I hava a Dell Latitude D 400 and a Dell Dimension DE051 I use for personal use mainly internet and email.
2006-10-14 06:11:02 · 13 answers · asked by dondman2 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Anyone that says todays PC doesn't suffer from being turned on and off is WRONG. As a repair person, I can tell you it is better to leave your computer on, unless you intend to leave it off for a long period of time. It has nothing to do with the hard drive. Turning a computer on and off heats and cools the solder joints on the motherboard, eventually causing failure. As a rule, I leave my computers on all the time, unless I am going to be out of town. Now, even though I have all my computers on surge protectors, I will shut them down during a storm. I can tell you that I have a couple of computers that are really old, that have been on most of the time for years, and still run like new. I can also tell you that I replace alot of motherboards on newer computers. I have a good friend that I cant convince to leave his computer on. He worries about using to much electricity, and his security on the internet. He turns his computer on and off several times a day. I have replaced two motherboards in his computer in the last year and a half.
2006-10-14 07:04:27 · answer #1 · answered by rvcjah 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2 things to consider in answering this question. How often do you use your computer, and how long in bettween uses do you use your computer. If you use it maybe 1 or 2 hours a day, I suggest you turn it off. Even in standby mode, your computer still uses up to 33watts of power, that is significant over a years time. If you do decide to leave it on 24/7 I do suggest you purchase a smart UPS (uninterruptible power supply). It just might save your computer from a power failure or even a direct lightning hit, depending on how good of a UPS you buy. the smart UPS comes with usb hookup that will save all your work and shut your computer down during a power failure. A plain UPS will only keep your computer running for a certain amount of time, and if power isnt restored the computer will shut off without saving anything. I use my computer all the time, even while asleep, therefore I keep it on 24/7 and reboot maybe every 3 days or so.It is 3 years old now and has yet to have a problem.
As for your hard drive, I wouldnt worry about leaving it on or off. Most HDDs have a 5-6 year life span, and leaving it on or turning it off will not shorten its life by that much. If it does fail, I would be looking at other reasons as to why it failed, not because you left it on.
2006-10-14 06:44:49 · answer #2 · answered by Jake T 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. Its best that you turn off the computer,printer, scanner,speakers, and monitor after using it. A functioning desk computer (not fileserver or mainframe (these are different systems)) should have no problems being turned off or on.
Hard drives on desk computers really cannot be turned off/on by the users (child proofing). Only sleep to save wear and tear, plus electricity.
The real reason why hard drives need to be on soft sleep is to save wear and tear, of the motor assembly. File server hard drives usually use different hardware, but due to cost and education. Its possible to use desktop computer parts.
2006-10-14 06:28:53 · answer #3 · answered by Neil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
todays hdd and pc has become more efficient
there is no longer that much problem associated with booting up and shutting down the PC
so i would suggest to shut down the PC esp laptop if you dont intend to use it in a day or within 4-5 hrs at a stretch
those sensitive laptop components could have their useful life shorten
i think leaving the PC on has a lesser impact on its durability
but laptop shut it when not in use....for prolonged period
2006-10-14 06:28:57 · answer #4 · answered by realdan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a dell desktop it is because the jolt of power to turn it on wears down the power supply, dell is known for power supplies that will wear.
2006-10-14 08:19:39 · answer #5 · answered by veronica 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is better to let your computer off, when it is not in use. The reason is because sometimes the Harddrive also needs rest. Harddrive runs (spins) whenever the computer is on, and if you computer fan (for laptop) is not that new anymore, it can easily overheated. So, turn it off when you don't use it.
2006-10-14 06:34:02 · answer #6 · answered by madaline 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you leave your computer on 24 /7 when there is a power outage your have no computer to put on the motherboard will be hit hard then its time to get your credit card out and go shopping for a new pc
& coz you have a DELL it will go boom DELL go boom fast
2006-10-14 06:13:23 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
you should keep your pc on to lessen what is called spiking, you should turn your pc on in the morning, and then keep it up for a couple days then shut it off to lessen the spikes which wear out the mother board with the initial spiking of voltage when you turn the machine on. windows can run smoothly for about 48 hours then the files start to become corrupt.
2006-10-14 06:30:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Leaving on computers no longer necessary... hard drives last longer if you turn off computer when not in use. I've worked in data centers and those hard drives are running 24/7/365. We keep one tech busy just replacing failed drives.
2006-10-14 06:17:05 · answer #9 · answered by Kainoa 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Its not better to leave it on especially for personal use. And to echo a previous response DELL does suck, I have one and my brother has one and have had nothing but problems. Their customer service leaves something to be desired as well. Good luck hun.
2006-10-14 06:21:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋