i plan to keep my pc on like for 6 months, will this damage it?
2007-07-28 03:04:29 · 9 answers · asked by Chukuta 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
not really but without reboots the memory will slowly but surely be eaten up. it is good to reboot computer atleast once every 72 hours depending on how much ram and what type of proccessor you have. my computer has been on almost 3 years now, i reboot every 3 days or when needed. i do however turn off my monitor when i am not using my pc.
2007-07-28 03:10:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Potentially, it could.
Like most of the users said here, the longer that a PC is run, there's a greater chance that hardware, be it integral to the system or not, will fail.
Fans and things of that nature generally have a life of "x' amount of hours - just like the lightbulbs that you buy. More often than not, fans (both CPU and case fans) will last far longer than what the package claims their longevity is - but, you can't always be sure when something is going to give out and when it isn't.
Worst case scenario, is that if left on for a long period of time, heat will begin to build inside of your case. This isn't a problem so long as the cooling fans are operating and the inside of the case itself isn't caked in dust - but, there's always the ballpark chance that at any time, a fan of some sort could fail, and the heat inside of your case will begin to rapidly rise.
Worst-WORST case scenario, is that your CPU fan will fail. In that case, heat won't be drawn off of the heatsink that's helping to cool your CPU - the processor will begin to overheat, but most PC BIOS have fail-safes that will shut down a PC when the core temperature of the PC reaches an unsafe temperature.
I've left my PC on for weeks and weeks on end without any, major issue - but, if you're going to do this, it wouldn't hurt to make a few checks in preparation for it:
Go ahead and pull your case apart and THOROUGHLY dust it out. Cans of compressed air from the store work great, but I use an air compressor to do mine with. Either/or is fine, but make sure that you're careful if you do use a standard compressor - high PSI might damage your mainboard. Also, be mindful of static when you're reaching in and around your case. Be sure to ground yourself out before touching any components inside of the case itself.
Also, check all of your fans to ensure that they are working. No sense in "playing with fire", as it is.
Last thing - ensure that there's enough open-air around your case so that it can breathe.
With these things in mind, your PC should be fine with running for such a long, period of time. Just keep an eye on it.
2007-07-28 03:18:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
it wont damage it although parts can still wear out. what will happen is that when you leave the computer on for any length of time , the operating system gets degraded and sooner or later programs will not work the way they are suppose to. at work we have a computer we leave on all the time and about once every month we have to shut it off and reboot it because the programs get screwed up and don't work properly!!!
2007-07-28 03:09:57 · answer #3 · answered by george 2 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most likely not. BUT take note that NO computer was designed w/ lots of computing power to just run and run without doing anything except waste electricity and contribute more to global warming. But if your PC will run as a server, then that is another thing.
2007-07-28 03:12:19 · answer #4 · answered by Karz 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No not neccessarily.
I would set it to hibernate or standby when not in use though.
I would set the hard disks to shut off after a few hours to cut down on some of the wear and tear on the hard drive.
You can adjust all this in Control Panel under power settings.
2007-07-28 03:07:12 · answer #5 · answered by Geek Girl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
answer is yes and no keeping a system powered up indefintiely will not actually CAUSE a problem but moving parts wear when moving k so it may shorten the lifetime of some components. keep it blown clean to avoid heat buildup as this is one of the most common causes of system failures
2007-07-28 03:10:39 · answer #6 · answered by Steve 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no
i've had my desktop on since jan 2003 i turn it off once every one or two weeks and reboot.
i have gone through 2 hard drives though, but then again i download tons of tv shows using bittorrent
bn
2007-07-28 06:37:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
6 months != infinity
Many of my servers have been powered on for over 3 years, so its not a problem.
2007-07-28 03:08:17 · answer #8 · answered by Linux OS 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No it will not bother it. You shouldn't leave your monitor on unless you use a screen saver because you may burn an image into the screen.
2007-07-28 03:10:30 · answer #9 · answered by Cedaar 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋