Here is a question that I hear ALL the time. Some people turn their computers off in between every use. Others leave them going 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So whats the scoop?

Well, there is no definite right or wrong answer to this question. However, I will explain what I do personally and the reasons why. My computers are left on all day, but turned off at night. It’s no sense to turn the computer off during the day when you know it will be used again later on during the same day. Every system takes time to boot up, and will operate slower initially until your applications have been loaded into the RAM for the first time. This unnecessarily tests our patience when we just want to hop on and quickly check the email. Taking the time to shut down and boot up the system is simply not worth the hassle.

On the other hand, if the system will not be in use during the night, shut it down. From a common sense point of view, this is completely logical. First of all, you are saving significant electricity (Lets say approximately 10 straight hours)! A lot of our electricity comes from environmentally unfriendly coal-burning power plants. Moreover, the prices we pay for energy today are ridiculous. So not only do you contribute to a greener future, but you contribute to a greener wallet. Enough said? Well, there’s more. A computer, like other electronics and mechanical devices deserves a break once in a while too. You wouldn’t leave your television or car running for months at a time would you? Of course not! I think we agree to agree on this one A computer has an undetermined life span, that can arguably be dictated by its amount of usage. There are moving parts inside computers such as fans, and spinning hard disk drive platters. Give these a break, and you may well be increasing the life of your system! Lastly and most obviously, a computer is not susceptible to viruses or hackers when turned off, so sleep soundly!

In the grand scheme of things, your computers napping schedule will not have a detrimental impact on itself or this world. In many cases, it comes down to personal preference and choice. Many home users and big companies leave the computers going all year round, and life goes on. However, if you would like to save some electricity, and increase the safety and lifespan of your computer, turn it off at night!

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 10:01 am and is filed under Computer Hardware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.