[LINK] Leave on, or turn off?

[Kim Holburn]

An old question but a goodie!!

Servers are usually left on, but at home if you're paying for the  
electricity there is a much greater tendency to turn them off.

Modern computers can go into power saving mode so the answer is  
changing I believe.

Where I worked, a research institute, we often left them on,(I'm  
talking desktops here).  We had a bunch of people who were always  
looking for spare CPU cycles.  Unfortunately the owners of the  
desktop, who might not be actively using their desktop at that  
moment, tended to get annoyed when the fans fired up full throttle.   
They got rather noisy.  It was mentioned that most desktop systems  
are not designed to be used at 100% CPU for long periods.

On the other hand most modern systems can step down and go, if not  
completely quiescent, then a lot better than they used to.  If the  
desktop has a "sleep" mode then it hardly uses any power at all and   
can be woken by interface activity or LAN activity of the right kind.

I am led to believe also (but have no references) that most  
"consumer" grade hard disks are not meant to be run continuously and  
that include laptops.

On 2006/Nov/30, at 11:22 AM, Stewart Fist wrote:

> Has anyone got a reference to a real bit of reliable research which  
> says
> whether it is better to turn a computer off at night, or leave it  
> on 24/7
> (disregarding energy consumption) ?
>
> I guess the question resolves into
> a) the electronics, and
> b) hard-disk-bearing wear.
>
> I've got plenty of so-called 'expert' opinion (mostly in favour of  
> leaving
> computers on), but this seems essentially to be anecdotal only.
>
> Someone, at some time (ie US government departments or the army)  
> must have
> done a systematic test, surely!
>
>
> -- 
> Stewart Fist, writer, journalist, film-maker
> 70 Middle Harbour Road, LINDFIELD, 2070, NSW, Australia
> Ph +61 (2) 9416 7458
>
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--
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
Ph/F: +61 2 62577881 M: +61 417820641
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Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny.
                           -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961