2007-01-06 23:09:24 · 15 answers · asked by gordon t 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
If you use it regularly, it will last longer if you leave it on all the time rather than turning it off every night and back on every morning. Computers suffer from the same problem that causes most light bulbs to burn out - after it has been turned off and cooled down, turning it on causes certain parts to heat up very quickly. This causes uneven expansion of the metal, which will eventually lead to the part cracking and burning out. That's why you have probably never seen a light bulb burn out except when its first turned on.
2007-01-06 23:21:53 · answer #1 · answered by Rocking J in Oklahoma 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually leaving your PC on all the time is the best way to prolong its life. Every time you turn your PC on from cold it suffers a thermal shock, and that does more harm to your components in the long term than anything else. Without these shocks your pc will last longer. However, if you factor in the extra energy costs for the electricity you burn (not to mention the environmental cost of that) it would be hard to prove any meaningful overall saving in terms of 'total cost of ownership'. I asked a an engineer who runs an industrial testing lab and this is what I was told
2007-01-07 07:19:12 · answer #2 · answered by nealo d 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For up to a couple of days is fine - (Home computer)
You will need a PC with a decent fan but it should be fine.
Never leave the screen on though all the time. Doing so risks an image of the display being "burned" onto the monitor and being permanent.
2007-01-07 07:11:07 · answer #3 · answered by Chεεrs [uk] 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
both ways are workable it depends on usage. The hardest thing in electronics is to realize the surge of energy that goes through the power supply on start up the most critical time is the initial powerup until the system is up and running . Ever seen a light bulb blow while it is on, hardly ever, most of the time it blows when you turn it on .
If your a daily user leaving it on would be fine just be sure you have a screen saver to protect your screen from having images burned in the display.
2007-01-07 07:30:48 · answer #4 · answered by Dennis G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some people argue that switching a computer off and on is hard on the components. Some argue that these components have only a limited life time and leaving it on will shorten this life time further. A good reason for switching your computer off is to clear the memory which can improve the performance.
2007-01-07 07:21:07 · answer #5 · answered by charlie 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the CPU is old then the CPU will use unessary usage which can only be changed after the restart. The fans will also wear out and possaibly break causeing heating dmg to componets in the case.
2007-01-07 07:21:50 · answer #6 · answered by Jimmy D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No its probably actualy more beneficial than turning it off all the time. When you turn on the PC there may be powerspikes and the hard drive doesn't respond well to being turned off and on all the time.
The only problem with being on all the time is electricity bills
2007-01-07 07:54:10 · answer #7 · answered by Gordon B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not unnecessarily. In fact if you are using MacOS it is good in that the maintainence scripts run automatically at the proper time and log files are rotated as needed. You only need to reboot when a software install requires it.
2007-01-07 07:42:16 · answer #8 · answered by johndeereman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It's actually better to have it on then to switch it on and off all the time that way your system will stay at a steady heat level. But I wouldn't have it on ALL the time as that could decrease the overall lifetime of your PC.
2007-01-07 07:12:42 · answer #9 · answered by greek_spam 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I always close mine down at night or if I go out
I never leave it on if I'm not home,its better to
be safe than sorry. ok
2007-01-07 07:54:21 · answer #10 · answered by shirley m 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋