Whether or not to switch your computer off
The idea that you should avoid turning your computer off at night is pretty popular: After all, frequent shutdowns and start ups are going to have an impact on the components and wear them out faster, aren’t they? On the other hand, you’d imagine having your computer running all the time is going to contribute to wear and tear as well, wouldn’t you?
Reasons to leave it on:
• You’re using the PC as a server or you want to be able to remotely access it.
• There are background updates, virus scans, or other activities you’d like to occur while you’re away.
• You never want to wait for it to start up.
Reasons to turn it off:
• Leaving it on wastes electricity and can slightly increase your power bill.
• You don’t want to be disturbed by notifications or fan noise.
• Computer performance generally benefits from an occasional reboot.
So what’s the deal? Should you turn it off or leave it on?
Mel’s View (?!): “It depends on how often you use it”. “If you use your computer multiple times per day, it’s best to leave it on. If you use it for a short time — say an hour or two — just once a day, or even less, then turn it off.”