# Turn it off or leave it on?



## vr2jetta (Aug 29, 2009)

Should I turn my computer off at night or leave it run? I have heard (somewhere) that leaving it on is better than re-starting it up everyday. I have been leaving it on constantly for the simple fact I dont have to wait for it to start up when I want to use it. Any input would be helpful.


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## StrangleHold (Aug 29, 2009)

This has been talked about a few times. It really doesnt matter. I have left them on and off. As far as failure rate, there hasnt been any difference.


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## bomberboysk (Aug 29, 2009)

I leave mine on, and while it does put more load on hard drives, processors, the capacitors on mainboards and power supplies, havent had any failures between this and the rigs that are only on during the day.


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## aviation_man (Aug 29, 2009)

Can you put it to sleep? There's less wait when putting it to sleep. 
Although it depends on how fast your hardware is  
Mine wakes up in about 2 seconds or less..


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## vr2jetta (Aug 29, 2009)

Thanks for the input.




aviation_man said:


> Can you put it to sleep?



I will have to look into this. Thanks again.


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 29, 2009)

I say reset it to refesh once a week, otherwise keep it on


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## tremmor (Aug 29, 2009)

lots of opinions here. maybe your all right. i have several and everybody knows the rules. if you turn it on then it stays on for the day. goes off once a day. always during a storm.


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## Fatback (Aug 29, 2009)

I cut mine off every night because I always have and I don't mind waiting for it to boot up. If you just won't boot up to be quicker then just put it to sleep it will only take 10 seconds at most. On my ASUS motherboard I have a thing call Al Nap and I set it so when I push my power button it puts my computer in to sleep.


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## Shane (Aug 29, 2009)

Well you may all laugh at this but....i try to save energy whenever i can....helps with the bills too 

I turn mine off whenever im not using it,I dont mind waiting for it to boot up either.

only time i leave it on is when its downloading something huge.


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## diduknowthat (Aug 30, 2009)

I turn mine off during the night, don't see the point of having a computer running and using up electricity. It's like leaving 5 or so 60 watt lightbulbs on with no purpose!


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## tremmor (Aug 30, 2009)

leaving the computer on in idle state does not bother me. 
Grand kids all over the basement, computer rooms, while on the computer and tv running. lights on everywhere all the time.  pretty much a normal in this house.


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## aviation_man (Aug 30, 2009)

Nevakonaza said:


> helps with the bills too



SO true ^
There really isn't a purpose to leave it on all night - your computer does nothing unless downloading.


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## vr2jetta (Aug 30, 2009)

diduknowthat said:


> It's like leaving 5 or so 60 watt lightbulbs on with no purpose!



Does it really use that much electricity?


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## joebob1235 (Aug 30, 2009)

well depends on ur setup


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## bomberboysk (Aug 30, 2009)

vr2jetta said:


> Does it really use that much electricity?


More perhaps if its a high end rig, mine draws around 500W load, which is because i have it folding 24/7.

Lower end systems at idle draw considerably less power though.


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## aviation_man (Aug 30, 2009)

bomberboysk said:


> folding 24/7.



+1.


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## 2048Megabytes (Aug 30, 2009)

Some processors are 130 Watt like the Intel i7 series.  Granted most computers have a sleep (standby) mode which causes the system to go into a low power state.  I am guessing most systems in standby mode consume around 60 to 100 Watts per hour but it really does depend on what system you have.

I shut my system down if I am going to be away from it for more than an hour as I hate paying the power bill.  I can wait about 75 seconds it takes to start up my computer.


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## ganzey (Aug 30, 2009)

dont put in sleep mode, use hibernate


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## aviation_man (Aug 30, 2009)

ganzey said:


> dont put in sleep mode, use hibernate



They'll both work well. Either or is fine.


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## Bodaggit23 (Aug 30, 2009)

I turn all my pc's off at night, and I don't let them run unless I'm using them, or I'm going to be using them.

Moving parts, motors, bearings, etc. will only turn so many times before they fail. Not to mention, the pc sitting there inhaling dust and getting filled with crud.

Do you leave your car running if you're not using it?


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 30, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> I turn all my pc's off at night, and I don't let them run unless I'm using them, or I'm going to be using them.
> 
> Moving parts, motors, bearings, etc. will only turn so many times before they fail. Not to mention, the pc sitting there inhaling dust and getting filled with crud.
> 
> Do you leave your car running if you're not using it?



if my car didn't take 2.98 a gallon and if there were no moving parts, sure, why not


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## Fatback (Aug 30, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> if my car didn't take 2.98 a gallon and if there were no moving parts, sure, why not



Computer's have moving parts fans, Hard Drive, DVD drive. Just because It doesn't move don't mean leaving it on won't hurt it.


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 30, 2009)

Fatback said:


> Computer's have moving parts fans, Hard Drive, DVD drive. Just because It doesn't move don't mean leaving it on won't hurt it.



computers with moving parts, hog wash!


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## Bodaggit23 (Aug 30, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> if my car didn't take 2.98 a gallon and if there were no moving parts, sure, why not



You're missing the concept of "wear and tear".



JakeUSMC said:


> computers with moving parts, hog wash!



I hope you're joking.


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## chibicitiberiu (Aug 30, 2009)

I never leave it on, it is a waste of electricity and it's noisy, because it is in the room where I sleep.


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## diduknowthat (Aug 30, 2009)

vr2jetta said:


> Does it really use that much electricity?



On idle probably around that, on full load even more.


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## diduknowthat (Aug 30, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> computers with moving parts, hog wash!



Try building a computer without any moving parts, it'll either cost you a fortune or take forever due to the loads of custom parts you'll need to passively cool everything.


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## Vizy (Aug 30, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> Do you leave your car running if you're not using it?



Yes.


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## bomberboysk (Aug 30, 2009)

diduknowthat said:


> On idle probably around that, on full load even more.


Not for a lower end system,heck, the rig in my sig with a quad only draws ~500W load and at idle like 230W(speedstep disabled)


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 30, 2009)

diduknowthat said:


> Try building a computer without any moving parts, it'll either cost you a fortune or take forever due to the loads of custom parts you'll need to passively cool everything.



I build androids out of non moving parts, a computer is no problem!


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 30, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> You're missing the concept of "wear and tear".
> 
> 
> 
> I hope you're joking.



I hope you're joking.


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## just a noob (Aug 30, 2009)

depends on your rig, when i left my e5200 and gtx 285 on 24/7 i noticed that the power bill was 15 dollars higher than normal(crunching on the cpu, and folding on the gtx)


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## Bodaggit23 (Aug 31, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> I build androids out of non moving parts, a computer is no problem!



By definition, that would be physically impossible, unless you're referring to the Operating System.


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 31, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> By definition, that would be physically impossible, unless you're referring to the Operating System.



what's a definition


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## Bodaggit23 (Aug 31, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> what's a definition



That response explains a lot.

I hope you're not actually in our military.


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 31, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> That response explains a lot.
> 
> I hope you're not actually in our military.



You're extremely dense... like Depleted Uranium


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## Fatback (Aug 31, 2009)

bodaggit23 said:


> that response explains a lot.
> 
> I hope you're not actually in our military.



rofl


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## Bodaggit23 (Aug 31, 2009)

JakeUSMC said:


> I build androids out of non moving parts



An Android that doesn't move...

About as useful as all your posts on this forum.


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 31, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> An Android that doesn't move...
> 
> About as useful as all your posts on this forum.



your humor must get you laid big guy


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## JakeUSMC (Aug 31, 2009)

it's all right though DU you're entitled to your opinion


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## konsole (Aug 31, 2009)

If your going to be away from your computer for more then a few hours then there is no good reason to keep it on, other then maybe you have it downloading or doing some other tasks while your not there like checking for software or driver updates or running a defrag or antivirus scan.

what I do is set my screen saver to come on in 10 minutes, the monitor to shut off in 15 minutes and the computer to go into sleep mode in 45 minutes.  This way after 45 minutes the monitor has turned off and the computer has essentially been turned off, just with the fans left running. and it can be woken up in 5 seconds. Leaving your computer on, no matter how many components have gone into sleep or hibernate or whatever, will consume electricity and the computer wont be doing anything, so why leave it on?


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## JareeB (Aug 31, 2009)

i turn mine off every night it only takes like 10 seconds to start up


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## vr2jetta (Sep 2, 2009)

konsole said:


> what I do is set my screen saver to come on in 10 minutes, the monitor to shut off in 15 minutes and the computer to go into sleep mode in 45 minutes.  This way after 45 minutes



I have adjusted everything to go in energy saver/sleep mode after 10 minutes, and I have started turning it off at night too. I used to leave my old computer on because it was a POS and took a few minutes to start up, not to mention if I tried to get on the internet right after powering up it took another couple minutes to load too. Since powering down at night, its start up time on my new rig is about 20-30 seconds and that old internet lag is gone too. Thanks for the replies, and other than the useful info on this thread, it has been entertaining. LOL!


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## Bodaggit23 (Sep 2, 2009)

JareeB said:


> it only takes like 10 seconds to start up



That would be an exaggeration...


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## vr2jetta (Sep 2, 2009)

I timed it, my machine takes 40 seconds from then time I push the power button to when windows comes up on screen.


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## Concordedly (Sep 2, 2009)

1. JakeUSMC - It would behoove you to shut up and stop making a poor example of the United States Marine Corps, of which you have never belonged to, and will never belong to.

2. I always leave my system on, but I'm thinking it's going to be shut off a lot more after I make my adjustments.


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## Springy182 (Sep 2, 2009)

2048Megabytes said:


> Some processors are 130 Watt like the Intel i7 series.




i7 CPUs dont use 130W just to idle though, I think idle power is 10-15W max for any recent (K7 or Netburst) CPU, not sure though



diduknowthat said:


> I turn mine off during the night, don't see the point of having a computer running and using up electricity. It's like leaving 5 or so 60 watt lightbulbs on with no purpose!



Idle power on a typical system rarely exceeds 150-175W, real world load is rarely even 300W in "reasonable" systems



diduknowthat said:


> Try building a computer without any moving parts, it'll either cost you a fortune or take forever due to the loads of custom parts you'll need to passively cool everything.



Not particularly, passive 300-400W PSU, low power CPU with passive heatsink (TRUE or a CM Hyper Z600) passive graphics card (9600GT for example) really cheap SSD, it wouldnt be that much more expensive than a regular system


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## aviation_man (Sep 2, 2009)

I would say, turn it off at night. But, don't turn it off if you're going to use it for 35 minutes, go somewhere for a half hour, then come back and turn it on again.
It becomes 'wear and tear' on your system if you turn your computer on and off _frequently_ like that, it's bad for the hardware to heat up (loosen) then cool off (contract) etc...numerous times..


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## Bodaggit23 (Sep 2, 2009)

Concordedly said:


> 1. JakeUSMC - It would behoove you to shut up and stop making a poor example of the United States Marine Corps


Amen



aviation_man said:


> it's bad for the hardware to heat up (loosen) then cool off (contract) etc...numerous times..



Care to elaborate on that?


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## StrangleHold (Sep 2, 2009)

aviation_man said:


> it's bad for the hardware to heat up (loosen) then cool off (contract) etc...numerous times..


 


Bodaggit23 said:


> Care to elaborate on that?


 
Well it does happen to a point, but if you have a good quality board it should not be a problem.

But its the other way around. Things contract when hot and expand when cold.


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## aviation_man (Sep 2, 2009)

StrangleHold said:


> Well it does happen to a point, but if you have a good quality board it should not be a problem.
> 
> But its the other way around. Things contract when hot and expand when cold.



Oh sorry, I didn't realize I had it backwards - Thanks.

Board and also other things that are metal that heat up. Over a matter of time though; and frequently.


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## vr2jetta (Sep 3, 2009)

StrangleHold said:


> Things contract when hot and expand when cold.



No, things expand when hot and shrink when cold.


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## StrangleHold (Sep 3, 2009)

vr2jetta said:


> No, things expand when hot and shrink when cold.


 
Yeah, your right. For some reason I had water on my mind.


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## Bodaggit23 (Sep 3, 2009)

I understand that metal expands when heated, but I was looking for the specific components he was referring to.

I really don't think this is an issue commonly related to computer failure.


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## porlean (Sep 14, 2009)

i turn my pc off every night its pointless to leave it on all the time, besides my computer starts up in like 30 seconds anyway so i dont see whats the big deal with the waiting problem


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## Vizy (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm forced to turn it off. Installed some new fans recently and 1 or more of them are defective, but it was expected, I bought them from Fry's. Anyways, they are ridiculously loud and their volume randomly changes, plus it's bright in there. And my bed is right next to it so yea, just act as if you guys care.


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## zulu (Sep 14, 2009)

well i leave my PC on, i cant even turn it off anymore! LOL. No seriously it doesn't shutdown.


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## porlean (Sep 14, 2009)

that must suck, why dont u try unplugging it


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## zulu (Sep 14, 2009)

porlean said:


> that must suck, why dont u try unplugging it



thats what i do before bed..


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## porlean (Sep 14, 2009)

WOW dude lol u should look into fixing that


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## linkin (Sep 24, 2009)

I agree. however, if your computer sounds like a windtunnel and has lights that you can't turn off (like mine...) then i just can't sleep with it on. Mine isn't exactly liud but it's enough to distract me from sleeping.


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## TFT (Oct 30, 2009)

Turn it off you power wasting nerds 

Besides saving on my electric bill I like my privacy. You can delete cookies at the end of the day but the "index.dat" file where all your sites visited is stored will only be deleted on a reboot when using programs like CCleaner, Washer etc.
Some of you guys must have months of history stored in this file


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## Bodaggit23 (Oct 30, 2009)

TFT said:


> Turn it off you power wasting nerds
> 
> Besides saving on my electric bill I like my privacy. You can delete cookies at the end of the day but the "index.dat" file where all your sites visited is stored will only be deleted on a reboot when using programs like CCleaner, Washer etc.
> Some of you guys must have months of history stored in this file



Think of the people that don't even have CCleaner.


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## TFT (Oct 30, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> Think of the people that don't even have CCleaner.



That's right, their "index.dat" file must be enormous with all the juicy bits from sites visited still intact from when they first bought their computer.


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## guimaster (Oct 30, 2009)

well depends.If your not worried with your bills and don-t mind the (possible) noise then leave it on.If you are worried about the bill and mind the (possible) noise, then turn it off.
I-m taking the *off* side here cause, just like diduknowthat, i think thats just playing energy spender


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## Matthew1990 (Oct 30, 2009)

Putting in to sleep is the safest way.

Light bulb analogy.


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## MengusDew (Nov 14, 2009)

OK, this thread is exactly what I was looking for but has no specific answer throughout it's replies. 

  This is my new computer and first build. My case has 4 fans (Coolmaster HAF at default) and I have an after-market CPU Cooling fan (Zalman 9900LED) with an AMD phenom II X4 CPU, WD Velociraptor HDD. One of my  case fans, the CPU fan, and also my keyboard has an LED light that stays on. Also, I have an 850W 80 plus Silver certified Corsair PSU. 

   I had to save up for this system, and it will be my gaming system, all-the-while for multimedia and web surfing. It's super quiet. I'm proud of this PC, and don't wanna have to replace anything on it for a long while. Power bill not being a concern (yet, until I find out the bill), is it really detrimental on my hardware to leave my computer on, and sleeping while it's not being used? Or, should turn it on only when being used?  Boot up time being no concern here. 

  It's only that I have 2 roommates here (with very low comp. intelligence) that I allow to use my comp. (for web browsing and such), so, it's more convenient to leave it on for them, cuz I'm not here a lot.  But if it is going to substantially affect my hardware, then I'd rather teach them how to turn it off and boot it up when needed.

  Can anyone give me the right choice under this circumstance?


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## G25r8cer (Nov 14, 2009)

It is not "hard" on a pc to leave it running. They are built to do this. It IS however hard on the OS. Restarting the pc every once in a while is recommended. It helps keep the OS in tip top shape and it also apply's updates.


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## linkin (Nov 14, 2009)

Personally I turn my computer off when i sleep or go out unless i'm downloading/doing updates/defragging etc.


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## Bodaggit23 (Nov 14, 2009)

I turn all my pc's off at night (put them to sleep), and I don't let them run unless I'm using them, or I'm going to be using them.

Moving parts, motors, bearings, etc. will only turn so many times before they fail. Not to mention, the pc sitting there inhaling dust and getting filled with crud.

If you have two noobs using your computer, this power down or leave it on issue is a pebble at the base of a mountain.


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## bomberboysk (Nov 14, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> I turn all my pc's off at night (put them to sleep), and I don't let them run unless I'm using them, or I'm going to be using them.
> 
> Moving parts, motors, bearings, etc. will only turn so many times before they fail. Not to mention, the pc sitting there inhaling dust and getting filled with crud.
> 
> If you have two noobs using your computer, this power down or leave it on issue is a pebble at the base of a mountain.


Honestly speaking, the bearings and whatnot inside a computers parts will take more wear from repetitive restart cycles of powering on and off moreso than continuous running in my opinion. I leave my pc on 24/7 but mainly it is because of folding@home.


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## Renzore101 (Nov 14, 2009)

> Besides saving on my electric bill I like my privacy. You can delete cookies at the end of the day but the "index.dat" file where all your sites visited is stored will only be deleted on a reboot when using programs like CCleaner, Washer etc.
> Some of you guys must have months of history stored in this file



what do i have to hide?


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## MengusDew (Nov 15, 2009)

Bodaggit23 said:


> I turn all my pc's off at night (put them to sleep), and I don't let them run unless I'm using them, or I'm going to be using them.
> 
> Moving parts, motors, bearings, etc. will only turn so many times before they fail. Not to mention, the pc sitting there inhaling dust and getting filled with crud.
> 
> If you have two noobs using your computer, this power down or leave it on issue is a pebble at the base of a mountain.



As far as moving parts are concerned, they include fans and HDD.  Both of these power down when my computer goes into sleep.  I put it in sleep when I'm not using it(for now), so all you have to do is hit any key to wake it up.  This brings another question.  Is it better to sleep and cut the moving parts down or leave them continuously running and just turn off the monitor? The statement made about the parts having to reset being worse than leaving them on makes me ask this.  Also, I have scheduled automatic scans and updates. If my computer is in sleep, will it prevent the scheduled actions from occurring?


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## MengusDew (Nov 15, 2009)

linkin93 said:


> Personally I turn my computer off when i sleep or go out unless i'm downloading/doing updates/defragging etc.



This is only what I have heard, and is a factor of my concern, but I've heard that a lot of powering up and down is more stress on the system  than leaving it powered up.  If I use the computer then shut it down, then a few hours later my roomate powers it up and checks something on the web, then shuts it down, then I come home and power it up and do what I do, then power it down....etc., wouldn't this be worse thanjust leaving on and putting it to sleep when everyone else is?


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## jackz4000 (Dec 19, 2009)

I know with sound systems/amps and TV's the most dangerous moment is power on and power off,  damage to power supply, circuits, but I'm not sure if that does translate to computers?   Never though about it but do think it may.

With my 5 year old laptop I had been turning it off whenever I would not be using it for 2 hours or more.  Usually I would power on 2-3 times per day thinking I was saving elec or wear and tear.

Recently I have a power on button problem which I would guess is directly related to wear and tear on the power button.  With this and my new laptop I think I will restrict myself to power on once a day and keep it in the standby mode when away from it for a few hours.


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## tremmor (Dec 19, 2009)

I turned it off once a day for years. if it was turned on it stayed on for the day. 

Ive been leaving it on 24/7 for several months now. I do reboot once a day if used a lot just to free up memory and start over.


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## funkysnair (Dec 19, 2009)

mine gets turned off every night, not only to save power but to save my componants...

every bit of your pc has its mtbf (hours mean time before failure) i would hate to cut mine short by leaving it on when its not being used!

i have put so much money into my rig if my water pump failed etc i would be gutted


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## Motorcharge (Dec 19, 2009)

I turn mine off at night unless I'm leaving downloads running or anything else I'd do AFK, otherwise I don't see any reason to leave it on, just a waste of power and runs my electric bill up. Plus mine is in my bedroom and it's easier to sleep when the whole room isn't glowing blue and it's a lot quieter lol.


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## XtremepballerX (Dec 19, 2009)

Turn it off and save electricity.


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## bomberboysk (Dec 19, 2009)

funkysnair said:


> mine gets turned off every night, not only to save power but to save my componants...
> 
> every bit of your pc has its mtbf (hours mean time before failure) i would hate to cut mine short by leaving it on when its not being used!
> 
> i have put so much money into my rig if my water pump failed etc i would be gutted


Everything i have would usually be replaced before coming close to the MTBF(eg- pumps such as the laign ddc have a 50k hour MTBF, hard drives are even higher usually).


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## Respital (Dec 19, 2009)

XtremepballerX said:


> Turn it off and save electricity.



+1

And leaving your hard drive constantly spinning is bad when you leave it on is bad and wears it out faster so, turn it off.


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