Windows 7 - Turn offf

is it better to leave your computer running all the time?
is it better to put it to sleep
or is it better to turn it off at night when i go to bed

I turn all of mine off at night.

Sleep uses little power. Turn off uses none. I turn mine off over night.

Hello kjl4life44,

In addition, I would say that it really depends on your needs. You can use either one, or a combination depending on your usage.

If you are always on and off the computer, then sleep mode may work better for you due to the faster startup inbetween usage.

If you go with long periods of time (say a day or more) without using the computer, then shutting it off when not using it may work better for you.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Turn it off at night

I say it all depends.

They have already proven that turning a light on and off when going in and out of rooms uses more energy than just leaving them on, unless you will not be in the room for an extended period of time.

Could the same be said about PC's or other electronics? Possible.

I turn mine off from time to time, but it is not to save energy.
Either I will be gone for a long time, or just not be using it for day or so.
It helps save wear on the system and can make it last longer.

But, I also leave it on for extended periods of time and let it sleep.
I have no set plan to it. Just whatever suits me at the time.

Generally speaking, I have left my 7 system on for months before without a reboot, and not had any problems.

Mine runs 24/7 because it is working while I sleep. However, my monitor sleeps after 20 minutes and if the hard drives aren't being used, they shut down after 45 minutes.

I hibernate my rigs, normally shutting down only when I'm going to be away from computer several days.

Kari

Mine sleeps every night. I only turn it off if/when I'm away for long periods

I used to think the same thing, but that is a myth:
Annotated Mythbusters: Episode 69: 22,000 foot fall, Lights On or Off

I leave my machine on 24/7 but normally that is because it is doing something while I am not using it. I do turn it off while on vacation (holiday) or extended times of non-use.