Will it do any harm...?

[Carl Lawrence]

Hello guys,

I have been wondering if it will do any harm if I leave my PC plugged in all the time?

Your advice please.

 

[Tews]

As a rule, no it wont... you might want to check your power plan and customize the turn off times for your monitor and drives though...

 

[Carl Lawrence]

I'm still going shut it down, I just won't turn it off that the mains.

 

[ken9122]

Do you mean plugged into the power outlet? If your area is subjet to power surges or lighting strikes be sure you have a good surge protector.

Ken

 

[gladson1976]

Do you mean plugged into the power outlet? If your area is subjet to power surges or lighting strikes be sure you have a good surge protector.

Ken

Even if it is a very good surge protector, it will not protect against a lightning strike.
Power surges, Yes. Lightning strikes, No.

Its always better to shutdown once your work is finished if you won't be using the computer for some time.

 

[boohbah]

there are arguments for and against ,
1: that switching on and off daily wears out hardware ie power supply being forced to wind up daily using fans etc
2:that leaving it on can wear out the moving components inside .
Personally i leave mine on as long as i can although occasionally reboot is required for different installs and updates.
If leaving it on for long periods, one should make sure the computer is in a well ventilated space to prevent the cooling fans being overused causing more premature wear. and general heat damage!

 

[Carl Lawrence]

The UK doesn't usually have thunderstorms very often if any at all. Power surges is when the trip goes off anyway.

 

[toxicbob]

I have a computer over nine years old. I turned it off all the time and restarted it a bazillion times. I would say it does not hurt it. The computer was a custom built, same place as my current machine was built.

 

[Carl Lawrence]

My old Emachines which lasted almost 5 years which I still turned off and on every day and on at the mains all the time. It only failed the once (bad MB).

 

[ken9122]

Although I leave my server on 24/7 ( it only uses about 75watts) I shut down the other 5 systems when not in use. It's it just a matter of personal preference. But to answer your original question, if your area has a history of power surges or brown-outs use a good surge proctor or UPS.

Ken