Computer - Better to Turn Off or Leave On?

Superscrooge

My desktop computer is switched on most of the time when I am at home. But I have always turned it off when leaving the house.to save electricity.

Recently I've been advised that turning modern computers on and off several times a day is not good for them. They use very little power when they go into 'sleep mode' and that it would be more sensible to just switch off overnight.

Anyone got any views?

agrinnall

I certainly don't think you're going to save much on your electricity bill, even switching it off overnight will probably only save pennies each year. So your main concern should be whether powering down and up is shortening the life of components that will cost much more to replace should they fail. If the system has a mechanical hard drive it's the most likely part to be affected. My laptop with a SSD is turned off overnight or if I'm leaving it for more than a few hours, while my laptop with a hard drive is really only turned off when I'm flying or maybe once a week to do a restart to apply updates.

prowla

I switch off my computer when I'm not using it.

GunJack

a desktop I would leave on, it will help reduce wear & tear on many components. I would also turn off the sleep and hibernate functions (in power options) for the above reason and also less chance of the hibernate file corrupting (vista was bad for this) often resulting in a rebuild being required...let the display turn off when not in use by all means

bsod

Urban myth, why would you leave something on that isn't being used.

Turning off sleep and hibernate on top is going to pointlessly up your electricity bill significantly.

Double_V

I leave my desktop tuned on everyday.
Sunday is the only day when its completely shut. (cleaning room, behind desk etc).
I use my computer all the time and when not in use it goes into standby mode.

Le_Kirk

agrinnall wrote: »

I certainly don't think you're going to save much on your electricity bill, even switching it off overnight will probably only save pennies each year.

bsod wrote: »

Turning off sleep and hibernate on top is going to pointlessly up your electricity bill significantly.

There you are, pick the answer you want!

HappyMJ

Leaving the computer on saves money on your heating bill....

AndyPix

Turn your computer off when you're not using it .
A fresh start when you start working is always best ..
No residual processes running etc from your previous use, you should find your computer performs better.

qsk

HappyMJ wrote: »

Leaving the computer on saves money on your heating bill....

You can't be serious.
It actually keeps you cool with a constant running fan...

AndyPix

qsk wrote: »

You can't be serious.
It actually keeps you cool with a constant running fan...

The constant running fan that is blowing warm air out the back of your machine you mean ..