Good/Bad to shutdown your computer at night?

Shutdown computer when not being used?

  • Leave it on it doesnt matter, its better to so you can get going quicker!

    Votes: 13 54.2%

  • You could burn up your hardware by having it sleep the same time you are, SHUT IT DOWN!

    Votes: 11 45.8%
  • Total voters
    24
adeang

adeang

New Member
Before I go to bed every night I shutdown my pc. Is it bad to leave it running?

If you dont know what I mean post here, but if you get the general Idea answer the poll please, and maybe give a specific reason or something.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Slimline s3300f PC
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Hard Drives
    500 gigs
doesnt really matter.
The spinning down/up of the disk does wear it out, but considering it can do that hundred thousand times (approx) in the systems lifetime it doesnt really matter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
I've heard numerous opinions on this. Some believe that it's worse to shut it off, because the initial spike of electricity to power up the system is harder on it than leaving it on. Then others say leaving it on causes unneccesary wear and tear, especially on your fans and psu. So who knows.
 

My Computer

System One

Hi Adeang,

It doesn't really matter. I would say use what fits your needs best. Sleep, hibernate, hybrid, or shutdown. Sleep will have your computer up and running faster when you need to get on and off of it often.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
If you want a lower electric bill then shut it down. I don't think Google shuts down their servers every night? Our servers at work run 24/7 365. They are never shutdown unless the power is out for a long period of time. They get restarted a couple of times a year when certain updates are applied though.

As far as my computers at home I leave them on 24/7 to run various tasks late at night (automatic backups, defrag, virus scans, software updates...etc.). Since I live in the Midwestern US, I do shut everything down when severe weather is in the neighborhood. We have some pretty nasty storms from time to time.:eek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    HP Pavilion dv6604nr
yeah I live in Oklahoma and whether is bad here a ton, and you never know what is going on so thats why I always shut mine down. THanks, but its good to know that I can leave it on if I want.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Slimline s3300f PC
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Hard Drives
    500 gigs
I leave mine running 24/7 since I've generally got torrents going 24/7. I do turn my monitor off when I go to sleep though. I believe in compromising ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    i7 3770K HT ON 4.7GHz
    Motherboard
    P8Z68 Deluxe Gen 3
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill Ripjaws X 2133mhz
    Graphics card(s)
    2x Gigabyte GTX 670 OC WindForce SLI
    Sound Card
    X-FI Forte + ATH-AD900
    Monitor(s) Displays
    x2 Dell U2410 / 58" Samsung / "40 Sony
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1200 / 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2x Intel 520 240GB * Crucial M4 128GB * 2x Samsung F3 1TB (RAID 0) * 2x WD Caviar Blacks 2TB (RAID 0)
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200W
    Case
    Lian Li PC-V1020A
    Cooling
    NH-D14: 3x140mm Gelid Wing 14: Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme
    Mouse
    Razer Imperator + Thermaltake Theron
    Keyboard
    Topre Realforce // Ducky Shine Cherry MX Black
    Other Info
    Laptop Specs: Clevo Sager P170HM // 17.3 Matte 1920x1200 // i7 2720QM // 8GB 1333mhz // Dedicated GTX 485M // 240GB Intel 520 + 750GB + Blu-Ray // Samsung Story 2TB USB 3.0
My machine will hybrid sleep if nothing is going on - but every hour it wakes up and sends a report to DShield for all the botnet IPs that try to hack my router....
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System) Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree) 2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
I generally leave Prometheus on overnight, to perform such tasks as defragging, updating the index, etc. But most often I have a download also going that throttles to full speed when the computer is idle.

I restart even couple of days to install updates (if any)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom 9600 Quad
    Motherboard
    ASUS MB-M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi
    Memory
    2 x A-Data 2GB DDR2-800
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAHARA 21"
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200
    Hard Drives
    2 x 80GB Seagate (I) 2 x 120GB Seagate (I/S) 2 x 200GB Seagate (I/S) 2 x 250GB Seagate (I/S)
    PSU
    800W
    Case
    Thermaltake Tai-Chi
    Cooling
    Tai-Chi Water Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Genius
    Internet Speed
    384kbps
    Other Info
    Currently dual booting between Vista x64 Ultimate Windows 7 BETA x64
I shut mine down for 10 days in February while I was on vacation, other than that the only time it reboots is when it takes an update that requires it :o

TBH I know I should start shutting it down, my monthly electric bill is now around £100 ($200) and rising with every month that passes, I'm sure a fair amount of that is my computers, but I'm just too lazy to shut them down and start them up every morning.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Workstation
    Manufacturer/Model
    doofenshmirtz evil incorporated
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5950X
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO Black 64GB (4x16GB) 3600MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB ROG Strix LC OC
    Sound Card
    Creative
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 x27" Dell U2724D & 1 x 34" Dell U3415W
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
    PSU
    1500W ThermalTake Toughpower
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT
    Cooling
    Enermax Liqtech 240
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Keyboard
    Surface Ergonomic.
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
    Other Info
    WinTV NovaTD HP CP1515n Color Laser Sony BD-5300S-0B Blu-ray Writer Microsoft LifeCam Cinema APC 750i Smart UPS
  • Operating System
    windows 10
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    12" Multi Touch
    Screen Resolution
    2160 x 144
    Hard Drives
    128GB
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    yes
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
It seems I'm a minority but I have always shut it down at night as it's not being used and it seems to me to be a waste of electricity.....therefore $
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    system1 (system2)
    CPU
    q9650 3ghz (i7 920)
    Motherboard
    Asus p5q deluxe (p6t deluxe)
    Memory
    16gb ddr2 (12gb ddr3)
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia 8800GTS 640mb (285gtx 1gb)
    Sound Card
    on board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG301w, Dell 2407
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600 + 1920 x1200
    Hard Drives
    Raptor 74gb, Raptor 150gb, 500gb x2, 320gb, 750gb (raptor 150gb, 2x 500gb)
    PSU
    ocz 600w (ocz750w)
    Case
    coolermaster stacker (coolermaster 690)
    Cooling
    many fans
    Mouse
    intellimouse
    Keyboard
    apple slim aluminum jobbie
    Internet Speed
    2mb
    Other Info
    Wacom A3 tablet, Epson 3800
I havent used shut down in over a week now, just use hibernate. Its about 40 seconds quicker than booting up & i get all my stuff back i was doing the day before.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    §ĮŁΣNŦ Д$$Д$$ĮN
    CPU
    Xeon X3360
    Motherboard
    P5W64 WS Pro
    Memory
    Corsair XMS2 8gb @ 5-4-4-12 833mhz
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA Geforce GTX470 SC+
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Extreme Gamer Fatlity Edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung T200
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD 1TB RE3
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughower 750w
    Case
    NZXT Lexa Silver
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS10x Extreme
    Mouse
    Razer Deathadder 3500dpi
    Keyboard
    Razer Lycosa Mirror
    Internet Speed
    24Mb/s
    Other Info
    My massive wifi antenna is in the post!
Yeah I have a problem with that when I leave my computer on it goes to sleep or something and my downloads stop. So how do I make it to where my downloads keep going but my computer is using less energy I think im asking. And also dont forget to not stray to far from the thread topic.;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Slimline s3300f PC
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Hard Drives
    500 gigs
adeang said:
Yeah I have a problem with that when I leave my computer on it goes to sleep or something and my downloads stop. So how do I make it to where my downloads keep going but my computer is using less energy I think im asking. And also dont forget to not stray to far from the thread topic.;)
Click to expand...

I set my computer to not go to sleep after X minutes of idle time, and generally when I go to bed, I turn off only non-essential equipment, such as the screen, printers and the speakers.

The one real reason why I don't shut down too often is dust. The fans I have help to prevent dust from settling into places they shouldn't, which minimizes the thermal insulation created by dust.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom 9600 Quad
    Motherboard
    ASUS MB-M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi
    Memory
    2 x A-Data 2GB DDR2-800
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAHARA 21"
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200
    Hard Drives
    2 x 80GB Seagate (I) 2 x 120GB Seagate (I/S) 2 x 200GB Seagate (I/S) 2 x 250GB Seagate (I/S)
    PSU
    800W
    Case
    Thermaltake Tai-Chi
    Cooling
    Tai-Chi Water Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Genius
    Internet Speed
    384kbps
    Other Info
    Currently dual booting between Vista x64 Ultimate Windows 7 BETA x64
My workstation is off when I am not using it.

When off:
1.) No viruses can attack it
2.) Does not waste electricity
3.) I don't need the A/C running to keep the room cool
4.) No noise
5.) Can't be damaged from electrical spikes.

I do have it on its own 20A double pole breaker split 20A @ 120V to a 20A double pole switch to two 20A 2400W line conditioners.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    pair of Intel E5430 quad core 2.66 GHz Xeons
    Motherboard
    Supermicro X7DWA-N server board
    Memory
    16GB DDR667
    Graphics card(s)
    eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB video card
    Hard Drives
    SAS RAID
I shut it down. I have 2 8800GTXs and 4 HDDs. Too much heat to leave it on 24/7. Heat is the main killer of electronics, moreso than on/off cycles. If I do leave it on for a download, I just schedule a task to shut it down and go to bed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q9450 SLAWR
    Motherboard
    XFX 780i
    Memory
    8GB OCZ SLI 5-4-4-12@800
    Graphics card(s)
    XFX 8800 GTX 768MB (2)
    Sound Card
    Auzen X-Fi Prelude / Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Syncmaster 214T
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    300GB VelociRaptor / 750GB / 500GB / 750GB
    PSU
    Antec 1000W TPQ
    Case
    Antec 900
    Cooling
    4 x 120mm, 1 x 200mm
    Mouse
    Logitech G7, Razer Lachesis
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Entertainment Desktop 8000
    Internet Speed
    3Mb
Well, i think i can give my opinion on this subject.

If your machine has to be on all time, then there is no problem, i run at home 6 machines (3 desktops 3 laptops). 2 of the desktops run 24/7 and are rebooted only when it is absolutely necessary (updates for example) but xhen i want and never automatically except in case of failure which did not happen yet.
For the other machines, i never switch them off, they automatically go in deep sleep after a certain idle time or the users press a button to do so if they do not use the machine, just to save the planet (here not so much as 90% of our electricity is nuclear) and mainly to shorten a bit the electricity bill. But all machines can be waked on when it is necessary (intranet, external requirements, media sharing, etc...)
So far we never encountered any hardware or OS problem acting this way.
During the vacation period, 2 machines are always on for security purposes, the house's alarm being managed by those machines.
So if you don't care about the planet and the electricity bill, you can leave your system work 24/7, if you do care, a good solution is to put your machine in hibernation during the night.
 

My Computer

System One

i chose shut down...but i never turn it off completely it stays in ''low power mode''..untill the morning

i don't like leaving it running overnight unless a download requires it...all energy saving features are disabled in the bios due to my OC...so its not too practical

but H/W wise it wont matter regarding lifespan ...you may shave a few months off of a 10 year operating time :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    ME.....
    CPU
    Q9450 @ 3.6ghz
    Motherboard
    P5K PREMIUM
    Memory
    8GB 1066mhz buffalo firestix
    Graphics card(s)
    HD 5970
    Monitor(s) Displays
    20'' syncmaster
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    160GB 7200RPM SEAGATE BARRACUDA IDE 160GB 7200RPM SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA 2
    PSU
    XCILIO 850w
    Case
    unknown ATX
    Cooling
    Arctic cooler pro 775
    Mouse
    logitech cordless optical
    Keyboard
    logitech EX110
    Internet Speed
    2mb
10 year on today's hardware? I doubt that. You are lucky to get 3-5 years. The capacitor life is about 3-5 year, if you are lucky. You can increase it with a Tripp Lite Line Conditioner to stablize voltage and current loads. Power sags and spikes can damage hardware and reduce its life span.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    pair of Intel E5430 quad core 2.66 GHz Xeons
    Motherboard
    Supermicro X7DWA-N server board
    Memory
    16GB DDR667
    Graphics card(s)
    eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB video card
    Hard Drives
    SAS RAID
I just hit the sleep button, turn off my Monitors and go to sleep.. When I get up I just hit Space bar to wake it.. and turn on the 2 monitors.. sometimes when I know I'll be gone a while before I get back on. I do it then also.. other than that, It's always on.. I asked this same question back when I built my new Machine.. lol got the same mixed answers.. I think it's just a personal preference for now. we don't kno . lol
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q9650 E0 4.0 GHz @1.304v
    Motherboard
    eVGA 750i FTW
    Memory
    2x2GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics card(s)
    eVGA/MSI GTX 260 SLI
    Sound Card
    X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung T240 & 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 & 1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Cuda 500GB 32mb Cache SATA 7200.(11) + 500GB Seagate Cuda External eSATA, USB, FW400
    PSU
    PC P&C 750w Silencer PSU
    Case
    CoolerMaster HAF 932 (Water-Cooled)
    Cooling
    Plenty of Fans, and a few 230mm Fans
    Mouse
    Logitech MX-518
    Keyboard
    Logitech G11
    Other Info
    ASUS 20x Optical, Bose Companion 3, ATH-AD500 Cans :), Patriot Xporter 16GB Flash Drive (Very Fast), & Sandisk Micro 8GB. Nikon D40 DSLR with 18-105mm VR & 55-200mm VR
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