machine for half an hour or more, and certainly over night.

This uysed to be a big debate in companies, and up to a few years ago the received wisdom was to leave machines on 24 hours a day - then everyone caught on to the cost and the risks, so now most places advise turning everything off at night.

 

[arkky]

I leave it on only when there's a chance that someone will use it. I'm usually the last user, so before I go to bed I'd switch off the machine. It saves money, no matter how little, because to me money is still money. Besides, my mum would kill me if I left the computer or a set-top box for the cable switched on overnight. I think they just raised electricity tariffs again due to the absurd oil prices.

 

[Ryutso]

I leave it on and have it suspended above the ground, but that's only because I run torrents all night to download, then I leave it on when I go to school so the torrent keeps downloading.

 

[Ay1244support]

I leave it on for all the cron jobs my computer runs at night. That, and it's off the ground, so it's all good anyway.

 

[Zdroyd]

What I hate is even when your PC is off it still makes a very quiet ringing sound (It makes your ears ring.). I find it anoying in the middle of the night.

 

[Smith6612]

What I hate is even when your PC is off it still makes a very quiet ringing sound (It makes your ears ring.). I find it anoying in the middle of the night.

Sounds like you have a cheap power supply! None of mine do that, and I know because I can hear the Highest frequency that you can get on the cricket "teen" cell phone ringers.

 

[Zdroyd]

Well depends on how new your PC is. My PC is 3 years old.

And like I said its realy quiet. Cricket Teen Cell Phone? I'm not a big Cell Phone freak.