[nycdunz]

What do you most people do? Do you turn off your computers at night? Or just leave it running constantly? I heard its not good to turn it on and off all the time like that. Same for the cinema displays, so you shut it off when you're done, or just put it to sleep mode?

[YourFoxyGrandma]

It's alot rougher on your hardware turning your computer on and off than putting it to sleep.

[Don Pickett]

The only time I turn my machines off is when adding RAM or components. When I'm not using it I put them to sleep.

[nycdunz]

how bout lightning storms? do you guys unplug it from the wall?

[jamil5454]

During lightning storms I put my computer on the roof to ensure maximum safety.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

I only shut them off for upgrading or when I am going to be away for a few days.

[badtz]

other than "i do it this way" ... is there better reasoning for putting the computer to sleep versus shutting down/up every day and night ?

[personally put it to sleep, but i'm not 100% sure why, other than the fact I don't have to wait for it to boot up all the way]

[Randman]

More wear and tear on the machine starting up than waking from sleep. That's one of the reasons why Apple puts the power button in back on iMacs and Mac minis.

[Kristoff]

Sleep only.

As for the lightning storm question.....if you don't have a UPS with line conditioner, then you don't love your computer.

[TimmyDee51]

All of this "wear and tear" stuff is a bunch of BS. The only wear and tear I can think of would be on the power button. There has not been anything proven statistically that shows your computer is "worse for wear" if you turn it on and off every night.

It probably matters more that you open the thing up and blow it out once and a while.

Disclaimer: I turn my computer off every night. I turn it on every morning. I always have and my computers are still in excellent working condition (even my seven year old iMac).

[rm199]

I just leave my powermac on, is there some particular reason to turn it off?

[NY152]

I honestly do not know which way is better from an electrical engineers point of view. All I can tell you is that I have put to sleep all my macs every night for the past eight years and they are all still running just fine. Having said that I do turn them off if the family and I are going to be away for a while. But that has more to do with saving the 2 cents on my electrical bill

[BZ]

I only ever sleep my PowerMac... 4.5 years and it seems to like it.

BZ

[powertrippin]

Originally Posted by TimmyDee51

All of this "wear and tear" stuff is a bunch of BS. The only wear and tear I can think of would be on the power button.

Agreed. This is another example of people mixing automotive tips and tricks into the computer world, there is no 'wear and tear' on turning the computer on or off. Starting a car up, yes, that's like 60-70% of your engine wear.... but not a computer.

[TimmyDee51]

In all honesty, I think the reason to turn it off simply has to do with saving electricity. We're using enough electricity and generating enough pollution these days with all of our electronics and computers that every little bit can really add up.

I know it sounds cliche, but it's the honest truth. I'm getting my doctorate in ecology, and you'd be amazed how big of a difference little changes to the inputs of the global atmospheric models will make. That's not to say I'm all against computers -- just ask any of my friends and they'll tell you it's my weak spot. I also think they can do a lot of good, especially when it comes to conservation efforts. I'm just all for responsible use.

Edit: I should also add that I have worked as the Mac specialist at a college and can say, with confidence, that having our lab computers and professors' computers shut down every night did not, in any way, limit their life span.

[King_Rat]

The only arguments that I have herd for turning it on & off causing wear is a) hard drive usage, and b) thermal changes. When a chip powers on & off its temperature changes, which can cause stress due to the expansion and contraction of the material. However, I have never seen any chip damage that was proven to have been caused by this; I have not even seen any sort of study on it. Also, the thermal change would occur both on startup and waking up from sleep.
As for the hard drive usage, the only real difference is that you have to read all the stuff off the drive when the computer starts up; it will make a minimal difference, but not much of one.

A few thoughts on the issue:
1) Shutting off or putting your computer to sleep saves a lot of power.
2) Shutting it off instead of putting it to sleep saves more, but not that much (of course, if you count 10,000,000 computers across the world it would be a lot).

Anyway, the main reason that I find people leaving computers on for is that they are too lazy to turn them on in the mourning and can't stand to wait for them to start up.

[anamexis]

Originally Posted by Randman

More wear and tear on the machine starting up than waking from sleep. That's one of the reasons why Apple puts the power button in back on iMacs and Mac minis.

You might have a point if power buttons didn't put the computer to sleep.

[ReggieX]

Neither.