which is best for a computer?

Question

this is an age-old question that i still don't have a real answer to. which is better for a computer: leaving it on 24/7 and letting it snooze, or turning it off every night? and is there any difference in the answer when you are talking about a laptop versus a desktop? thanks!

Answer 1

Yes and this is asked on here every week. I can't really find any GOOD reason to leave your computer on all night except people that say it takes to long to boot up. (which means they need a new computer)
First your are using power all night that you don't need.
Second Windows needs a restart every so many days anyways. That really depends on how much you use it, but leaving Windows Running for a whole month even with out restarting it, can cause problems.
Third, There are parts in your computer that wear out over time. there are Motors, and fans and so forth had can wear out. These types of parts have been tested for some thousands of hours, but just leaving this parts run doesn't make sense?
Forth, would you leave your car running all night? No? because it cost money, you know there are parts on your car that well go out. so we don't do it!
There is really no good reason to leave your computer on all night long! Maybe ever so often if you have dial up and you are downloading some updates, but thats an exception.
Some years ago the word got around that when you turn your computer on and off again that it would wear it out! this is true if people were doing it 10 -15 times a day! (Turn the computer on, check e-mail, turn it off, Turn computer on, check e-mail, turn it off).
I turn my computer on in the morning, I put it in Stand-by through out the day when I'm not using it. Then I turn it off at night! Its really easy!

Answer 2

Depends on the computer.

The issue is cooling. Heat is the enemy of any electronics gear, be it a computer or TV or stereo. For a laptop, I wouldn't leave it on all the time because laptops don't dissipate heat well. Ever noticed how hot the bottom of some of them get sitting on your lap?

For a desktop, cooling isn't as much of an issue, providing it's a good chassis design. I have a Dell (8300 - 4 years old maybe) with one of those huge empty space towers - I've never had any hardware problems with it. I leave it turned on most of the time. My wife has a Dell (4600 - 2 years old maybe) in one of those slim line chassis. She leaves hers turned on almost all the time (more than I do). With my wife's computer we've replaced the CPU cooler, the power supply, the hard disk and the DVD RW drive.

Consider that a fan is a mechanical device, the bearings can spin out the lubricant over time. If the chassis prevents good air flow and convection of heat off the components, then the fan is going to run constantly. Eventually the fan will spin slower or stop all together - then the components in your computer start to fail.

For the operating system. In my humble opinion, windows needs to be cold started (power up vs restart) from time to time. Some applications don't give back the memory they use, it's called a memory leak in the business. Doing a restart clears out the memory of any bits that an application didn't free up when it's supposed to. It's extremely common in software to have memory leaks.

Answer 3

Apparently it's better for the computer to be left on but better for the environment if you turn it off at the mains!
The main difference between a desktop and a laptop is a desktop can be updated much easier than a laptop can so you can upgrade without buying an entire new machine.

Answer 4

There is no problem to leave it 24/7 except the power consummation. There are some transitional processes when you turn on and off computer or "wake". The current goes high for a part of the second the overcoming of the friction forces at the beginning and so on..... so my advice is keep it on. You may turn off only the monitor. I'm keeping turned on my PC 24/7 except when the software crashes.

Answer 5

well computers could run for an eternity if they maintained a cool temp, may i ask why you would want a computer to be on 24/7, a server? well it doesn't matter bossiness on offices never turn off the computers and run just fine the next morning, but if you were to leave it on all the time i suggest add an extra fan or 2 and keep dusting more often so don't overheat. as if you care but turning on and off a computer consumes allot of power at the start up, its kinda like what they tell you with the a/c just leave it on at 75* don't turn it on and off it consumes lot of power when starting.

Answer 6

Every one has their own opinion on this one. The argument for leaving your pc on is that starting it up every time puts more strain on the hardware/processor than just leaving it on. There are some people who claim they have left their computer on for years at and end without any ill effect. However, I am neurotic and boot mine off every night. I think that if there are any lurking errors they are often cancelled by booting off. How often haven't you found that if your computer is 'frozen' the only thing that miraculously restores everything is simply by rebooting. That said, the internet is a whole other story. Despite all the different kinds of security I never ever leave my internet connection on for extended periods. The longer you are on, the better the chances of a hacker of getting into your pc.

Answer 7

Laptops are not really designed to be on constantly, so I wouldn't do it. Desktops are ok but it will shorten it's life by a few years (though by that time it may be out of date). Mine Is usually on all the time because it's an internet gateway, with the odd reboot now and again.

Answer 8

i've no clue about a laptop because i don't actually own one.. but there's nothing wrong with putting it in sleep/hibernation mode for maybe 3 days in a row at the most?

Answer 9

I heard somewhere that it may affect your processing power, but i'm not sure if thats true.