Poll: Do You Turn Off Your PC/Console?

[yoyo13rom]

I'm not an expert, but that doesn't seem to healthy for the computer.

You are indeed not an expert. Most computers survive a bit longer if you constantly leave them on. It's because the components prefer to be in a stable state rather than being stressed by booting and turning off. It was counter-intuitive until I started working in the industry.

Ok, but I'm still on the fence with the whole on/off thing. Because in the long run, although it may last longer it will consume unnecessary electricity which costs relatively much in my country(again I don't have all the details).
So in the long run your PC may last longer turned off but you will have more electrical bill-costs.
On the other hand turning it off will save energy, although it will shorten it's life...


On a little side-note/question: I've heard that the on/off thing is true for like every electronical device(e.g: old-style light bulbs). But it's ok to turn them on/off if you give them a certain interval to cool off. Isn't there an interval after which turning the PC/console on makes less damage to it/shortens it's life less?

 

[Continuity]

Some people never off his PC, they just leave it on all the time.
I'm not an expert, but that doesn't seem to healthy for the computer.

Actually its probably more healthy than turning it off. Sure there is a big energy efficiency argument for turning your PC off but I don't think there is any other argument. For one thing what kills PC components isn't so much power on hours as heat cycling i.e. components going from cold to hot.

Personally I often leave my PC on as I run servers from it, that and overnight downloads.

I turn my 360 off. Have an irrational fear of it overheating and therefore dying.

Thats not so irrational

 

[Guy32]

Well, is sleep considered on or off? My computer is always on sleep when I go to bed or leave the house for more than an hour or so. My PS3 always has the little red light on; I don't know how deep of a sleep that puts it in.

 

[MiketheBassMan]

PC hardware is designed to operate without error for a very long time; months or more of continuous uptime would have very little effect on the computer itself. What is dangerous is the software which is often fundamentally flawed and will eventually crash.

That said, my laptop is virtually always on, and my consoles are always off. The consoles see very little use, and run especially poorly if left on for too long. (Being a computer science major in university, my laptop sees nonstop use.)

 

[PatrickXD]

I standby the computer, turn off the console. Otherwise my mum would go insane at the broken console and reiculous electricity bill.

 

[Amberella]

I always turn everything off when I'm not using it.

 

[Artina89]

I always turn off my laptop and games consoles when I am finished with them. I am a student and I don't want to be saddled with a big electricity bill. That, and all my consoles are at my parents house and my mother goes batshit if we leave things on, as she doesn't want a big electricity bill either, which I don't blame her for at all.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Unless something's taking a really long time to download and I can't stay awake, I turn my computer off. My consoles go off as a rule, unless, again I fall asleep.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I turn off both my console and pc. The only time I didn't turn my pc off was during certain game event in Guild Wars. The event happen every 3 or 4 hours which was just being there you get some cool stuff. Yeah I was really into Guild Wars back then (I no longer play GW anymore). I have a mate who doesn't turn off his pc at all since his he built his pc himself and it;s top notch so it shouldn't be busted for keeping it on all the time.
My view on the whole if you should keep it on or not is I think pc and concole should be turn off regardless (unless you had some good reason) since I into the whole green eco electric usage thing.

 

[Lord Rothschild]

i leave my computer on because is cheaper to leave it on my, However consoles are always switched off

 

[FinalHeart95]

Yes.

My PS2 has been working with minimal problems for a good 7 or 8 years now, so I'd say I'm doing something right.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Yes. No need to have it die before its time.

 

[Lord Honk]

Yep. Good for the environment, good for my wallet, good for my ears (cause apparently I can hear standby as a high-pitched, very obnoxious tone) and isn't really much of an effort, so why not.

 

[AvsJoe]

The only time I ever turn off my PC is when it freezes and needs a manual rebootin'. I know that's bad for the thing but I like the hum when I fall asleep.

 

[Solemn Marth]

I turn mine off because It runs the battery down

 

[Hollock]

I did, but my computer is getting on in years and now it takes too long to boot up so I leave it on until it crashes (about once every two weeks)

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I pay my own electrical bill, so heck yes I turn off my computers and console when they're going to be unused for a while... however, if it'd be off for less than a half-hour I'd probably leave them running in the meantime to save wear-and-tear.

I never leave my console running overnight or when I'm away, and I very seldom leave my computer on when I'm gone (only if it's d/ling something big).

-- Steve