Hibernate, Sleep or Power off (with a poll)

**JBMCW2010** · 08-18-11, 01:18 PM

according to the goberment there is no significant damage done by on/off cycling

Most PCs reach the end of their "useful" life due to advances in technology long before the effects of being switched on and off multiple times have a negative impact on their service life. The less time a PC is on, the longer it will "last." PCs also produce heat, so turning them off reduces building cooling loads.

**Partyball** · 08-18-11, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by JBMCW2010

I work at a computer repair shop in Boston. We have customers come in frequently with overheating issues. More laptops than desktops but still. And again machines do get those mini serges yes but they are manufactured to handle them.

Wiley not everyone is as diligent as you. The computers I've seen. It's like going through a dryer lint trap on the worst of the machines.

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk.

Problem with a lot of laptop designs are the fan placements. People put them on their lap, towel, blanket or something that blocks the fans.

**WileECyte** · 08-18-11, 03:43 PM

Another HUGE source of dust in PCs is people place the tower under their desk. The closer to the ground, the more dust will accumulate. Moved mine to on top of my desk and haven't looked back. The fans don't get nearly as dirty as often.

**deathgodusmc** · 08-18-11, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by WileECyte

Another HUGE source of dust in PCs is people place the tower under their desk. The closer to the ground, the more dust will accumulate. Moved mine to on top of my desk and haven't looked back. The fans don't get nearly as dirty as often.

I did the same with the same results.

**hannibal** · 08-18-11, 05:25 PM

Dust and heat are the same problem, basically components are designed to shed heat into the case where it is removed by the exhaust fans. Its not removed per say since you end up dumping all of the heat into the environment. Dust is a terrible heat conductor, so the more dust you have in your system the shorter the lifespan of your components.

-H

**deathgodusmc** · 08-18-11, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by JBMCW2010

according to the goberment there is no significant damage done by on/off cycling

Not that i have any doubt the government would well shall we say be less then forth coming but your information comes from the us department of energy and starts with.

"If you're wondering when you should turn off your personal computer for energy savings, here are some general guidelines to help you make that decision."

I would also like to point out that it says is they reach of their usefull life due to advances in technology. Thats all well and good if you plan on buying a new one every year or two. Some of us plan ahead and buy systems that are good for 4 and 5 years before needing to be replaced. My current one should be able to run bf3 when it hits. If it does i will use it until it breaks.

So who determines the service life of a computer you or the government? the manufactor? the owner? Going by the manufactor i should have no issues with my computer for about 20 to 30 years because all the parts have a mtbf of around 300 k hours. I think we all know what bullshit that is. Going by the government is going to be 2 to 3 years because thats how often they replace theirs. Going by the owner who knows it will get replaced when the fucker quits working.

Point being you cant make a cover all statement like they did without knowing the usage of the machine, what temp environment it works in, or how humid or dusty it is. I can garrunty to you i could buy a computer tonight and put it in an environment working where it will be dead tomorrow. It would be stupid to do so but it can be done.