Torque and Chrome

is it bad to leave your computer on constantly?

i read on an e-on power down plug that leaving electrical equipment on constantly or leaving your computer / pc on constantly can damage it ? or the hardware components ? i leave my desktop computer on constantly , its an old custom built pc that ive upgraded with parts over the years since early 2006 . im on benefits so its all i can afford . i cannot afford right now an ; i pad or i phone or i book etc . only an old custom built desktop computer . i also still have windows xp pro because i cannot afford the upgrade to windows 7 yet . i leave my computer on day and night because it suits me and it is not convenient for me to turn my computer off . i have many applications open. word pads , a picture viewer , 24 web pages open in google chrome . so i find i need to have my comp on constantly ? but i do not want to cause harm to my computer either as i do worry a lot with anxiety. so id appreciate any help or advice . thanks

Public Comments

1. Um yeah, it also boosts your electrical bill. -.-
2. no its fine, it cost more to start it up each time, I never shut down my laptop, I turn shut the lid and it goes into sleep mode then soon as I open it right away its ready to go again
3. I leave my PCs on all the time at work even though I do reboot them at least once a week. It doesn't harm them. I would advise keeping the air ducts and fans clean so that they are properly ventilated though. Now, if you aren't going to use them for a while, go ahead and shut them completely off. If anything this will save a little electricity.
4. The only thing that is getting harmed by leaving your PC on all the time is your electricity bill. Its actually better for the PC to be running all the time. Electronic components tend to fail due to thermal shock when they're first powered up. An example of this is the good old fashioned light bulb, the fillament nearly always goes when its first switched on and its heating up. Where I work we leave servers on 24*7*365 with no ill effects.
5. Yes it is bad. For a few reasons. Mainly because it wastes electricity and you have to pay the electric bill. "im on benefits so its all i can afford" But you can afford to have a computer on 24/7? You must not pay for electricity or maybe it is included in your rent. There is no wear and tear going on while the computer is off, so if it is always on you are just shortening the lifespan of it's parts. Also what advantage do you have by leaving it on 24/7 ? You can't use it while you are sleeping so why leave it on? I leave my computer on all day but I always shut it off when I sleep, no point to have it on while I'm sleeping (unless the rare occasion I am downloading something that takes a really long time). Also I have it set up so it goes into sleep mode if unused for more than 45 minutes and turn off display after 15 minutes.
6. If you have had the same PC since 2006, then leaving it on can't do much harm. It will use more electricity than if you switched it off. I have not switched my Win7 laptop for a fortnight be cause it keeps trying to install Internet Explorer 9.
7. The way our IT department explained it, if you turn your computer off and on often it will wear it out faster then leaving it on. Just make sure you turn your internet connection off,so no one can hack into your computer. You can do that with either turning off your modem or using a program to turn off your internet or unplugging it from the internet connection etc. when not in use.
8. I've got an apple mini that's been left on since 07, it's good for it.. constant heat bakes the circuits and capacitors aren't discharged, moving parts are the only things that benefit from none use, electrical things love being on all the time. can't afford windows products? borrow them then.
9. No. Mines on 24/7/365 plus the modem. The only time it is switched off is if I've got to do something to it that requires it. In response to a couple of remarks the reason why it's on all the time because during the night that when all my programs and the OS are scheduled to update. It is also scanned every night by the security programs which can take 3 hours plus for full scans. Also W 7 has an automatic defrag program which runs at night as well so I don't have to do that either once a week or so. As regards electric consumption, I found it makes very little difference one way or the other. Anyway we are supposed to be entering a mini ice age by 2020 because there will be less sun activity. So that will satisfy the polar bear savers and shut the climate change freaks up for once!
10. Sure is. Its a waste of energy.