Do you leave your computer on?

[DrXparaMental]

I shut all mine off every day (when I remember to). ROTFLMAO! It's amazing what people will come up with in an effort to justify their beliefs. I'm one of them, I know.

The following is a "copy and past" from a great discussion on this very subject. I think it's pretty spot on.

Please note that a PC is NOT a car (which requires lubrication), and neither is it a lightbulb (which has a filament that is subjected to rapid cycling of very high and low temperatures). It is an electronic device with some mechanical parts, both of which wear with use.

Note that cars will wear with mileage, and additionally during startup, when lubrication is lowest. Lightbulbs suffer great stress when being switched ON/OFF due to very rapid heating/cooling of the filament.

Electronic devices wear through use due to electron migration caused by current flowing through the device. More current means faster wear, and increased temperature also results in faster wear (electron migration is increased by temperature). Switching ON/OFF does NOT create wear, and is what digital circuits are doing rapidly all the time.

Mechanical PC devices, such as fans and hard drives wear with use, and do not wear when switched OFF. Motors on hard drives are rated for around 50,000 ON/OFF cycles (e.g. 10 times per day for 13 years), but hard drive bearings will fail after around 5 years due to the lubricant drying out and the bearings becoming worn. Lubricant dries out faster at elevated temperature (i.e. during operation). The drive electronics should last much longer than the mechanics, though these, as with any device, are subject to manufacturing defects which can cause sudden unexpected failures.

Conclusion: PCs will last longer when switched OFF during the long periods when they aren't being used (e.g. at night). Period.

[Aequitas123]

But what if i'm working on a big mixing/recording project and (with my old PC) it takes 30 minutes to boot the computer, load my external HD, open ableton and open project and all the huge plugins...

thats a deterrent to work. right now i only record if i've got a few hours because it takes so long to get into it.

if my machine is on with my Ableton project open its easier to come in sit down and start working right away.

[H20nly]

But what if i'm working on a big mixing/recording project and (with my old PC) it takes 30 minutes to boot the computer, load my external HD, open ableton and open project and all the huge plugins...

thats a deterrent to work. right now i only record if i've got a few hours because it takes so long to get into it.

if my machine is on with my Ableton project open its easier to come in sit down and start working right away.

Hit the on switch. Then go take a piss and get a drink. If you're PC isn't on after that - toss the motherfucker.

Seriously if it takes 30 minutes turn on its probably riddled with spyware and viruses which by the way have an open door and a hall pass to use your internet connection all night and day while the PC is "idle".

[Thinktanx]

Always off. I thought it was hip to care about the environment these days.

[nit]

i still can't find the on-button for my new MBP. so defenitly off, all the time.

[WaveRider]

I turn everything off, every night. It's an enviro thing...plus an fire risk thing.

yeah I do that now, I used to leave everything on all the time, but the thing is that fan and HD noise grow with time, so closing it every night keeps my computer quiet for a longer time.

I always try to build silent computers, but after 3 years they make a lot more noise

[trilo]

If it's a Mac, go ahead and leave it on. Feel free to turn on various power management features to reduce power consumption, but during the off-peak time the OS takes care of internal housekeeping processes.

If it's a PC, your mileage will vary greatly depending on the manufacturer, the quality of their system design, and the quality of the components they use. A well-made system should be able to simply stay running, it will either handle background maintenance (and backups) during the downtime, or reduce its power consumption as-needed. Ideally you should only need to physically power your machine down when you won't be using it for days on end.

[evon]

Just never occured to me that it could be left on.

[H20nly]

Just never occured to me that it could be left on.

Do your pocket book and you computer a favor - Pretend you never found out otherwise...

[bodhi71]

Gotta MBP, I leave it on. But I do turn everything else off, including the lights the wife or kids leave on, the drippy faucet no one is willing to make sure is in the perfect spot where it won't drip, I sometimes recycle, and feel bad when I eat a cow.
I sometimes even say a prayer to the cow thanking her for giving up her life so I might have a cheeseburger.

[H20nly]

If it's a Mac, go ahead and leave it on.

Yeah and you don't need any antivirus software or a surge protector either if its a Mac. In fact don't even back up your data.

[SubFunk]

If it's a Mac, go ahead and leave it on.

Yeah and you don't need any antivirus software or a surge protector either if its a Mac. In fact don't even back up your data.

[8O]

I can't hear the difference between mp3 and wav, but I can hear transformers buzzing at night. I have everything on switchable multiway strips and switch everything completely off as often as sensibly possible. I've had a couple of wall-warts and other stuff burn up on me in the past and I don't want that happening if I'm not awake/around.

From my experience anyway, I'm more likely to upgrade my computer to get better performance every 2-3 years before parts start failing...

[oblique strategies]

The following is a "copy and past" from a great discussion on this very subject. I think it's pretty spot on.

Please note that a PC is NOT a car (which requires lubrication), and neither is it a lightbulb (which has a filament that is subjected to rapid cycling of very high and low temperatures). It is an electronic device with some mechanical parts, both of which wear with use.

Note that cars will wear with mileage, and additionally during startup, when lubrication is lowest. Lightbulbs suffer great stress when being switched ON/OFF due to very rapid heating/cooling of the filament.

Electronic devices wear through use due to electron migration caused by current flowing through the device. More current means faster wear, and increased temperature also results in faster wear (electron migration is increased by temperature). Switching ON/OFF does NOT create wear, and is what digital circuits are doing rapidly all the time.

Mechanical PC devices, such as fans and hard drives wear with use, and do not wear when switched OFF. Motors on hard drives are rated for around 50,000 ON/OFF cycles (e.g. 10 times per day for 13 years), but hard drive bearings will fail after around 5 years due to the lubricant drying out and the bearings becoming worn. Lubricant dries out faster at elevated temperature (i.e. during operation). The drive electronics should last much longer than the mechanics, though these, as with any device, are subject to manufacturing defects which can cause sudden unexpected failures.

Conclusion: PCs will last longer when switched OFF during the long periods when they aren't being used (e.g. at night). Period.

Good prescription Doc.

[H20nly]

Good prescription Doc

Yeah it is. And if you guys will take the capes off, peel the apple off your chests and come down out of the ethereal for a moment you'd realize it too...

Substitute "PC" for "computer" in DrXparaMental's post.

Hard drives, fans and other moving parts work the same fundamental way - across platforms.