Do you leave your computer on or off?

Question

When not in use, do you leave your computer on entirely so that you know when you've got mail, or just in standby, or do you turn it off completely and then just fire it up when next needed? And does anybody know which is the most cost efficient method of all the above?

Answer 1

It totally depends on ur needs,as if u want to check mails and news throughout the day then standby is good and if leaving for long hibernate is best but when comes to cost effectiveness then best is turn off the pc when not in use it saves electricity and increase computer life.In countries like mine India,electricity cutting is must daily and much problem of electricity is here so shutdown is best option for me bcoz it saves electricity and my pc both :D

Answer 2

well it damages your hardware alot more by turning it on and off all the time as it is heating and cooling which causes strain.

where as if you leave it on all the time,it may set you back on your electricity bill if you are not using a modular power supply.

this supply will only use what power it needs, rather than using a cheap 500W PSU that's gonna kick out 500W constantly, which is wasting power!  

Answer 3

I close everything down but I do not unplug anything.

Answer 4

well i never DO you mean they can be turned OFF.

i leave mine on it probably costs more for power but it saves on electronics failing through being turned on and off.

Answer 5

i should turn mine off but it stays on constant only getting turned off occasionally  

Answer 6

When I don't use mine i press "shut down", but if I want to continue in a little while, I press "sleep".

Answer 7

When not in use i turn mine off.

Answer 8

For me it all depends if i will use it during the day which most likely I will, so I just turn it on in the morning and keep it on till the evening.  

Answer 9

When i know i won't be using it for ages (e.g. at night) i shut it down, and switch everything off at the plug (pc, monitor, internet). If i think i might be using it later in the day, then i shut it down and switch the monitor off, but not at the plug. I don't like having it on when i don't need it, because there's this constant background noise, and i get paranoid that i might go deaf or something...

I know that standby isn't efficient for TV's, so i presume it's not for computers either

Answer 10

I turn mine on first thing in the morning and turn it off last thing at night. I'm always checking things through the day. Don't know what is more efficient, probably turning it off whenever it's not in use (at a guess)

Answer 11

Only turn it on when ready to use it then turn it off when i go to bed.

Answer 12

I leave mine on all the time but others will say that this shortens the life of your computer. I like to imagine it like starting an engine on a cold day, ok when it gets going but causes more wear to your parts as it grinds to life.

Cost wise it is about £20 a year to keep it on.

Hope this helps.