Desktops: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
Re:
by 109 - 11/28/04 11:55 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantiger2 separate issues.
A. when power is turned off or on "spikes" are generated which must be "killed" by the PS or they may damage components. Need a quality-built PS.
B. Heat ages all electronic components. Higher temp and longer run-time means shorter life. Monitor temps in the tray with MBM5 or similar program. Improve cooling, lower temps. I run 7 fans in my "big one".
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by pottermarc2 - 11/29/04 8:13 AM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerHi can't give the answer to you question BUT There are a number of reasons why turning of your computer might make sense. 1) if you are on broadband you are leaving it open to hackers. 2)another more important consideration is at what brilliance do you run your system and do you have a screan saver operating. If not worried by the hacker problem, you can of course leave the computer on BUT SWITCH THE VDU OFF
Marcus
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by computquest - 12/11/04 6:22 AM In reply to: Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by pottermarc2I have thought the same thing about the brightness of the monitor screen. Brighter draws more power from the power supply and causes more heat in a CRT-based monitor and will shorten the life of the illumination components in an LCD type.
Re:
by Harm - 11/29/04 3:16 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI used to switch off the Peer to Peer LAN because of the Printers.
I have now a setting that the Printers are switched off and the PCS keep running, with the Monitors on Blanc.
As an MS in Industrial Engineering it makes sense to keep an electric current at all times on the system, especially with a Voltage/Hz - Stabilizer, BUT it must be a good system.
If the system is below 99% you may as well switch off all units if the interval to switching "on" is above 8 hours.
Below that keep the staff "On". It does not "run". It simply has current.
You can always adjust your Applications (Programs) to run at a time you want.
Basically switching "on" and "off" consumes more Power, and it works like a mechanical interference, i.e. a lever-action or similar.
People comparing it to a Candescent Lamp are wrong.
The lamp is "working" when "on". The PC is not, it is simply connected.
Any type of Monitor should be switched off, whereas LCD Monitors have (or should have) a life-span more than a human being.
Regards,
Harm G. Frey
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by tufluke - 11/29/04 6:27 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI am by no means an expert on HDD's but I have heard that turning your pc on /off regulary will deteriorate the life of the motor. They are very small and spinning the disc's of the drive to 56-7200 RPM's takes quite a bit from them. IT guys have told me that if the PC will not be used for an extended period of time (entire weekend) turn it off, otherwise it's easier on the drive motor to leave it running or use sleep mode. Hope this helps.
Re:Turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by toyotadyna - 11/29/04 8:24 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerThe theory is that by leaving the computer running, the components stay at operating temperature with constant current. Turning a computer on involves sending an initial surge of current to each part, then it warms up. Most electrical appliances fail at startup because of this surge.
If the computer is turned off after use, the theory says that continued expansion and contraction of parts, due to temperature variations, may cause stress cracks and failure.
Having said all that, I would like to say that I live in Australia, where the power is not reliable enough to leave ANYTHING on if it's not in use. The last glitch saw us supplied with 360V, which destroyed some of my equipment. (My surge-protector exploded)
Re:
by The_One - 11/29/04 8:34 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantiger"well i heard that not turning off your pc will let your pc 'last' more longer, is that true? what kind of pc is suitable for that and what kind is not?"
Generally speaking, turning on and off, on and off, on and off, is bad for any electrical appliance. It burns the wires, circuit and what-not faster (Try it out with a spare lightbulb if you want...)
Also, generally speaking, you'd only want to leave your computer on if you or your computer falls into the following simple category(s):
-A Server computer
-Too slow, and you don't want to waste 5 minutes to wait for it to boot up (Hey, that's what happens with my AMD K-6 266Mhz running Windows 2K... it literally takes 5 minutes or so to start up).
-You believe in the urban myth that turning off your computer DRASTICALLY reduces it's life...
-The computer is a workstation computer that needs to be left on for long periods of time on end to process information (E.g.: A computer used to render 3D Animations with ray-tracing and other CPU intensive tasks)
-Too lazy to turn your computer on and off all the time
Other then that, for an average Joe, there really isn't any reason to leave your computer on.
As for reasons why you might not want to leave it on...:
-Threats of Crackers (CRACKERS, NOT Hackers... Hackers are the "good guys"... Hackers are the people who work in the Pentagon protecting you "innocent" people from vicious CRACKERS), Trojans, Viruses, Worms, and other computer threats and malicious codes.
-You have a fast computer that will boot up in less then 30 seconds, so it doesn't matter if you turn off your computer
-You don't use the computer often, so it's saves power to leave the computer off.
Hmm... seems like my mind is blank. I think the biggest factor to whether or not you want to leave your computer on or off is the follow 3 points:
-Threat of crackers, viruses, trojans, worms, etc... (Basically, your paranoia factor)
-Electric Bills (Don't be surprised to see a drop of at least 30 bucks per month if you leave your computer off for at least 12 hours a day)
-The length of time it takes to boot up your computer (This actually seems to be one of THE main deciding factor for many people I know -- yes, many people I know still have their 486 or 286, including myself).
This wraps up my humble post with a word count of a mere 433 words.
-From your friendly neighbor, Bob Chance.
Re: turning off PC = Good/Bad<Can't Hack a Puter that's OFF
by sstyan - 11/30/04 6:05 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI have several opinions on why I think computers should be turned OFF.
I could be wrong but I have never heard of anyone hacking into a computer that is turned off.
Also, being employed at an electric utility I would say that, in general, people in North America have no idea how close the "grid" is to failing. Turn the computer off and give the electrical utility system a break.
Oh, and I agree with those that mention dust (and therefore heat) build up in computers that are alway on.
Also, fans, the main source of cooling in most computers have "mean time between failures" ratings in hours. The more hours the fans run, the closer they get to failing,... and once they fail,... well, you get the picture.
Re:
by Z-Man - 12/1/04 2:40 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI've had some cases of computers left on, or turned off that have been left pluged in and a power surge or a near lighting strike has distroted the mother board and power supply. If you live in an area that tends to get a lot of lighting strikes or power surges, blinks, or brownouts then by all means turn it off and disconnect it from power if your not going to be around. As for the rest of you, it's up to you, personally if I'm not useing it , it's off and disconnected from power.
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by guitarguynboston - 12/2/04 1:33 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI leave my PC on all the time and only reboot it when running updates or turn it off to install hardware. Sometimes the PC is left on for a few months. I've never encountered any problems from this. My computer is now over 2 years old and still runs great.
You will get dust no matter what in the tower. Its the same with anything in your house. Its a good idea to clean it out every once in a while. Plus using hibernate or standy saves you money on electricity compared to starting up the machine multiple times a day and never mind time consuming if you have an older PC.
However if you don't use your PC everyday its probably better to turn it off to save you money on your electricity bill.
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by keyhoti - 12/3/04 4:19 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerWell I haven't read the 509(?) posts here, but I used to leave my computer on far more than I do now, because I read some opinion that this was best ... maybe I confused leaving on fluorescent tubes, which use extra power at startup!
Anyway I had a breakdown which turned out to be due to dust accumulation and, of course, naturally fan motors will wear out the longer they are run; so now I shut down whenever I know I won't want my machine for a while.
An added advantage, in part because I have "System and Internet Washer" which is scheduled to do a clean-up when I shut down - but in any case a reboot doesn't hurt (far from it) - surely it makes sense to shut down?
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by sherry mendelson - 12/4/04 7:59 AM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI would like to know what's best for the computer also. I have a laptop which I presently shut off when it's not in use.
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by cyber-codger - 12/4/04 12:28 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerPersonally, I find that turning off the computer is advantageous for several reasons:
1. If your work area is carpeted, your unit will inhale an extraordinary amount of dust. It will on a hard floor too, but not as much as on carpet.
2.The only reason to leave the unit on would be to maintain temperature. If your work area is air conditioned, that is not a factor.
3.Security is much greater with the unit off, as it cannot be accessed online, unless you have installed some "remote startup" software.
4.Every time you shut the unit down, it cleans the memory; and if you run a startup virus scan, you can restart with the reassurance of a "probably" clean machine.
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by letmrun - 12/5/04 7:35 AM In reply to: Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by cyber-codgerTo those who are worried about wear and tear by shutting their systems down every day I say go ahead and shut her down.
This subject has been hot since I've bought my computer in Oct. 98. I've got an old Compaq Presario that's over 6 yrs. old.
I'm on my computer every day, at least 45-50 hours a week. It gets shut down at least twice a day and probably average 3 shut downs a day.....sometimes more (thats about 6,570 shut downs). I also run my maintenance wizard every 10-14 days. I've never had a problem and will treat my new computer the same way if this old thing ever dies.
Re: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad
by zzmel - 12/5/04 10:19 PM In reply to: "turning off PC" = Good/Bad by tyrantigerI leave my computer on during day, off at night
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