question for those of you with laptops-

[Rallispec]

How long do you leave your laptop running before you turn it off?

i used to be scared to leave mine turned on over night when i wasnt using it (becuase i was afraid it would get too hot... the little fan on the back really doesnt seem to do anything) - but i've had it on for 54 hours straight now and it seems to be running just as good as ever.

So- should i even worry about this- Or is okay to just leave my laptop on all the time?

 

[busmaster11]

<< How long do you leave your laptop running before you turn it off?

i used to be scared to leave mine turned on over night when i wasnt using it (becuase i was afraid it would get too hot... the little fan on the back really doesnt seem to do anything) - but i've had it on for 54 hours straight now and it seems to be running just as good as ever.

So- should i even worry about this- Or is okay to just leave my laptop on all the time? >>



24-7; its my admin machine at work, screen on.

Not a single problem.

If you suspect a heat or fan problem then get it checked out. Otherwise you're fine... That is, if you have a relatively new one, say P2-400 and above

 

[Rallispec]

<< That is, if you have a relatively new one, say P2-400 and above >>



toshiba satellite 700mhz celeron
it gets really hot sometimes... but right now it actually doesnt feel as hot as it has gotten at times.

 

[kaymin]

I had an ibm t20 (or something like that piii 700)...

i remember leaving it on and not ever turning it off unless i had to...the startup time was disgusting...

my roomate does the same...

we didn't worry about turning it off or anything...it got really hot, but it worked fine.

i even left it on inside the carrying case...i wouldn't recommend doing that with no ventilation..

anyway, i transferred and i had to return the laptop...buy in any case, i wouldn't worry about it burning up...

 

[Stealth1024]

I usually leave my Dell Inspiron 8100 on all the time if its plugged in. There are two fans on the back that intelligently adjust their speed (at max they sound like a jet engine taking off) so I don't worry too much as long as its on a solid surface and not something that could catch fire (the bottom does get toasty)

 

[trippy1976]

I haven't turned mine off in several weeks for more than 20 minutes.

If things are really hot, I'm not sure if you're doing the computer any favors by turning it off... Cooling fan doesn't work when it's off. Might be best to kill all high-load junk (winamp, seti, distributed.net, etc) for a while and let it cool off if you're really worried.

I wouldn't worry about it, though.

-Trippy

 

[MajesticMoose]

Mine doesn't like to be left on too long. I think my heat problems has to do with how much i use the cdrw/dvd drive. The only problems i've noticed when it gets left on is in trying to run music cds or mp3's. I've gotten into the habit of putting it in sleep when i'm not using it and then shutting it down at night.

BTW, I have a toshiba satellite 3005-s304 P3 1GHz/Nvidia GeForce 2 Go/256MB RAM

m00se

 

[boyRacer]

my dad has an hp 1ghz athlon and i can barely keep that thing on my lap after 30 minutes... not that it would last that long on battery anyway... but it would seem like it would have no problems being on 24/7... as long as no one touches it.

 

[notfred]

I never tunrned mine off. It would last about a week on standby, so when I wasn't using it, I'd just close the top.
I took that thing all over the place, to school, my girlfrineds, etc. Uptime was at about 50 days... then i had to sell it

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

They dissipate heat through the case as well as the fan vent so they feel hotter than desktops. Not a problem unless you wrap a bunch of insulation around your case.

If you are worried, you can set up a fan to blow over the laptop, which will keep the case cooler, but there is no real need.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I'd say that you can leave it on all the time without a problem. My ThinkPad's fan only comes on at certain temperatures and unless I'm running something really intensive it never even kicks on.

ZV

 

[pdo]

I have an IBM Thinkpad that haven't been turn off for a year. Only reboot but never turn off completely.

 

[toph99]

my old laptop i wouldn't keep on for more than 20 minutes. it was a dell P233, and between the fan never turning on, and the ram getting so bloody hot, it actually started melting the seat of a vinyl chair i had set it on once

 

[Rallispec]

my laptop has a fan that cuts on and off a certain temps too... when it gets going its twice as loud as my desktop computer.

thanks for the input.. sounds like it should be okay to leave it on- its actually pretty cool right now, although not really running anything on it at the moment.

 

[jschuk]

The only thing to worry about is the HDD. They are easier to cook than desktop drives, so have it power down when you aren't using it.

 

[hans007]

i leave mine on like all the time. the 20 gig ibm travelstar i upgraded it to, is kinda noisy, so i put it on idle after 3 minutes. the laptop doesnt get very warm though, i can even use it on bare skin and its not uncomfortable.


toshiba portege 3480ct (its gonna be gone soon though, i'm upgrading, had it for a whopping 4 months)

 

[Luden]

I leave mine on for weeks at a time, left it ontop of a electric blanket set to high for a weekend (oops).. Had it on my bed one night a rolled over real quick and launched it across the room into a wall, amazingly it still looks and works perfectly.

 

[Nefrodite]

i just worry how i'll replace the cpu fan, if thats even possible and how much it'll cost i wonder how long those things last anyways? i've left mine on for days without problems