How long is too long?

[ShinRa]

To leave your comp on? I left mine on over night and I was just curious if it's safe to leave it on for that long of a time.

 

[Axyon]

To leave your comp on? I left mine on over night and I was just curious if it's safe to leave it on for that long of a time.

Hope there's no limit, since mine's been on for about a month now.

 

[ShinRa]

a MONTH?!? How has it not completely shut down on you?!?

 

[TheRook]

you can leave your machine on for ever (until it crashes or something dies...) how do you think a server works... do you think the internet turns off at 3am?

Andy

 

[Rocketman9mm]

you can leave them on. I've had one thats been on almost always for a LONG time. Then again we also had one of my sisters that she left on for months and it started smoking. Personally I turn mine off every night unless I'm haivng it do something that is going to take a long time. More so to make my room quieter rather than worrying about the comp.

 

[JimmehH]

Yeah. I can't sleep with it whining there in the corner. Plus it makes the room noticeably and uncomfortably (when you're under a blanket) warmer.

 

[Reaperman]

i always leave mine on, i only have 2 fans in mine (main and CPU), since i always have an air conditioner running, keeping my room around 45-50 degrees....

i turn it off to install hardware, and when there is a storm, otherwise its always on

 

[ailevation]

:dozey: You can't turn off you computer every so often, it'll mess up your parts. Your parts tend to expand when it is under heat, when it is off it cools down, so they tighten. Just like a car, your car will mess up quicker if you were to drive, then hit the brakes, drive hit the brakes, drive and hit brakes. I mean if you do it during a short period of time it will. So it is best to leave your comp for quite a long time then shut down.

 

[ShinRa]

So your telling me to leave my comp on for weeks?

 

[ailevation]

:dozey: Sure you can leave your computer on for weeks. I am saying, don't turn on your computer for like 3 hours, turn it off for 1, and then turn it on for another 3. You're just stressing machine that way.

 

[VeZ]

I leave mine on for 5 days or so...or if i notice a problem that day i just shut it down that night

 

[Darkknighttt]

why would u leave it on that long, its just wasting electricity?!

 

[sHm0zY]

Hope there's no limit, since mine's been on for about a month now.

MY record is 2 weeks without eaven rebooting it.

 

[Shuzer]

you can leave them on. I've had one thats been on almost always for a LONG time. Then again we also had one of my sisters that she left on for months and it started smoking. Personally I turn mine off every night unless I'm haivng it do something that is going to take a long time. More so to make my room quieter rather than worrying about the comp.

yep. Same deal with me, I shut my system down every night unless I'm sending something overnight or have to have it on for other reasons

 

[Cybernoid]

To leave your comp on? I left mine on over night and I was just curious if it's safe to leave it on for that long of a time.

Servers can run for as long as three years nonstop (but that's probably the extreme end of the spectrum). There was this university where a server had been running for one year without anyone touching it. It had been accidentally sealed into a room by a brickwall...

 

[theGreenBunny]

:dozey: Sure you can leave your computer on for weeks. I am saying, don't turn on your computer for like 3 hours, turn it off for 1, and then turn it on for another 3. You're just stressing machine that way.

This may be true, but even if you're lowering the lifespan by doing this, there are advantages as well. For example, your components run less unused hours if you turn it off at night. So even if the overall lifespan is lowered, the practical lifespan in which you actually use the pc (ie. not at night) could be equal. Power usage also goes up if you leave it on 24/7, though I wouldn't be surprised if power in the US is dirt cheap, so that may not be a factor to some.

I also can't help but wondering how many years of lifespan you actually lose by regularly turning your machine off. Components are often replaced within 1-5 years, so if your cpu that would normally work 15 years craps out after year 10 because of this hot/cold stressing, you'll never notice it.

I'm just speculating here, because I've never read any tests on this subject, only hearsay about stressing the components like ailevation posted.

Even if leaving the machine on at night is better overall, I wouldn't do it. The thing is less than a meter away from my bed, I'd never be able to sleep with my compy buzzing on through the night

(whew, longish post)

 

[Direwolf]

It depends how much you use it too. If you just turn it on to play a round of CS once or twice a day then you probably will be fine shutting it off whenever its not used. But if you're like me where its the first and last thing you do in the day (and even a lot of time in between) then leaving it on will be more convenient.