OT: Computer related question, Should it remain on or turn it off??? |
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OT: Computer related question, Should it remain on or turn it off??? |
URY914 |
Jul 27 2006, 06:43 AM
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#1
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I built the lightest 914 in the history of mankind. Group: Members Posts: 120,944 Joined: 3-February 03 From: Jacksonville, FL Member No.: 222 Region Association: None |
We just bought our daughter a desktop PC for her room (without internet access).
We had an IT guy from my wife's work (major state university) build it for us. We trust that he knows what he's doing. Here is the problem, he said we should always leave it on. Don't turn it off and on as it wears out some of the components. Only problem with this is it makes some noise and she is not use to it yet and has problems getting to sleep. Question is: Leaving it on ya or na? Does it make a differance to the machine??? Thanks Paul |
SLITS |
Jul 27 2006, 06:54 AM
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#2
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"This Utah shit is HARSH!" Group: Benefactors Posts: 13,602 Joined: 22-February 04 From: SoCal Mountains ... Member No.: 1,696 Region Association: None |
Same thing with all electronic components......the surge voltage on startup can blow chips tho the power supply is supposed to regulate this. Also, the constant cycling of heat could feasibly cause problems (just like a teener engine).
I don't think it will lessen the life of the 'puter to turn it on and off....done it both ways for many years.....they all die sooner or later. And since most of the crap is from China and the consumer does the QC, if it doesn't blow in the first few weeks, it'll last quite a while. My 10 Yen worth. |
Gint |
Jul 27 2006, 07:31 AM
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#3
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Mike Ginter Group: Admin Posts: 16,082 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Doesn't really matter. I leave mine on all the time except when I'm on vacation or something.
But I don't sleep with it either. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) In your case, she'll probably *not* be using it more than she is using it. Go ahead and turn it off. |
jasons |
Jul 27 2006, 08:02 AM
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#4
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Jackstand Extraordinaire Group: Members Posts: 2,002 Joined: 19-August 04 From: Scottsdale, AZ Member No.: 2,573 Region Association: None |
Its not just the startup surge, its also the heat cycling of the components. Most notably the harddrive which is the most important component. When harddrives fail, its usually at boot time.
I leave mine on 24/7(except for vacations), but its also a matter of convenience. If she isn't using it everyday, I would probably shut it down. |
Rockaria |
Jul 27 2006, 08:11 AM
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#5
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ZippidyDoDah... Group: Members Posts: 817 Joined: 2-May 03 From: Southwest, USA Member No.: 645 Region Association: None |
You could put the worlds 10 best computer support specialists in a room and ask the exact same question and get 10 DIFFERENT answers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
When a computer is ready to go, it will do it no matter what, so just do what you feel is best. No harm no foul! I have had computers on 24/7 that lasted 10 years. and right next to them the exact same type of computer on 24/7 broke with in 2 years. Same goes with turning them on and off. My home computer gets turned off and on and it always works fine. My computer at work gets turned of at night and it breaks a lot. Usually by the time a computer breaks, your ready for a new and better model anyways. And if not, the parts are super cheap to get. You can't win... so just do what you feel... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) P.S. A computer support person you should ignor is one from BEST BUY! (no furthur coment!) |
tat2dphreak |
Jul 27 2006, 08:17 AM
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#6
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stoya, stoya, stoya Group: Benefactors Posts: 8,797 Joined: 6-June 03 From: Wylie, TX Member No.: 792 Region Association: Southwest Region |
it's whatever you like... either way won't hurt the PC..
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ThinAir |
Jul 27 2006, 02:01 PM
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#7
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Best friends Group: Members Posts: 2,543 Joined: 4-February 03 From: Flagstaff, AZ Member No.: 231 Region Association: Southwest Region |
Here at work I've made a policy that staff should turn PCs on when they need them and then leave them on all day, but turn them off when they go home in the evening.
The reasoning is that the heating and cooling of components as they are powered on/off is what deteriorates them (think light bulb filaments) so you don't want to do it more often than needed. The other side is that leaving it on wears out mechanical parts like hard drives and fans faster than if they have a rest. Balancing these two factors, together with unecessary electricity use while it sits there overnight, is what led me to make this policy as the appropriate compromise. |
turboman808 |
Jul 27 2006, 02:19 PM
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#8
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,718 Joined: 31-January 06 From: North Jersey Member No.: 5,505 Region Association: North East States |
I never turn my large computers off. For one I have information that I may need to retreive at any given time and I can't turn my home computer on from thousands of miles away. But I beleive that constant on and off wears out the circut boards faster.
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GWN7 |
Jul 27 2006, 02:23 PM
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#9
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King of Road Trips Group: Members Posts: 6,280 Joined: 31-December 02 From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Member No.: 56 Region Association: Northstar Region |
When not in use I turn it off.
500 watt power supply, would you leave a 500 watt light bulb on if not needed? |
So.Cal.914 |
Jul 27 2006, 02:24 PM
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#10
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"...And it has a front trunk too." Group: Members Posts: 6,588 Joined: 15-February 04 From: Low Desert, CA./ Hills of N.J. Member No.: 1,658 Region Association: None |
Well that was helpful, so what you all are saying is to leave it on 24/7 as long
as you turn it off at the end of the day. That turning it on and off will save and kill the harddrive. Well Iam glad we got that straight. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) |
Lou W |
Jul 27 2006, 02:27 PM
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#11
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"Here Kitty Kitty" my ass...... Group: Members Posts: 4,109 Joined: 9-May 04 From: Roseburg, OR. Member No.: 2,039 Region Association: Spain |
Mine is always on, I don't have the patience to boot up etc. , in addition, it's also my answering machine. I did the same with my last one too, never had any problems with leaving it on, even on vacation.
I had a good friend of mine's house burn down, the fire department said that it was caused from dust build-up etc. on his surge protector, used for his computer. I attached mine to the back of my desk as oppose to laying on the floor, and once a year I take the covers off my computer and vacuum it out along with using my compresor to blow the dust out. I don't know if this is overkill, but I figured it can't hurt. I alway's turn my Laptop's off if I'm not using them. |
tat2dphreak |
Jul 27 2006, 02:33 PM
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#12
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stoya, stoya, stoya Group: Benefactors Posts: 8,797 Joined: 6-June 03 From: Wylie, TX Member No.: 792 Region Association: Southwest Region |
I never reboot my work PC either... I leave stuff running all night... and then it's ready when I am in the morning, and I remember where I was when I left... my work computer is a POS that I push to it's limits... the CPU and RAM are always pegged... running Xoftware to connect to UNIX, a C code generator, JAVA apps and ECLIPSE, outlook, and of course internet browser...
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Carlitos Way |
Jul 27 2006, 02:36 PM
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#13
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I did it MY WAY Group: Members Posts: 1,337 Joined: 14-September 04 From: Simi Valley, CA Member No.: 2,757 Region Association: Southern California |
If the noise is bothering your daughter, feel free to turn it off. It's not likely to kill the computer. Your daughter's sleep and your sanity are far more important than a computer power supply, motherboard, monitor or other component can or should ever be.
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70Sixter |
Jul 27 2006, 02:38 PM
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#14
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Member Group: Members Posts: 422 Joined: 3-August 04 From: Surf City, NC Member No.: 2,444 Region Association: South East States |
Other considerations:
- Is it hooked to UPS? Dirty power, surges and loss of power w/o proper shut down are very hard on the power supply and other components. - What are the power settings? My monitor is set to shut down after 20 mins. And the HD hibernates after 6 hrs (you can set it for much less). My APC UPS requires hibernation to save data before shutting down computer during power loss of more than 5 minutes. Computer is otherwise generally left on. - Did builder use primo components? Many do and have improved cooling systems that protect the internals better than off-the-shelf versions. Don't lose sleep over it - literally! |
Rouser |
Jul 27 2006, 02:57 PM
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#15
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Anti-Post Whore Group: Benefactors Posts: 597 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Citrus Park, Florida Member No.: 54 |
Question is: Leaving it on ya or na? Does it make a differance to the machine??? Thanks Paul Like any appliance that's not being constantly used, turn it off; the boot-up wear-n-tear isn't that bad. Are your video game consoles on all the time? Forget that Tampa is the lightning capital of the US? I recommend a surge protector and a UPS on it, and that she get into the habit of turning off the UPS on bootdown. Haven't blown a PC yet. |
McMark |
Jul 27 2006, 03:08 PM
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#16
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914 Freak! Group: Retired Admin Posts: 20,179 Joined: 13-March 03 From: Grand Rapids, MI Member No.: 419 Region Association: None |
Don't all modern computers have a 'sleep' mode that brings everything to minimal power, and usually shuts the cooling fans off? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
I think (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bs.gif), turn it off. |
zen motorcycle |
Jul 27 2006, 03:32 PM
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#17
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almost not a newbie ( way less than a newbie) Group: Members Posts: 259 Joined: 21-May 06 From: Dallas Member No.: 6,038 Region Association: None |
My 2 rupi
Turn it off In the old days yes leave it on, but now hard drives are designed to park their heads when shut down so hard drive failure is not related to power state anymore. Also It is not just the PC that draws power, but unless you got an LCD panel the monitors draw a huge amount of power as well. Also another concideration that many people don't think of is heat. It is amazing how many BTU's one of these things puts out. IMHO shut it down doesn't harm the computer and saves you money. But get the surge protector and a small UPS if possible |
KaptKaos |
Jul 27 2006, 05:50 PM
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#18
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Family Group: Members Posts: 4,009 Joined: 23-April 03 From: Near Wausau Member No.: 607 Region Association: Upper MidWest |
Turn them off. Spinning components; hard drives, fans, etc.. wear more and are more lileky to fail than chips and such. Regardless, the mean time between failure (MTBF) on PCs is several years. Once you get past the initial burn in, it should last a long time. Or at least until your kid spills soda on it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol2.gif)
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rickyhgarcia |
Jul 27 2006, 06:04 PM
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#19
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UPS truck is here... Group: Members Posts: 293 Joined: 13-June 04 From: Miami, Florida Member No.: 2,198 |
Either way is OK...each individual parts should have a manufacturer´s warranty for a period of time, some as long as three years. If you opt for leaving it on, but the noises bother your kid...you can always turn your speakers off ot urn the volume completely down.
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URY914 |
Jul 27 2006, 07:15 PM
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#20
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I built the lightest 914 in the history of mankind. Group: Members Posts: 120,944 Joined: 3-February 03 From: Jacksonville, FL Member No.: 222 Region Association: None |
Thank you all for your input. It's going to be turned off at night. If she doesn't sleep good, we don't sleep good. Enough said.
Next question: The hard drive is installed with screw in studs. Should I change them to grade 8 bolts? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) Paul |
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