Leaving it on???

[dlk373]

Can anyone tell me if it is best to turn my pc off every night or should I leave it on all the time.
Wont it wear out quicker if I leave it on .

[Ethel]

I leave mine on during the day when I am at home in hibernation if it is going to be left for a while, but turn it off every night.

This is to save electricity, but I like the convenience of quickly starting it during the day.

[Mac70]

I switch mine off whenever it's not in use, mainly to save electricity.

[dlk373]

Thanks,I also switch mine off at night but only asked the question because one of our computer geeks at work said that it was more harmful to the computer to keep switching it on and off. Can anyone confirm or is he talking rubbish??

[198x]

It's an old argument that turning off the PC actually harms it. but there are various reasons as to turning it off

1- It saves power
2- It saves wear on the drive bearings and the fans
3- If the CPU fan packs in while the PC is unattended it's very expensive to replace.
4- Leaving the computer on drags more dust into the case necessitating more frequent cleaning (and the attendent risk of damaging something)
5- The argument that solder joints crack due to expansion/contraction doesn't appear to be true.

If the geek in your workplace has any solid evidence of shutting down actually harming the computer then I'd like to see it.

[stewey]

Once when I turned my computer on, there was a slight popping sound followed by the smell of smoke. It turned out that the wires to the cooling fan were one fire. I hate to think what would have happened if I had been out of the house, or asleep, with the computer left on when this happened!

[fo3nix]

Constantly turning on and off does produce bad effects. However, turning off at night then on in the morning is perfectly fine. If it was every 20 mins, it may be a different story.

[WoWo]

It is true that starting and stopping a computer puts more stress on components, but it's unlilkely that given the realtive short life span of a PC ( a few years) that there will be any significant advantage in leaving it on.

I would imagine in cost terms stress on the components is minimal compared with the extra power that's used.

[dlk373]

Thankyou to everyone.I think I will continue to switch off when I have finished with my PC. Overall it seems to make more sense.