Should I turn my computer off overnight?

Question

someone told me its bad for my computer to turn it on and off often.
should I just leave it on all the time?
will this use up lots of electricity?

Answer 1

I just replaced my last computer, not because it died, but because it was 10 years old---I needed to get with the times.

That computer was only shut off if the power went out, if a bad electrical storm approached or to add/change hardware like a hard disk or add on card.

The myth that turning your computer off when not being used for an extended period of time will save your system is still debated. Fact is that each time you power up the system, you send a surge into your components which will eventually cause them to fail.....keeping your system on will eventually cause your system components to fail........It doesn't really matter.......10 years of almost 97% uptime has shown me that you can leave the computer on...turn the monitor off.

As for electricity....the biggest user of electricity is your monitor (old style and new lcd's). A computer only takes about 5 - 10 watts of electricity without the monitor....about a 5-10 watt light bulb...........The energy savings of turning off your system is negligible

Answer 2

As far as electrical consumption goes, most computers really don't use near as much electricity as you may think.

At any given time in my house I have 4+ computers running and haven't noticed any large increase in energy consumption.

Is it bad to turn your computer off and on. Meh....it's debatable. Think about it like a light bulb. A light bulb will actually burn for more time if you were to leave it on as compared to the constant flipping of the switch because the initial surge of electricity is what's hardest on the bulb. However it's not really going to be that big of a difference. As far as life span goes.

I have had computer that were on 24/7 for years and years without dying. I prefer to leave mine on all the time, just convenient so you don't have to wait for the computer to boot.

There also seems to be a misconception with what people are calling "rest" for a computer. A computer does not need rest. It is not a human. What it does need is to be rebooted once a day or every other day or so if you DO keep it on all the time. This is to clear the memory, not so it can "catch some Z's" When your memory gets full it is hindering the performance.

Even if your computer is hibernating, that is not the same as rebooting, you will still need to reboot from time-to-time.

And about that hacking nonsense. Don't listen to that garbage. That's yet another misconception. Hackers aren't constantly pinging your computer looking for a way to get it. The most common form of "hacking" (can't even call it that) done on your computer is when you are downloading an infected file and open it, or the spyware/adware you get from surfing the web.
As I said, I have 4 or more computers running in my home all the time and have no virus problems or "hacking" problems.

Answer 3

Mine is on all the time, except in the summer during storm season if I'm going to be away from the house, even for an hour or so. I unplug it from the electrical outlet and the telepone jack. Lightning seldom hits a phone line, but it can zap the electrical wiring.

The only thing about leaving it on all the time is that it slowly uses resources. Just restart it in the morning before using it. I do turn off the monitor.

I don't use "hibernate", so I don't know about that. You could try.

Answer 4

with pentium 4, its exactly the same if you turn it off or not overnight. They're designed to stay on. (just turn off your monitor if you're not using. That will save you electriciy)
At my work we never turn off the computers, just like once or twice a month to do a hardware maitenance. So yeah, I heard those rumours too, but they're not true. Nothing will happen if your computer stays on during the night, and you can even download some videos or mp3 or whatever while you sleep. I do that sometimes at home, lol.

Answer 5

any electronic component when not in use must be turned off. this would save electricity and help your equipment last long. theres no reason for you to turn it off and on all the while, unless you're some kind of ahhhhhhh..........

i have worked with lots of computers of different brands, though im not a computer wizard! my pc at work is on 24/7 likewise my pc at home. i dont turn them off because it would interrupt my downloads.

Answer 6

Yes it is hard on the computer, but it is better than having a hacker hacking into your computer overnight which is the time frame they tend to target computers which will cost you more money and possibly your identity.

Answer 7

Laptop: Yes
Desktop not necessarily they build to last long.. As long as you have a good firewall and not running a lot of programs. If yes, then restart no, shut down wait for memory to clear and start so it'll run faster. Programs in these days eact a lot of memory.. :)

Answer 8

that's appropriate, just about all digital units nevertheless use electrical energy even nevertheless they're became off. in actuality, some use greater whilst they're became off than whilst they're became on. It does not harm to unplug your computer, or the different digital gadget, whilst they're became off. i might propose it, you will even shop some $$ on your electrical energy invoice and, howdy, it incredibly is greater effective for the ambience too.

Answer 9

no, you need to turn it off. It doesnt hurt it... sometimes letting your computer ''sleep'' just like you, helps it. I dont knwo why but sometimes when I forget to turn mine off, it is slow when I use it the next day. So, I usually turn it off then back on and it works great then...

Answer 10

well i was told never to turn off your monitor, i shut down my computer but leave the monitor on the light switches to orange when not in use