his seems very debated, and my friend ALWAYS leaves his computer running, i turn mine off whenever it's not in use, and he argues the computers BETTER running than SHUT off daily. i know the hibernate feature is put there for a reason, but i have a hard time believing this. the question is, anyone experienced in computers, or very knowledgable that can put a squash to this rumor and tell me should your computer go off daily, hibernate, or is it okay to leave it on 24-7? my friend again, has his on 24-7 and his seems to be in good shape <.<...
2007-01-27 18:14:28 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Hibernation isn't really needed unless you are really trying to save electricity or are using a laptop. My friend leaves her computer running 24/7 and I think it has only been off once or twice in the past year. Her computer is almost 5 years old and going strong. What she does do, is to set the screen saver to do its thing and the monitor to turn off after a certain while, mainly for power bill reasons. I've also made sure her USB ports shut off when not in use, but she wants the hard drive to stay powered up for some reason. Your friend is correct according to everything I have been ever told.
2007-01-27 18:30:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have left my computer running 24/7 since 2001. Mainly for the purpose I have a few personal/hobby websites that I run off the IIS web server in Win2000.
I have to replace the cpu cooling fan once every 1.5-2 years and I've had to change the power supply (only because the fan inside of it started making noise and running slow) once.
It depends on what you use it for. If you're not running a web server, then I would at the very least keep it hibernated.
The reason I say the above statement, is not so much (in my opinion) to keep wear and tear off the computer, but to simply save a couple of cents of electricity.
I have a second computer, for the kids, that also runs 24/7. No webserver on it, but no one likes to wait for it to boot up. That has been running 24/7since about 2002. I have replaced the cpu cooling fan once and thats it.
But for the record, electronic components worst enemy is heat. As long as you have cooling going on (the more the better) then isn't really subject to the common wear and tear of moving objects (that make friction). You should be able to run a computer 10 years min 24/7 without problems. Of course, the fans (which move) and hard drives (spinning motor, about every 2-3 years) will need replacing.
I personally keep the side of the computer case off. This is to help prevent a build up of heat in the case. The Case fans (if you have those) aren't nearly powerful enough to keep the inside of the case cool. Leaving the side off helps on the heat issue. In extremely hot summer months, I actually make sure I have a big square house fan pointed somewhat towards the opening of the side of the case thats open.
2007-01-27 18:29:23 · answer #2 · answered by SharpGuy 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
there are 3 negatives to leaving your computer running 24/7 besides the obvious increased power consumption.
1). If you have high-speed internet access without proper protection, there is an increased chance you will get a virus/worm etc.
2). The moving parts on the computer (fans & hard drive) will experience increased wear, although usually not enough to make a huge difference.
3). Shutting down and/or restarting your computer at least daily clears the memory (RAM), which will keep your computer running faster.
The only place I would recommend leaving a computer on 24/7 would be in a corporate environment where updates are typically pushed to the computers overnight.
2007-01-27 18:37:15 · answer #3 · answered by bowlby29 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ok, it is true that there is some wear and tear on a computer by turning it off, then on, but it really is negligible.
Now, you will save quite a bit of electricity over the long haul if you just shut it down when you are done.
The other consideration is that windows is not completely stable and has always been known to not be the best in managing its own memory, therefore, restarts are necessary to clear out the memory.
So, I would suggest just turning it off when you are done unless you are going to be using it again within the next, say.. hour or so.
Definately restart every day. Absolutely.
2007-01-27 18:23:06 · answer #4 · answered by James F 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
This depends on how often you use your computer. If you use it very rarely, it should be turned off when not in use. However, if you are frequently on it, leaving it on is beneficial rather than shutting it down and rebooting it often -- which can cause damage to your components over time and decrease the life expectancy of parts.
If you use your computer semi-often to often, the hibernate or sleep features are great for decreased power consumption.
2007-01-27 18:22:12 · answer #5 · answered by d3v10u5b0y 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Turning it on and off is good because it will shut down programs and starting it will install updates and other things. Also, leaving it on draws heat and electricity to it all the time.
Turn off your computer once a week or every few days.
I know someone equated it to leaving the TV on or the microwave when not in use, do you think computers are less complex?
2007-01-27 18:20:02 · answer #6 · answered by always under siege 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
OMG, I asked the same question the other day
My friend leaves her computer on 24/7
and she said its better than to turn it off and on
BUT I see her computer freezes all the time, so it looks to me her computer gets lags alot, and ends up having to reboot anyway.
So in my opinion its better to turn it off like you do.
I do the same, even if i'm not going to be on the computer for 2 hours.
2007-01-27 18:22:13 · answer #7 · answered by Leigh 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's not the best idea to leave it running 24/7 unless you got money and want to buy parts for it, and besides then your really open for attacks or hackers. Leavign it on is not good you got power fan, cpu fan, memory sticks, motherboard, harddrive they all heat up. The only time I leave my pc on is when I'm just being a nice guy and uploading my music to world or even I'm downloading movie
2007-01-27 18:21:10 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I used to leave mine running but the fan had to be replaced within a year so I went back to shutting down at least a couple times a week.
2007-01-27 18:23:28 · answer #9 · answered by dreamgirl 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
my uncle'computer is running for last 4 years 24/7(a tv channel runs from the computer so it runs all the time).its a normal pc with dual monitor,512ram,80gb harddisk,P4.
its running quite well.
and there is no AC installed in the room.
2007-01-27 18:34:32 · answer #10 · answered by its easy 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋