Turn off computer or leave it on?

plumber4578 · 05-29-2007, 04:50 PM

When I'm away from my computer for a long time (8-12 hours) should I shut the thing down or leave it running? What are the pros and cons of restarting a computer? I know a con of leaving it on would be that a fan failing and frying my CPU.

RisingFalls · 05-29-2007, 05:03 PM

If you're leaving it idle, there isn't really too much to get worried over, especially if you set it to consume low power while idle.

b1gapl · 05-29-2007, 05:26 PM

If you leave it on, how would it fry or a fan fail? I have left mine on, 24/7 on load, since Jan., except for upgrading parts. And nothing has happened. If you're worried about your electric bill, then leave it on, during the day, and turn it off during the night. But, what you shouldn't do, is turning it on and off, several times a day. That could stress the components, and correct me if I'm wrong, every time you turn on the computer, it sends a huge electric surge, throughout the components.

saltynay · 05-29-2007, 07:02 PM

software wise windows slows down with prolonged usage the buffers get filled and there is just a gradual decline in performance

b1gapl · 05-29-2007, 07:04 PM

He would just have to restart then, to clear up the memory, right?

Vormund · 05-29-2007, 07:06 PM

Remember, hibernate...standby... are options too. If there's no reason to leave it on, then don't. It creates (unnecessary) heat and doesn't help your e-bill any.

But, your comment on a fan failing and frying the CPU... I believe most motherboards will power off immediately if the CPU fan isn't functioning above a certain RPM (and of course you haven't disabled it in the BIOS). Mine sure did, thankfully...it died after only two years of service (stock AMD fan)! Luckily a friend had a spare...

Snake91839 · 05-29-2007, 07:11 PM

I usually leave my home server on 24/7... (duh right?)

But my gaming, I like to turn that off when I'm not home, or at night.

I also find that when you hibernate or standby, it defeats the purpose of leaving it on

And yes, if you're using Windows it will slow down because Windows is clogged with stupid junk that expands in your memory banks over time, (hence why my server runs Linux)

If it concerns you, I would assume it to be safe leaving it on during the day, and turning it off at night