TarquinBiscuit
Sometimes I feel like screaming
Reged: 03/02/2001
Posts: 9417
Loc: Staffs/Derbys border
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Excluding any arguments about saving the planet, in these broadband days does it do more harm to a computer to
a) Leave it on for long periods, or
b) To switch off and re-boot frequently?
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Clive BSRIPN
Cover of the Rolling Stone
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GeoffR
Reged: 31/05/2003
Posts: 3834
Loc: Bucks
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Quote:
Excluding any arguments about saving the planet, in these broadband days does it do more harm to a computer to
a) Leave it on for long periods, or
b) To switch off and re-boot frequently?
Re-boting frequently is more damaging to the computer. You should let it "Sleep" or "Hibernate" instead which is less damaging to both computer and environment.
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TarquinBiscuit
Sometimes I feel like screaming
Reged: 03/02/2001
Posts: 9417
Loc: Staffs/Derbys border
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Thanks Geoff: A definitive answer. I just have to get my Vista Sleep mode sorted as on waking my wireless mouse won't function.
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Clive BSRIPN
Cover of the Rolling Stone
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Done&rundleCams
Senior Member
Reged: 20/12/2001
Posts: 16746
Loc: Vancouver, BC
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Hi Clive,
FWIW, for the first six(6) months (or so) that I had my iBook I would always "turn it off" and
then restart it again, contrary to the opinons of a number of people I knew. So, one time
when I knew I was going to need to use it with in a few hours and I put it to (err ... in) sleep
mode and have continued to do it that way for the past thirty-two (32) months  ... mind you ..
.
.
.
....mine's a Mac and doesn't have Vista 
Cheers,
Jack
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Life is a Photo-op
MY BLOG: www.nakedmanonawire.blogspot.com
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Intermanaut
addict
Reged: 13/12/2007
Posts: 448
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The only benefit of using "Sleep" or "Hibernate" is the reduced reboot time. Hard-drives still stop spinning, so they're still susceptible to (unlikely) damage (caused by dust) when they spin up as they come out of sleep mode. Hibernation mode uses the same amount of energy as when the machine is powered off, unless it's disconnected from the mains. Sleep uses slightly more energy. PCs don't use more energy to start from cold than they do in hibernation.
It used to be the case, say 10-15 years ago, that hardware was at greater risk when powering down/up, especially when you had to tell the OS to park the drive heads. That's no longer true, and modern PCs are designed to survive ~40,000 on/off cycles. That's 21 per day, everyday for 5 years.
So, should you turn off or go to sleep? It depends on nothing more than whether you want faster start-up times, or have the machine come to life when contacted from other machines on the network.
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TarquinBiscuit
Sometimes I feel like screaming
Reged: 03/02/2001
Posts: 9417
Loc: Staffs/Derbys border
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Quote:
Hi Clive,
FWIW, for the first six(6) months (or so) that I had my iBook I would always "turn it off" and
then restart it again, contrary to the opinons of a number of people I knew. So, one time
when I knew I was going to need to use it with in a few hours and I put it to (err ... in) sleep
mode and have continued to do it that way for the past thirty-two (32) months ... mind you ..
.
.
.
....mine's a Mac and doesn't have Vista
Cheers,
Jack
"mine's a Mac and doesn't have Vista" Rather relevant I fear, Jack
Thanks to you both for your replies.
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Clive BSRIPN
Cover of the Rolling Stone
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sjaszczak
A Real Gentleman
Reged: 08/06/2005
Posts: 1120
Loc: York
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If it weren't for the power it consumes, I would leave my PC on 24/7.
There are computers at my work that have been on 24/7 for years and they are still going strong.
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Steve
My Flickr
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GeoffR
Reged: 31/05/2003
Posts: 3834
Loc: Bucks
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Quote:
It used to be the case, say 10-15 years ago, that hardware was at greater risk when powering down/up, especially when you had to tell the OS to park the drive heads. That's no longer true..........
All electronic components are at greatest risk when being powered up. The reason is that they are cold and thus, for a given supply voltage, draw more current. It is thus preferable, if you are using a computer for short periods interspersed with periods of inactivity, to leave the computer warm. That this also reduces the waiting time between arriving at the computer and starting work is incidental.
Just because a device is designed for 20,000 cycles does not guarantee that it will achieve that life.
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Panda_
enthusiast
Reged: 17/06/2008
Posts: 373
Loc: South Wales
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My computer is on for months at a time, I've had this PC for 4 years now (minus one or 2 hardware changes) and no downsides for me :{
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My Flickr account.
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Paul_R
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 16/06/2006
Posts: 1966
Loc: Middlesbrough, England.
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I don't like leaving electrical items on when not at home or during the night. The only thing that is left on is the fridge/freezer!
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Regards, Paul CRIPN
http://www.pbase.com/exposethelight
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BigWill
Gorgeous oversensitive Nikon-loving cream puff
Reged: 08/09/2000
Posts: 33776
Loc: Northern Ireland
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Quote:
I don't like leaving electrical items on when not at home or during the night. The only thing that is left on is the fridge/freezer!
Ditto, and I've been switching my desktop and laptops on and off for years with no ill effects.
BigWill
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I'm sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay.
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Muffin
enthusiast
Reged: 14/09/2006
Posts: 381
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My last computer caught fire but, fortunately, I was around at the time! The Cutty Sark suffered an electrical blaze and leaving anything electrical switched on when not in use is dangerous. You should also install a good RCD on the meter tails. My bacon has been saved a few times by the RCD and it blows very fast and you only get a slight tingle from a live wire.
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My Flickr
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Paul_R
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 16/06/2006
Posts: 1966
Loc: Middlesbrough, England.
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Quote:
Quote:
I don't like leaving electrical items on when not at home or during the night. The only thing that is left on is the fridge/freezer!
Ditto, and I've been switching my desktop and laptops on and off for years with no ill effects.
BigWill
And it saves money too especially the price of electricity these days! Apparently, a TV in standby uses almost the same amount of electricity as when it's switched on. That's a good enough incentive for me 
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Regards, Paul CRIPN
http://www.pbase.com/exposethelight
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GeoffR
Reged: 31/05/2003
Posts: 3834
Loc: Bucks
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I don't like leaving electrical items on when not at home or during the night. The only thing that is left on is the fridge/freezer!
Ditto, and I've been switching my desktop and laptops on and off for years with no ill effects.
BigWill
And it saves money too especially the price of electricity these days! Apparently, a TV in standby uses almost the same amount of electricity as when it's switched on. That's a good enough incentive for me
A TV that uses nearly as much power on stand-by as it does when on would be a very poor design. Correctly designed devices use milliwatts on stand-by compared to tens of watts when running. Don't believe all you read in the press.
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John_K
addict
Reged: 03/09/2006
Posts: 575
Loc: North Yorks
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I have one of those devices that you place near to a main power cable input (by the meter)to monitor the amount of power that is being consumed. Mine is displayed as a 5 figure digital readout. (max 999.99) These don't correspond to the watts being used but just indicate a level as to how they are being consumed
It shows a huge jump when I switch on the kettle or cooker or dishwasher on, and a smaller one when using the tele. I tried it with nothing else on apart from the tele and fridge and the freezer. then shut them off, and the tele onto standby, where the readout went from about 29 down to .7. I then turned the tele off completely completely and the reading only went down a further .3.
I wondered why the figures didn't go to zero then remembered the computer was still on, but on standby. By this I take to mean that the story that leaving a television on standby consumes almost as much as having it on and working is a bit of an urban myth.
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Muffin
enthusiast
Reged: 14/09/2006
Posts: 381
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You should really install an RCD on the meter tails if you haven't already done so. I think it is now a legal requirement? When we had a new conservatory built the electrician said he had to install an RCD. I prefer the RCD to be on the meter tails because absolutely everything is protected. It is a nuisance when it goes off but preferable to having someone electrocuted.
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My Flickr
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Paul_R
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 16/06/2006
Posts: 1966
Loc: Middlesbrough, England.
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Quote:
I have one of those devices that you place near to a main power cable input (by the meter)to monitor the amount of power that is being consumed. Mine is displayed as a 5 figure digital readout. (max 999.99) These don't correspond to the watts being used but just indicate a level as to how they are being consumed
It shows a huge jump when I switch on the kettle or cooker or dishwasher on, and a smaller one when using the tele. I tried it with nothing else on apart from the tele and fridge and the freezer. then shut them off, and the tele onto standby, where the readout went from about 29 down to .7. I then turned the tele off completely completely and the reading only went down a further .3.
I wondered why the figures didn't go to zero then remembered the computer was still on, but on standby. By this I take to mean that the story that leaving a television on standby consumes almost as much as having it on and working is a bit of an urban myth.
So what are the readings using just the TV? Have you took a reading with the TV on then a reading with the TV on standby (with nothing else plugged in)? I have been toying with the idea of getting one of these devices just to see how much each household device uses.
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Regards, Paul CRIPN
http://www.pbase.com/exposethelight
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John_K
addict
Reged: 03/09/2006
Posts: 575
Loc: North Yorks
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Quote:
Quote:
I have one of those devices that you place near to a main power cable input (by the meter)to monitor the amount of power that is being consumed. Mine is displayed as a 5 figure digital readout. (max 999.99) These don't correspond to the watts being used but just indicate a level as to how they are being consumed
It shows a huge jump when I switch on the kettle or cooker or dishwasher on, and a smaller one when using the tele. I tried it with nothing else on apart from the tele and fridge and the freezer. then shut them off, and the tele
onto standby, where the readout went from about 29 down to .7. I then turned the tele off completely completely and the reading only went down a further .3.
Yes in my original text the tele only was .7 and when on standby .3
I wondered why the figures didn't go to zero then remembered the computer was still on, but on standby. By this I take to mean that the story that leaving a television on standby consumes almost as much as having it on and working is a bit of an urban myth.
So what are the readings using just the TV? Have you took a reading with the TV on then a reading with the TV on standby (with nothing else plugged in)? I have been toying with the idea of getting one of these devices just to see how much each household device uses.
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John_K
addict
Reged: 03/09/2006
Posts: 575
Loc: North Yorks
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About my last posting and my original I have just re-checked as they didn't seem to be quite right. The reading with the fridge/freezer off but the tv on and the computer on standby the reading is not .7, but 8.7, and with the tv off but on standby, (with the computer on s/by as well) it is .7
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Paul_R
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 16/06/2006
Posts: 1966
Loc: Middlesbrough, England.
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Quote:
Yes in my original text the tele only was .7 and when on standby .3
So having it in standby reduces the amount used by just under half which means in standby its still using nearly 50% of the power when on.
P.S. Maths isn't my strong point so forgive me if I'm way off!
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Regards, Paul CRIPN
http://www.pbase.com/exposethelight
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