Leave on, Sleep or Shut Down.

[jamezb3]

Ok so it is an old question, but one I am quite keen to know the answer. A time ago PC users would argue is it better to leave the PC on, put it in sleep mode or shut it down completely.
I am not that worried about power consumption I just want to know what stresses your CPU and other hardware more, leaving the PC on, putting it in sleep mode or shutting it down completely?
I did a search and it was all posts from around 5 years ago when technology wasn’t as good as it is now. I have gear all less than a year old except my CPU. Does anyone know the science behind the heating and cooling of hardware? There was a time when booting your PC up in the morning was the most stressful thing you could do you it.
So what I am asking does anyone out there know if I am doing my PC damage by leaving it on constantly and only rebooting when Windows makes me.

 

[lehnerus2000]

IMO, the answer is no

I worked as an electronic repair technician.
Leave your PC on.

Electronic devices usually fail:

• When you turn them on (almost always - IMO ~95%).
• When you turn them off (sometimes - IMO ~4%).
• During operation (rarely - IMO ~1%).

Compact fluorescent lights are a classic example of this.
If you never turn them off, they will last for years.
If you constantly turn them on & off, they'll fail in a very short time.

I use "Sleep".

 

[Coke Robot]

Well, from personal experience, no. Restarting and shutting down or resuming from sleep does not whatsoever damage the components. I've had a puter from 2001 or 2002 last for like, eight or nine years before a power fault occurred on the motherboard. I bet with newer parts, they would last much longer due to better manufacturing processes.

 

[MadHorseman]

In the mainframe world, shutting down was the no1 worry - on restart some items always seemed to fail to make an appearance. Time clock change twice a year was a headache..

Mine sleep.

Regards

Robin