by Roger Bergstein, Stuart Computer Service, May 15, 2022
"Should I leave my computer on overnight?" is the question I am asked most often. There is no clear cut right or wrong answer. Weigh the pros and cons of leaving it on to make an informed decision, including not just overnight, but when you are away from the computer for long periods of time.
Some reasons you might choose to leave your computer on:
• It is more convenient; you don’t have to wait for the computer to start up.
• You might want to allow Windows updates and antivirus scans to run overnight so they don’t interrupt your daily workflow.
• You need remote access to the computer when away from home.
Some reasons you might choose to power off the computer:
• A brownout or power surge can potentially damage the internal components of your computer. If you experience frequent brownouts or power surges, you should power off the computer when not in use.
• If your computer is noisy or if it generates a lot of heat, you might choose to turn it off when not in use.
• If your computer has a standard electromechanical hard drive which has a motor that drives platters to rotate at high speed (rather than a solid state drive), you may lengthen the life of the hard drive by turning the computer off when not in use.
• Dust is your computer’s silent enemy constantly flowing through your computer. The fans draw in the dust, and some of the dust will be trapped inside. This may cause overheating if the computer is not cleaned out periodically.
Some other thoughts:
• Cost of power: Unless you have a extremely powerful gaming or crypto mining computer, power costs are negligible.
• While computer performance generally benefits from an occasional reboot, you can do this manually if you choose to leave the computer on.
• The monitor (or laptop screen) has a limited lifespan; if you choose to leave the computer on, either turn the monitor off or adjust the sleep settings of the monitor so that it does not stay for an extended period of time when you are away from the computer.
• If no background tasks occur overnight, but you just prefer the convenience of not waiting for the computer to start up, set the computer to sleep or hibernate when you are away from the computer.
