Is it really bad to leave PC on 24/7?

Fruball

I heard that it was bad to keep turning your PC on and off each day so I have been keeping mine on permanently and just turning the screen and printer off each time I have finished using it.

I check my emails regularly (at least 4 times a day) and pop on MSE etc when I get a few mins so wouldn't like to have it switched off in the day, but would I be saving much if I turn it off at night?

I hate the time it takes to load up but if it saves a decent amount of electricity then I will.

Thank you all - I love the OS board and have saved LOADS since finding it.

You are all fab :beer:

SassyMoneySaver

I have my computer on 24/7 too and just swtich off the screen and printer etc. So this question is very apt for me too.

painted_lady

Dont know any of the technics, but we constantly have the pc on, printer etc off, but the lap top is usually only on during waking hours (runs on mains because battery makes screen dull and we cant see it properly).
When my DS was a newborn, it sounded like a power station in the computer room with the computers and the noise seemed to calm him and help him sleep, hence he slept in there and it was worth every penny it might have cost!

Obukit

The average desktop PC uses 80W of power when idle. Say you're using it for 2 hours a day on average, that means that there's 22 hours usage when it's being used when it could otherwise be switched off - that's 1.76Kwh, or almost £100 over the course of a year if you're paying 15p/Kwh :eek:

Of course, there's loads of variables to take into account. If you have a new computer, or a laptop, then it may be more efficient. Also, you could use your computer for more of the day, especially if you work at home, and some of the "wasted" energy may actually be useful, e.g. heat is useful in winter. However, it's still a lot of electricity to waste - apparently 1.5bn Kwh per year, which is £115m and 7m tons of carbon!

You can easily save some of the energy and still have your computer back quickly by using the "Hibernate" (not Standby, this still uses leccy) function - this saves what you're doing to your computer's hard disk so you can switch back on and start where you left off. Instructions on how to do that are here .

annie123

How do you get it out of hibernation?

Penelope_Penguin

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Protocol45

Nothing wrong with leaving it on 24/7, unless your fickle about energy use.
I leave mine on and just turn off the screen. Its not a problem.

DatabaseError

I also leave my PC on most of the time, but I don't consider the electricity wasted because I run an application called Folding @ Home, which, without being technical (mainly because most of it is over my head )helps in the search for a cure for cancer. The program costs nothing to use and, as it runs as a background process, doesn't affect the performance of the PC.

superscaper

My view is that it's just a waste leaving your PC on when not in use. A waste financially, environmentally and lifetime of components. I disconnect my PC and peripheral from the mains every night. Just my personal opinion (although I am an electronic engineer).

As for the [EMAIL="folding@home"]folding@home[/EMAIL], I used to do that myself years ago. Also did [EMAIL="seti@home"]seti@home[/EMAIL] before that. Found it too detrimental in the end to be constantly thrashing the processor. Also I think we'll eventually find such home grid computing taken over and supersceded by dedicated computers (i.e. quantum computers) so I have no problem morally not doing it.

BillScarab

Personally I don't think it does any real harm to leave it on 24/7, it just seems a bit pointless leaving it on when you're not using it. I work in IT and we leave machines on for months, even years sometimes but they need to be available all of the time. My PC at home gets switched off when it's not in use, the only time it is left on overnight is if I'm downloading a large file or running a backup or similar.

timbim_2

Well, it would seem that grid computing is on the way in, as a result of CERN, which needs a huge amount of muscle. It makes sense for say companies whose systems are idle overnight, and while contributing they recieve credits, and con use them to borrow computing from other members when they need it or sell them for profit. Makes sense for companies who keep their machines on but idling overnight. Of course, the internet infrastructure will need to improve before any of this could happen on a large scale.