[muglo] Re: To Quit or Not to Quit ?
- From: Eric Dunbar <eric.dunbar@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: muglo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 09:36:04 -0400
> He quotes research info which refutes the myth (according to him) that
> leaving a computer on 24/7 prevents motherboard wear and tear by
> turning off one's computer when not in use at night etc . Similar to
> the reason why cities are illuminated by office flouorescents left
> burning all through the night.
This is an ancient myth that dates back to the Winchester drives. Back
then the thinking was (and there may have been truth to it) that
power-up/down cycles caused undue wear-and-tear on harddrives (I think
those are the items that have been the primary cause for concern).
Modern harddrives are a very different beast in that they are designed
to go into sleep mode (i.e. stop spinning) and thus can handle
start-stop cycles much better.
> His research states that computers left on 24/7 last on average 2.3
> years versus 9.6 years of life for computers turned off when not in use
Not surprising at all. Most electricity supply systems are subject to
wide variations in voltage (electrical "quality"). These variations
(e.g. brownouts) stress electrical components, ultimately causing them
to fail. If a device is turned off (but still connected to the mains)
the device will not experience the same harm and electrical "wear and
tear" as one that's "always on" (INCLUDING sleep). Likewise, a
computer that's always on BUT hooked up to a UPS (i.e. not hooked up
directly to the mains) with a voltage regulator will not experience
that kind of stress.
> Working on the old mother board/screen burnout myths, I've been
> leaving my G5 on 24/7 , which also saves me the hassle of restarting
> etc . I don't wish to have the expense of the G5 again , but I guess
> computers do change significantly in 2.3 years ?
>
> Would be interested to hear your practices, comments or recommendations.
If you have "clean power" (unlikely) you can safely leave your
computer in sleep mode and not have it suffer harm. If you're in a
less-than-ideal location (e.g. rural area) then you'll definitely want
to have either a UPS (to regulate voltage fluctuations) or turn it
off.
Eric.
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