I remember catching some bit on a computer show about how the host said that he never turned his computer off, because it was hard on it to startup and shutdown all the time, and that it was better to just leave it on all the time.
But I'm beginning to wonder if this person was wrong, and it is better to turn it off at night? It seems like it accumulates alot of dust and hair around the fans too. I wonder if that was the cause, and is there a way to fix that?
Can someone help me out with my (multi-part) question?
2007-09-01 06:43:07 · 5 answers · asked by Lacinda 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
There are programs that I usually keep running all night (I won't say what, but you can guess), so I would like these programs to stay running and doing their thing, also.
2007-09-01 07:08:23 · update #1
I explain this essentially as personal preference. I have my parents computer set to only put the screen to sleep so all they have to do is bump the mouse and they are ready go. It's good for the impatient types... Also if you frequently leave your computer doing long jobs like defragging the hard drive or downloading torrents. This function also draws the most power as the CPUis working fairly hard all the time.
The next option is let the computer go to sleep when it is idle. This draws only about 1/10th or less of the power. This function wasn't widely implemented until the energy star requirements but is saves a lot of power and is still ready to go fairly quickly.
The last option that I use is to turn off the computer when I'm not using it. A decade ago this used to be very hard on the computer components as there is a small surge of power as it is first turned on (You'll notice that is when light bulbs most frequently burn out). However the technology of the last decade has vastly improved and it is no more dangerous to turn it off than it is to leave it on and off saves the most power (as an aside I have a power strip I also turn off because my speakers/scanner/router/modem/monitor also sit there burning power to various degrees in sleep modes as well).
It just depends if you are environmentally conscious or consider the convenience worth the extra energy bill.
2007-09-01 06:56:36 · answer #1 · answered by disruption_grey 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's better to leave the PC on, but it's not a big problem if you shut it down. Regarding dust and hair, you can buy an industrial blower and use it to clean the PC's case and keyboard for about $10 or so.
Air blowing your system, keeps fans and heat-sinks (things that cool the CPU and other parts) clean, thus in a better condition.
2007-09-01 07:00:52 · answer #2 · answered by zibilov 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Turn it off because it wastes electricity and heats your house. It is not technically hard on the pc to turn it off when you are done with it for the day. It's harder on it to leave it on 24/7 because it kills the fan on the box, resulting in frying the hard drive.
If you are leaving the house or going to bed for the night, turn it off so you don't waste electricity.
2007-09-01 06:51:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although your computer is most vulnerable at startup and shut down, this is outweighed by the sheer amount of energy you waste leaving it on.
You will save time/power/reduce risk by hibernating rather than shutting down
2007-09-01 06:48:59 · answer #4 · answered by Andy D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
things that were once true of computers have changed with advances in technology. we had screensavers so an image would not "burn" to the screen. that doesn't happen now. if you don't plan to use your computer for short periods of time, turn off hte monitor to save electricity. for long periods, shut it down totally.
2007-09-01 06:52:42 · answer #5 · answered by wendy_da_goodlil_witch 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋