- To Shut Down Or Not To Shut Down? by Dana Dunn
Category TipsPlease welcome Dana Dunn, our newest ZetaOne BLOG OF SECRITS contributor. Less than a year working with our crew and she's already nerdin' it up! Thanks Dana, the floor is yours ...
In today’s economy we all should be concerned with Energy Conservation and Computer Component Longevity. Many people ask if they should turn their computer off or leave it on? There are many views on this subject and most all of them have valid points. Some believe that leaving a computer on will wear out components much faster, while others believe that shutting a computer down each day does more harm.
Operating a PC costs very little, on average less than $1 per day. The amount you will spend on energy cost can be greatly reduced if you adjust your PC settings to have the monitor turn off after being idle for 10 minutes. And since most people don’t leave their system running on the weekends when they are away from their office or when they are on vacation, energy cost is probably not a factor.
Next we move on to Component Longevity. Computers have Cooling Fans that keep the case and components at a consistent temperature. If you keep your computer case cleaned out and pay attention to the fan’s operation you will greatly improve its longevity.
The Hard Drive is the main concern when considering whether or not to shut your PC down. When turned on, a hard drive will experience a surge of electricity, start to warm up and reach operating temperature, and then the cooling fans will keep it at that temperature. Once you turn the system off, the hard drive cools to room temperature. Those temperature swings, along with the voltage surges when powering on, can reduce the life of your hard drive if you shut the system down regularly. If you replace your system with newer systems every 2 years then longevity is not a concern. If you tend to keep your computer system longer and care about component longevity then it would be a good idea to leave your system running unless you are away from it for more than a day at a time.
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