Reboot/Shut Down question.

[Nocontact]

Just wondering what's considered "safe" or ideal for the frequency of rebooting a PC. Also, is there any benefit if I sometimes shut down the PC altogether and leave it off? I don't pay for electricity so that's not a problem, but is leaving it off significantly better than rebooting?
Also, does anyone know if leaving a PC ON for an extended amount of time (days) have any negative effect?
Thanks.

 

[Flip Martian]

I tend to switch mine off at the end of every day - this goes for work and at home. The home PC might be switched on and off 2 or 3 times during the day at weekends...never thought this would have an adverse affect to be honest.

 

[monted]

i leave mine on 24/7. I have WindowsXP. no probs.

 

[DiggerBoy]

Leaving the computer on is not detrimental as long as there is sufficient cooling for the heat-sensitive components.

A while back, there were two camps of folks on either side of the sustain power vs. on/off cycling and they were pretty balanced as far as pros and cons. However, the systems being pumped out today have higher power-consuming CPUs and peripherals that sort of support powering down when not in use.

Most of the operating systems (even BIOS) have stand-by modes that reduce power consumption, but I always power-down at the end of the day, just for total conservation. Besides, the time it takes to boot up in the morning justifies a stroll to the coffee pot.

 

[Nocontact]

Hey Diggerboy, the question I guess more specifically I was trying to ask was if there was any downside to powering down and powering up every day? Does it put some kind of strain on the hardware, (CPU, power supply etc.)?
Also, do you know where I can find any of these pros and cons, I'd like to have some idea where these different camps are coming from.
Thanks.

 

[DiggerBoy]

Well now I'm scrambling for informatin to cite because the camps I was refering to actually existed in the engineering group at a place I worked at a few years ago.

It was back then that the CPUs and other hardware were screaming at around a hundred megaherts or so, and sustained power-on was pretty cheap--provided the monitor was turned off.

The only strain experienced by a typical computer during power cycling would be when power is first applied. As with most power supplies, there is a surge of engergy that has to be managed during power up, but I'm assuming most power supplies on the market have been fairly well engineered to handle such surges and even spikes from the main line.

Unless the computer has a very poorly designed power supply, no substantial/harmful variations from the power up process should ever reach components on the motherboard or expansion slots.

I remember reading an article about this very issue. I'll find it, by gum, and post it when I do!

Cheers!

 

[Nocontact]

Thanks a lot, I was concerned with the initial surge in power but I guess you're right, the power supply would have to be a dud for this to have an ill effect.
Thanks for your reply.