| Leave It On Or Turn It Off - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| Xx D-MAN xX |
This is a question me and my g/f have been debating over.
With a desk top PC, should you leave the tower turned on all the time or should you turn it off when your not using it?
I would say turn it off when your not using it however my g/f states that it should be left on all the time since the continuous turning on/off just wears out the computer faster.
Any comments? |
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| TrevorK |
No one will ever be able to answer that for you - I've heard knowledgable guys say both.
The only reason I turn mine off is simple - when the fan in the power supply goes (And you never know when), the case itself will heat up to EXTREME temperatures in some cases. You can run on like this for awhile.
One client of mine kept his computer in one of those desks where you close the door. He said he could smell burning plastic for a week or two, then it stopped. So he thought all was fine.
So he kept on going, and one day opened the dorr and accidently put his hand on the tower to reach behind it, and he said it was just like grabbing a hot pan.
Fire hazard? Definetely.
Will your power supply fan die? Most likely.
Do I try my best to prevent fires in my house? Yes. |
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| TrevorK |
As well, the part you are most likely to wear out from turning it off / on is the powersupply.
And that is also the one piece that you wear out from leaving it on all the time (Since the fan will always be going). |
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| Transporter |
| look turn my on during the day...and trun it off befor ei go to bed.. i don';t nee dit humming while ia m sleeping.. and during the day.. i nee dit i just go on it .. no need to worry about and wait for start up |
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| Xx D-MAN xX |
That's what I was thinking, leave it on during the day but when your finished with it (i.e. before bed), turn it off. There is no need to have it running over night when you won't even use it.
The fan & power supply were both items I assumed would wear out... |
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| SilviaDrifter |
| mine is on 24/7 |
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| scooby_dooby |
if I were you I would just set it up to hibernate after a few hours, so at night when your not using it the harddrives will spin down, and it will use less power, otherwise it's on and you don't have to wait.
as far as it being a fire hazard, i dunno, i kinda laughed when i read that, maybe it's true! But, i've never seen a PC come close to that, most of them seem to shut themselves down, or freeze once they get in the 60-70degrees range, and since the internals can handle over 100degrees without melting I don't see it as an issue.
it's not like the PC just gets hotter and hotter, it stays at a certain tempo indefinately, and there's apps that measure CPU/HD temps and will sound an alarm if it gets above a certain temp, for the super paranoid!
I dunno, i just hate waiting for it to boot up, so i never turn it off, call me lazy. |
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| gillAteen |
The best thing for the hardware is to leave it on all the time.
From what i learned in A+ hardware, it's best for the components to maintain a constant temp, it's not good for them to heat up and cool down.
In reality though, i think it's more of a personal choice, i shut my laptop off at night, so i don't hear the fan. |
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| Kiddo |
laptop is on until battery dies
desktop is on 24/7 :P last time the fan in the power source just died and burnt out :) and comp just shut down soooo I still leave it on 24/7 haha don't think there would be a fire hazard unless I was just real lucky |
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| TrevorK |
quote:
Originally posted by Kiddo
laptop is on until battery dies
desktop is on 24/7 :P last time the fan in the power source just died and burnt out :) and comp just shut down soooo I still leave it on 24/7 haha don't think there would be a fire hazard unless I was just real lucky
Unless you deal with computer 24/7 like I'm forced to, you wouldn't see the extremes, like a fire hazard.
I saw a dying power supply short out an internal zip drive before, along with the motherboard. Ignoring a dead power supply is a dangerous game. |
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| REFLUX |
my family has owned 6-7 PCs and every single one was left running 24/7
no problems whatsoever
my dad's current Dell was bought about a year ago and we have yet to use Shutdown once, only restart when/if it freezes.
Best PC so far...but still behind my Apple :D
I leave my Macintosh on 24/7 as well but it goes to sleep/standby when I close the lid so I guess it's a form of "shutting down"?:dunno:
Darcy, this really isn't a question of what should be done with the computer, it is a question of what should be done so you incur the least amount of bitching in future.
I.E. If your gf listens to you & shuts down/turns on the comp every time and ONE DAY....SOMETHING goes wrong with your comp....all you're going to hear is: "See! I told you so!"
:lol: |
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| baker_jeff |
quote:
Originally posted by REFLUX
Best PC so far...but still behind my Apple :D
I leave my Macintosh on 24/7 as well but it goes to sleep/standby when I close the lid so I guess it's a form of "shutting down"?:dunno:
I leave my iBook on for days at a time... shut down after a week or so lol. Or when it runs out of batteries in my car. |
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| SplineZ |
the MTBF of high quality ballbearing fans spinning at fairly high rpm is somewhere around 100,000 hrs of continous use.. something like 10 years? Remember thats in a cleanroom, with no dust to contaminate things..
When does the most wear happen in a car engine? during startup.. Same thing with fans, just to a lesser degree...
If your using high quality parts, i dont assume you will have any problems in the lifetime of your computer..
however, cheap parts will probly die in a year or 2 if you dont clean them at all...
That is the difference between a $15-20 dollar sealed dual-ballbearing fan, and your run of the mill oilite bushing non-sealed bulk fan..
James Z |
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| REFLUX |
^^^^
wtf????
so...turbo:cars
as
fans:computers???
are there oil & water cooled fans?
do fans increase the hp of a computer???
hahahah
I got a T88 ball bearing computer fan y0!
air-to-water intercooler right by my 6 speed dvd-rom transmission
:lol: |
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| POX |
my familys computes have always been truned on and off 3+ times a day and we have never had any problems related to it ever in the 14 years of having computers
and wiht my ibook i leve it on for months at atime |
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| SplineZ |
haha.. :p
most damage occurs when the bearings bearings are DRY, IE: been off for a few hrs and the oil has had time to seep away
engine: bearings
fan: bearings
capiche?
This quote is gold tho... hahahaha..
quote:
Originally posted by REFLUX
I got a T88 ball bearing computer fan y0!
air-to-water intercooler right by my 6 speed dvd-rom transmission
So there are people on both sides.. I think its safe to say, do whatever you prefer :)
James Z |
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| TrevorK |
quote:
Originally posted by SplineZ
the MTBF of high quality ballbearing fans spinning at fairly high rpm is somewhere around 100,000 hrs of continous use.. something like 10 years? Remember thats in a cleanroom, with no dust to contaminate things..
He bought his PC from OEM Express - so I think we can be safe in saying that he doesn't have a high quality ball bearing fan.
quote:
When does the most wear happen in a car engine? during startup.. Same thing with fans, just to a lesser degree...
I wouldn't really use a car as a comparison, it's completely different. We're comparing leaving a computer on for 168 hours/week as opposed to 7 (Average use, 1 hour/day is fair to say for most working people).
That's 364 hours of use/year as opposed to 8760 hours of use/year
That's a HUGE difference in the life of an electronic part. |
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| MrHeavyFoot |
quote:
Originally posted by gillAteen
The best thing for the hardware is to leave it on all the time.
From what i learned in A+ hardware, it's best for the components to maintain a constant temp, it's not good for them to heat up and cool down.
In reality though, i think it's more of a personal choice, i shut my laptop off at night, so i don't hear the fan.
That's pretty much what I heard somewhere: heating up and cooling down aren't good for the internals.
On the other hand, you're monitor life is directly correlated with the number of hours of use, so make sure it is turned off or powers down by itself when you're not using it. |
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| Z3r03rr0r |
| I myself only shut off my machine if I am moving it or going to be away for a day or longer let it have a break. |
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| SplineZ |
That is true, but hte car engine is under alot more stress
but the point was to say, that when bearings get dry, thats when damage happens.. (baked out, seep out, etc)
James Z
quote:
Originally posted by TrevorK
I wouldn't really use a car as a comparison, it's completely different. We're comparing leaving a computer on for 168 hours/week as opposed to 7 (Average use, 1 hour/day is fair to say for most working people).
That's 364 hours of use/year as opposed to 8760 hours of use/year
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| BananaBoy |
I leave running when Im downlading stuff, otherwise I shut down or hibernate. I hate the constant whirl and buzz.
I guy down the hall at work had his computer melt down. We had to stand outside and wait for the safety guys to vent the building. Ironicly enough, he was an electrical engineer!:p
Do what ever makes you better D'arcy. I don't think matters all that much. |
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| MeXx |
| i have 2 computers that are on 24/7 both of them have anoying alarms if any of the fans stop and will turn off if they get to hot |
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