Please teach me how to turn off my PC...

[jduke]

I have just finished a new build, running Windows 7, and have several power questions related to PC component and software/data health;


1) Is it better to leave a system on all the time or shut it down? (Some advocate "always-on" to maintain steady temps. Others say "shut-er'-down for less wear and tear on components... )

2) What is "soft-off"? Is it the same as standby, and is it not as good as a total shut-down? (As far as clearing out caches, resetting OS, etc. My Asus Sabertooth X58 has a "soft-off" feature, activated when I press, but not hold, the power button for just a second. Fans stop, everything seems off, but apparently, its not 100% off... Is this OK?)

3) Do I need to worry about flipping the off switch on the power strip every time I shut down? Or is that just something I should do when I'm heading out of town for a few days and the system will be off for an extended period?

ULTIMATELY: I hated turning on the plug strip and booting up just to look up something quickly. But I also don't want to leave it fully running all the time as it just gets random sporadic usage throughout the day. I also don't want to do hard shut-offs and potentially harm HDDs or data... From what I've read, the "soft-off" seems like a convenient way to go.

Any feedback would be appreciated. And yes, I am a newbie.

 

[Absolution75]

1) People all have their own opinions about this. Its best to do whatever is most convenient for you. There are benefits to both sides, but not enough to inconvenience you.

2) Eh, not sure. Sleep is fine, its probably very similar. You don't really need to reboot windows 7 ever (unless you install a program and it tells you).

3) No. Though I unplug my electronics when I leave for months at a time, just to make sure lighting won't fry them when I'm gone.

 

[VampyrByte]

Personally I keep my PC in standby most of the time. Everything is as off as it is when I shutdown. The fans don't keep me up at night which is the main reason for turning off the computer. I don't know if there are any reasonable energy savings, but you must be saving some energy, whether you would notice this on your bill I don't know. Same for the longevity of the products. I wouldnt imagine it makes a massive difference though.

As for turning it off at the wall. I Pretty much only do this when I go on holiday, or will be leaving the house for the weekend. Again whether this actually saves any energy I am unsure. But it stops any alarms or anything switching on unexpectedly and wasting energy when I am not home

 

[corkyg]

1) I leave my main desktop on 24/7. I have three other systems (2 lappies and a desktop) that I only turn on once a week to update AV definitions etc. As is pointed out - thjis is always a debatable subject. I would not leave a system on 24/7 unless it had a UPS behind it. Powering on puts more stress on electronic compoinents that does steady running.

2) The Soft Off you describe is a form of user induced sleep. It works well for some. Not for me.

3) In my case, I power off and disconnect mains whenever I am gone on a trip of over night or longer. I took a direct lightning hit several years ago while on a two week trip. It took out my security alarm panel, but my computers were not touched because they were disconnected.

 

[Modular]

Just use whatever makes you more comfortable. Modern computer components are able to run for thousands of hours and go through tens of thousands of on off cycles without major performance degradation.

Because of this fact, you need to make this decision based off of how you are going to use the computer, not worrying about wear and tear (because this computer will be running long after it's useful anymore).

Are you the type of person who wants their computer to be ready right away when you sit down at the monitor? Do you sporadically use the PC during the day for short amounts of time? If yes, then you should use sleep. It will allow the PC to be usable within moments of you flicking the mouse or pressing the power button.

If you are the type of person who doesn't use the computer often at all, or lets it sit for days at a time with no use, then by all means shut it down all the time. I also agree that if you're going to be out of the house for a few days, you should unplug your desktop. I actually even unplug the ethernet cord, just to make sure that a lightning strike doesn't come through the modem and fry the motherboard.

I use a combination of the above. Generally, I use my PC everyday, so I put it to sleep when I'm done using it. That way, it's ready to go right away when I need it. About once a week, I'll restart it or shut it down. I don't think that there's any reason for you to leave it on all the time, especially if you aren't using it all day. It's just a waste of energy, and to be honest, waking from sleep takes almost no time these days.

My .02, hope that helps.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What is your main goal again? ...To save on your electric bill? ...To save on wear-and-tear?

 

[mfenn]

1. I prefer to start mine in the morning and shut it down at night, but leaving it running all the time or sleep are fine as well.

2. I'm a little confused as to what you mean here. When you turn the computer back on after using the "soft-off" feature, do you see the normal POST screen, etc. If so, all you've done with "soft-off" is triggered an ACPI shutdown event. The computer is just as "off" as it would be if you clicked "Shut down" in Windows. If not, you probably have put it to sleep. An ATX computer is never truly "off" unless you unplug the power.

3. No, you don't need to turn it off at the power strip all the time. As others have noted, it is probably a good idea to so if you are leaving on an extended trip though.

 

[mmntech]

I always power mine off when I'm not using it. I think the wear and tear thing is overblown. Especially if they system is adequately cooled. I've never had a PC or a laptop go for that reason. I think the energy savings outweigh the benefits of leaving it on. For desktops anyway.

If you want quick boots, there's two things you can do. Use an SSD as an OS drive, or hibernate your system. The latter saves the RAM state to the hard drive for quick booting.

 

[jduke]

Thanks for all your input!

Honestly, my goal is to have reasonably quick access to a functional PC periodically throughout the day, but not at the expense of running it full-on 24/7.

And when I say "expense", I guess I mean component wear'n'tear as well as unnecessary power consumption.

But judging from everyone's responses, it sounds like wear'n'tear isn't a major issue. Sounds like "hibernate" would be a good way to go.

The system I'm coming from was mega-slow. Booting/Rebooting was so bad, I'd hit the power button, then:
a) Make a sandwich
b) Use the restroom
c) Cut my toe-nails

Thanks again!

 

[VirtualLarry]

I leave my computer on 24/7. Then again, it's running my MagicJack, and also doing DC.

The only thing bad that happens, is that the PSU fan (Basiq 500W - sleeve bearing) wears out after a year or so and needs to be replaced.

24/7 operation is a little bit hard on fans. But better for your HD.

Edit: Win7, in the default configuration, goes to sleep without any mouse/keyboard input for like 30 mins or an hour. It will power-down the monitor and HD.

 

[fluffmonster]

I shutdown my PC when not using it mostly to cut out dust collection that would otherwise occur while it was running but idle.

 

[jduke]

I shutdown my PC when not using it mostly to cut out dust collection that would otherwise occur while it was running but idle.

HA!
I'm in AZ, where dust is highly abundant, and humidity is scarce.
That is a really good point!

 

[mnewsham]

HA!
I'm in AZ, where dust is highly abundant, and humidity is scarce.
That is a really good point!

Just get some dryer sheets cut em up into the right size and put them between the fans to collect dust. problem mostly solved.

 

[Modular]

Just get some dryer sheets cut em up into the right size and put them between the fans to collect dust. problem mostly solved.

I've actually done this before and it works really well. A quick tip: use the dryer sheet a few times before you do this so that it doesn't severely hamper the airflow.

 

[Jumpem]

I turn it off when not in use. My electric bill dropped $25 by not leving it on 24/7.