Benifits of turning a computer off when you are done with it vs leaving it on 24/7

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theesh

What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.

Thanks
 
What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.
Click to expand...

*sigh*
There is no answer (in general) to your question.
It's one of those things you should research, determine your need and use of
said device and reasoning for even asking - and then decide what is best for
*you* to do.

Here's some reading material to help you decide.
(And I hope this doesn't bait anyone to start up a debate like everything
else around here seems to. hah)

Random finds using Google..

Is it better to turn my computer off when I am not using it or leave it on
all the time?
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question328.htm

Should you shut your Computer off or leave it on when not in use?
http://www.powerontech.com/onoroff.htm

To turn off computer or not to turn it off
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051205/news_mz1b5windows.html

To Off or Not to Off, That Is the Question
http://oeyweb.com/timoey/articles/2000/onoff.htm

Should I turn off the Computer each Night or not - That is the Question.
http://www.bethel.k12.oh.us/ITWeb/TurnOffTheComputer.htm

Good luck in your vision quest..
 
What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.
Click to expand...


This question is asked periodically and usually garners all sorts of fervent
responses, on both sides of the question. Some people never turn off their
computers, claiming turning them off can cause the hardware to fail sooner.
Others turn them on and off multiple times each day, to save electricity.

My view is that it doesn't matter very much either way, and you should do
what works best for you. Personally I power on once a day, when I get up in
the morning, and power off once a day, when I go to bed at night.
 
What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.
Click to expand...

From stress on you - maybe have it switched off some time. You might then
get some other things than spending 8 hours plus a day sitting at the
machine as I do!

Nick
 
In earlier computers, the ram memory came in individual chips,
called Dip chips because they had two rows of connectors.
(Dual inline Pin)
Turning the computer off and on created heat and cooling problems.
The chips would work themselves out of the sockets.

On later machines with ram strips that locked in place, the problems with
heating and cooling disappeared.

I have a Micron Millennia that has been turned on in the morning and off at
night.
This computer is 8 years old and has never experienced any failures or
problems of any kind.

The choice is with the operator.
 
What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Here is the rule as handed down by the Computer Gods:
When dressing, if you put your socks on...
(1.) Left foot first: Leave computer running except when you
are on vacation or fleeing hurricane
(2.) Right foot first: Turn computer off after each session
Steve
 
If I bought a $240 LCD monitor that used 20 watts to replace my 300 watt CRT, I
could save $10-$15 a month on electricity. After a couple of years, I will
realize some savings. It's 12 cents a kilowatt hour here, plus 7% tax. Also, the
CRT heats up the room; so in the summer, I have to run my AC longer to cool the
room down.

If I get a new 300 watt computer, my current Backup battery will not keep both
the CRT monitor and the computer on at the same time. The backup battery would
have enough power to run the computer and an LCD monitor; unless the waveform is
so dirty from the battery that the LCD monitor won't function. I get a lot of
power disruptions around here, even on the cable line.
 
"Cymbal Man said:
If I bought a $240 LCD monitor that used 20 watts to replace my 300 watt CRT, I
could save $10-$15 a month on electricity. After a couple of years, I will
realize some savings. It's 12 cents a kilowatt hour here, plus 7% tax. Also, the
CRT heats up the room; so in the summer, I have to run my AC longer to cool the
room down.

If I get a new 300 watt computer, my current Backup battery will not keep both
the CRT monitor and the computer on at the same time. The backup battery would
have enough power to run the computer and an LCD monitor; unless the waveform is
so dirty from the battery that the LCD monitor won't function. I get a lot of
power disruptions around here, even on the cable line.
Click to expand...

A monitor that sleeps does not draw 300W of power while sleeping, there
is also a power switch on them.

One other thing, a $240 LCD is going to be crappy as far as image
quality, and a $240 CRT would be leaps and bounds better quality.

I have about 12 monitors (mostly CRT's) in my home, and all of them
sleep after 10 miunites, almost no heat from them at all.
 
One other thing, a $240 LCD is going to be crappy as far as image
quality, and a $240 CRT would be leaps and bounds better quality.
Click to expand...

That appears to be a matter of individual perception. I have a $230
19" Samsung LCD, and have never seen such great images on any CRT I've
ever owned. The colors are vibrant, the image is brilliant and
high-contrast, the viewing fatigue is unbelievably low, and there is
no glare. Can't speak for gaming, but for what I use it for, the
performance is unbeliveable.

GITM
 
Leythos said:
A monitor that sleeps does not draw 300W of power while sleeping, there
is also a power switch on them.

One other thing, a $240 LCD is going to be crappy as far as image
quality, and a $240 CRT would be leaps and bounds better quality.

I have about 12 monitors (mostly CRT's) in my home, and all of them
sleep after 10 miunites, almost no heat from them at all.
Click to expand...

Well, I don't notice much heat from my TV but I understand there is a
significant amount of energy dissipated from the television if one leaves it
on standby - which I admit I do.

See http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=monitors.lcd.

Nick
 
What are they? I am wondering what the pro and cons are of each
situation, from the stress on the machine to conveince.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Like others say, the bottom line is a matter of habit rather than educated
choice.

My choice is derived from a previous time when an UPS did not exist for the
user of a IBM oriented PC. When I wasn't present, the PC was off period.
Even with an UPS, I cringe when a thunderstorm is in the area. I still turn
the PC off when not using it.

Then there's that bothersome reboot screen after updates, MS or otherwise.
Since I know I'm going to turn off the PC in a relatively reasonable time, I
choose the reboot later option if available. There is no "remember to
reboot" after I make that choice.

Am an exception to standby/hibernate, XP can't set my scsi drives to
standby, at least that what it tells me. The video card is no problem. The
PC has 6 hard drives (2 scsi) and alot of other stuff. Its just smarter in
my situation to turn it off when not in use. One question here to MVPs
reading, what do I do with a 1,048,112 KB hiberfil.sys file at the root of
C: that the PC can't use?
 
Jonny wrote:
Am an exception to standby/hibernate, XP can't set my scsi drives to
standby, at least that what it tells me. The video card is no
problem. The PC has 6 hard drives (2 scsi) and alot of other
stuff. Its just smarter in my situation to turn it off when not in
use. One question here to MVPs reading, what do I do with a
1,048,112 KB hiberfil.sys file at the root of C: that the PC can't
use?
Click to expand...

Turn off hibernate and get rid of the file?

You can turn off hibernation if it is on and you don't use it..

When you hibernate your computer, Windows saves the contents of the system's
memory to the hiberfil.sys file. As a result, the size of the hiberfil.sys
file will always equal the amount of physical memory in your system. If you
don't use the hibernate feature and want to recapture the space that Windows
uses for the hiberfil.sys file, perform the following steps:

- Start the Control Panel Power Options applet (go to Start, Settings,
Control Panel, and click Power Options).
- Select the Hibernate tab, clear the "Enable hibernation" check box, then
click OK; although you might think otherwise, selecting Never under the
"System hibernates" option on the Power Schemes tab doesn't delete the
hiberfil.sys file.
- Windows will remove the "System hibernates" option from the Power Schemes
tab and delete the hiberfil.sys file.
 
Shenan Stanley said:
Jonny wrote:


Turn off hibernate and get rid of the file?

You can turn off hibernation if it is on and you don't use it..

When you hibernate your computer, Windows saves the contents of the
system's
memory to the hiberfil.sys file. As a result, the size of the hiberfil.sys
file will always equal the amount of physical memory in your system. If
you
don't use the hibernate feature and want to recapture the space that
Windows
uses for the hiberfil.sys file, perform the following steps:

- Start the Control Panel Power Options applet (go to Start, Settings,
Control Panel, and click Power Options).
- Select the Hibernate tab, clear the "Enable hibernation" check box, then
click OK; although you might think otherwise, selecting Never under the
"System hibernates" option on the Power Schemes tab doesn't delete the
hiberfil.sys file.
- Windows will remove the "System hibernates" option from the Power
Schemes
tab and delete the hiberfil.sys file.
Click to expand...

Tried hibernate and standby in the past. Disabled when I found the problem
I noted. Guess its just a leftover from that trial use. Will delete the
file. Had to ask to be sure. Thanks.
 
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