I don't turn any of my components off, unless bad weather is happening. On occasion I might turn off only the monitor some nights, but rarely.

I always turn off my monitor, even when I leave the computer on. I have never had a monitor go bad.

I always turn my monitor off.

I've always turned off everything at the end of the day but always wondered why. :) I've also speculated whether I could wear them out by turning them off and on so often.

Experts used to say turn them off, if you won't be using them within like 8 hrs, or something long period. Will save power, much more than any premature wear, on the circuit boards from on/off cycles.

I echo RC with the caveat the monitor sometimes is turned off when my 5 year old granddaughter sleeps in the room. The option is hers.

I did a self-study sometime back based on the system and peripherals I had at the time, their electric requirements, and the cost per KWH. As I recall it cost a little over $3.00 a month to operate the system around the clock. Assuming the system would be up at least 12 hours any way, the extended cost was $1.50+.

Finally, it has been recognized that turning electrical equipment off-on-off is more stressful to it than continuous use. The heating and cooling, then reheating, etc. of the components takes a cumulative toll on the units.

DA

All my stuff gets turned off at night using a power strip. pappillon, your intro sentence -- "My monitor recently died - the on/off switch broke." is inconsistent with your turning off your system using a power switch.

fruitjarfla I am turning off my monitor with the on/off switch AND I also turn off the power strip before bed. This is because the power co.'s say that even if an electric component is turned off it is still pulling power by being plugged into the outlet. By using a power strip everything can be 'unplugged', thus conserving energy.

It is true. Many electronics are still "pre_heated" when in off status. However, collectively there is not much of a savings when totally off. Energy star appliances and responsible use of lighting are much more beneficial.

Many users turn off systems thinking they are finite in life and will last longer.

DA

Many users turn off systems thinking they are finite in life and will last longer.

Just wanting to clarify damccoy...Is that thinking true or not? Is there a concrete yes or no answer as to whether to keep things running all the time or turn it off? Or is it personal preference? Thank you.

The question of whether to turn computers on or off has long been asked since their inception and the answer to the question is it's a personal preference. Some prefer to leave them on at all times... some turn them off at the end of the day... others turn them on and off through out the day. Some have problems and some do not.

I have a friend whose tower caught fire once, probably due to being dirty, failure of a fan and overheating. I have 3 cats and am not a wonderful house keeper, so I always turn off the tower and monitor when I leave the house and before going to bed at night. I think I may start turning stuff off and then pulling the plug, if I can save any money at all on electricity. I'm retired and live alone and I do have to watch how I spend money. I live in a double wide--translate that to poorly insulated home. My computer, TV and radio are all in one very small room. In the summer the heat from the TV DISH box and my monitor and tower make the little room unbearable, so I sometimes turn off anything I am not using. I do have central air, but the electronics crammed into this small room really raise the temperature. I know DISH says I shouldn't turn off the box but I don't really understand why. This is the 4th monitor I have had, each time purchased with a new tower. I have never had a problem with any monitor.

In theory, off and on is more detrimental to electronics than continual on.

ML,

I find your heat build up unfortunate, but interesting.

I have my HDTV, DVD player, DTV box, desktop with monitor, 2 printers, a 3G Internet receiver, a government pager with charger, and a government hand-held radio with charger all in a small bedroom. There is no heat build up. Even in the summer, and having no A/C there is no concern.

DA

Thanks, damccoy!

Since there are 5 computers set up in this house at all times, yes, I shut them down. I have never had any premature wear from doing so, since I also have 2 very old windows 98's in the closet that I bring out and plug in for 2 or 3 days every couple of weeks, that have never had any problems at all. This XP that I am on right now,has never had any type failure except for one monitor that previously was on a couple other puters, before this one. I am sure it was old age, not turning it off and on, that ended its life. As for the equipment catching fire, well, one of my neighbors had her monitor catch fire, and catch the drapes behind it on fire. If no one had been home, yes, the house would probably have burned down. However, I have another friend that had her toaster catch fire and burn out the top half of her cabinet, and how many of you actually unplug your toasters every time you leave the house. My daughter had an under the counter coffee maker that the cord caught fire, while she was standing about 5 feet from it doing dishes. Accidents, do happen, and a running computer is not any more prone to starting fire, than any number of things that are plugged in, in your house 24/7. Shutting down or leaving on, is an age old controversy on this forum. LOL I am sure DA and Grandms and some of the oldies can remember this conversation coming up all the time. The answer is, it is your own personal preference, and with 5 plugged in, yep, mine are shut down. Every dollar counts, when you live on Social Security.

It's at least an annual event Cat.

I do admit the only time I cringe anymore is when a user reports they turn the system off every time after they are done using it.

DA

If you have not cleaned the inside of your tower in the last year, especially if you have animals and a lot of dust, do yourself and your pc a huge favor and open that thing up and get those dust bunnies out of there, that in itself will save you a LOT, your pc will run better, less heat, last longer and not take as much effort to run. That is one of the top killers of computers. And it is a task anyone can do. If you need tutorials there are tons of them on google and youtube with step by step direction and we are here to help also.
Just do it!!
Mine have clear panels so everything inside is visible I have to keep a neat pc LOL But I love having the ability to see what is happening inside. Plus I like all the pretty lights too.

I also cringe when I hear " I just turn off the power strip " My sincere hope is that each individual pc and monitor were actually properly shut down individually Before the strip was just turned off!! Unfortunately I know in some cases that is not so.

I like everything you have posted RC. However, to support proper protection and discourage confusion let's remind users to use surge suppressors not power strips.

I have to leave the conclusion to someone more astute in electronics than I. At one time with electronics even though they were "turned off" they were still "on". A concept identified as "heaters" was in place to insure startup and maintain an extended life span. Is there anything like that today? And no I am not thinking back as far as the vacuum tube days. :)

DA

I have to agree I do not have any strips (glorified extension cords is what I call them) on my electronics only UPS with all the protection they afford, that is one place I do not mind spending some money to help protect all of my expensive toys!
I have 2 large cyberpower ones, one for all my computer related components and the other for all my home theater components. I have an APC for my tv in my office and my laser printer.

I do have the surge suppressor strips in areas of my house that are lacking in wall receptacles. This house is sorely lacking in those, we seriously need to have it fully rewired, get rid of the mix of aluminum and copper wiring and add several more outlets and beef up the service supply, a costly undertaking! But when we do it I will be adding a whole house surge protector to the mix. With the kinds of storms we get here and being surrounded by trees I think it is worth it.

I agree, the full house surge protector is worth the money. We have had one for years at our last house, and had it transferred to this house. Ours is a rental from the power company, and they service it regularly. It is well worth the 6.00 and some change charge a month.

rc, would you please translate UPS and APC. I'm blushingly admitting that I have a power strip with my desktop, etc plugged in to it and I want to do it right.

UPS is an uninterrupted power supply, cyberpower and APC are brands.
Should something cause a power outage the UPS takes over, keeps power up till you can safely shut down without damage, some like the ones I run have the ability to do the shutdown computers automatically.

Everything gets plugged into it, even the cable or dsl since an electric shock can pass through them. It also keeps the electricity conditioned.

UPS are nice, but in general most users need a reliable protection from surge; albeit from the electric provider's line or Mother Nature. Just remember nothing is full-proof as to MN. Unplugging is the best way to go when practical and warranted.

DA

Thank you rc and damccoy...going shopping soon.

oh mine all definitely have surge and conditioning built in.
As I said the big good ones are not cheap but worth it in my opinion. And I want to be able to have ample time should I need it for shutdowns etc which adds to the cost.

When we lived in Oklahoma we had a really freak thing happen, something, they think it was the huge gophers that live in that area, had been chewing on the under ground power supply cables. They manged to do it in such a way that two bare ones touched and apparently fused. This sent some crazy stuff straight into my house and fried pretty much every thing that ran on electricity. Including our central AC, tvs, computers, computer sewing machines, microwaves, well everything. WE were lucky we were there and that it did not burn the house down. The power company covered all of the loses thankfully. But that put the fear in me!!! Now I might go a little overboard.