Which is better: leave the computer on, or switch it off?

Question

I have an older sis and bro. Now, we usually switch on the computer in the morning, then switch it off after using it. A few hours later, someone else wants to use it, and puts it back on. Then off, and later in the evening, on again because another person uses it. You get the picture.

My sister believes that after we use the computer, we should immediately switch it off, and only switch it back on when we want to use it again. She says it's not good to leave the CPU running for so long.

My older brother on the other hand, says that computers shouldn't be switched on and off so frequently. He says that a computer (not a laptop, a computer, like a CPU) should be left on all day if it's going to be used so often, because continuous switching on and off is bad for the CPU.

So...who's right? I personally always thought we should switch a computer off after using it, but am I wrong? Should we leave a computer running like that?

Answer 1

leave it on. its faster and the computer should go in to sleep mode to save energy

Answer 2

just come to a compromise, decide how much you want to damage the world, and decide on how much electricity to use based on that, or just knock the monitor off each time, or put it on standby, that way the cpu gets a rest, you save electricity but it's also quick to turn back on.

Answer 3

Leave it on sleep mode/stanby

Answer 4

By switching on and off you wear down the components so its good to keep it on from this point of view if it will be used often.

On the other hand, if its on all the time - do you have any idea how expensive it will be for your electricity consumption? Also they can heat up (not as much as laptops) but still this could be a fire hazard so if you decide to keep it on ensure that it is well ventilated!

Answer 5

There is a chance if left on all day that some parts of the computer would fail sooner, and this could cause overheating problems, and also it is harmful to the environment.  

How ever turning it on and off all the time can cause different parts (switches and stuff) to also fail sooner, so its a bit of the toss up, but it is easier to replace a switch than a processor and also quicker.

To tell you the truth though, its swings and roundabouts it doesn't make much if any difference to the machine. When you turn it off, put it into "hibernate" what this does is shut the machine down as per normal but saves some data to the disk so that it is loaded up faster and your computer turns on much faster.

Answer 6

It is ok to leave the computer on through out the day if it is being used frequently.  You should turn the computer off occasionally because it clears  the RAM but to frequently could be bad for it because the constant heating and cooling of the wires inside could eventually cause them to be damaged and become brittle.  I would say that you should turn the computer on in the morning and trun it off at night.

Answer 7

Just use Hibernation u save electricity and all your stuff are still there if you don"t have that Just Shut it off  

Answer 8

I use standby mode, saves power, easier on the puter, extends its litle life.

Answer 9

On, if you leave it, it sleeps then itll be faster and much easier.

Answer 10

if you are away during the day, switch it off. when you sleep, switch it off. leaving it on wont do any harm because if you log off, the settings on the computer will put the monitor to sleep.  

Answer 11

you can put it into hibernate mode instead of turning it off and on all day if you use the computer that often. at night shut it off

Answer 12

leave comp on in day, turn off at night

Answer 13

The only reason that it is bad for the CPU, from what I have heard, is because the on-and-off switch gets used frequently and it will potentially need to be replaced.  It isn't good to leave it on constantly--it is like a brain; computers do need to "rest."  Also, to turn it off when the computer is not in use saves on the cost of electricity that would be used when no one is using it.

Answer 14

If you remember to setup all the power management settings so that it turns off the monitor and stuff like that, then it is fine to leave a computer running all the time. My main computer at home I never switch off. I just have the monitor turn off since I use it as a server. I also have it setup to slow down the CPU to save power when it's not being used. Most newer CPUs can do this, not just the ones in notebooks. If you look at businesses, they have their computers running 24/7. So leaving it on won't hurt the processor. I had a hard drive once that ran fine, as long as the computer wasn't shut off. If the drive stopped I would have to bang the side of the computer to get it to start spinning again when I turned it back on.  :)    

Does it hurt the CPU to be powered on and off a lot. I guess that depends on how good the power supply is in the computer. There's a possibility of the initial power surge having a higher voltage then it normally runs at when the power turns on. So it is possible to have a problem occur, but not very likely.