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Is it better to leave your computer on all the time?

I was just wondering is it okay to leave a computer on (I'm talking about desktop) on for more than 10 days? Is it safe and can it cause damage to the hardware?

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I've had no bad experiences, with neither desktop nor laptop computers, leaving them running pretty much all the time for years. Make sure to get the dust out every once in a while though ;) – Daniel Beck Jun 13 '11 at 21:17
Good comment about the dust...computer killer. – KCotreau Jun 13 '11 at 21:19
I have a friend that never turns his desktop PC off, He generally gets 5+ years of service. – Moab Jun 13 '11 at 21:38
Wouldn’t you have to turn the system off to properly clean it out? I wouldn’t recommend shoving a brush inside while it’s on (there’s spinning fans and live, exposed current that can short out the system, especially if you push the wrong thing in the wrong place). – Synetech Jun 14 '11 at 2:37
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closed as exact duplicate by studiohack♦ Jun 13 '11 at 23:20

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5 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

You can leave it on probably for years at a time actually. Granted, your hardware is not quite of the same quality of servers, but servers are often left on for very extended periods of time, and often never shut off, only rebooted. I can easily think of servers in my care, which have not been turned off for over a year easily.

That said, for home computers, I usually do shut them down once a day at night to save on the electricity bill.

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You did not say what OS, and while I usually work on Windows systems, if you think about Linus/UNIX, I remember those running forever without even rebooting. – KCotreau Jun 13 '11 at 21:18
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+1 for not wasting electricity to leave a system idling for nothing. (I suspect that a lot of people who leave their systems on all night—for no good reason—are either rich or live in apartments where electric is included in the rent.) – Synetech Jun 13 '11 at 21:19
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of course some people leave them on all the time running F@H or BOINC – Xantec Jun 13 '11 at 21:48
Well that’s fine I suppose, but then you run the risk of overheating depending on where you live and the time of year. – Synetech Jun 14 '11 at 2:32
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up vote 3 down vote

If the computer is properly ventilated and the temperature inside is not too high, it cannot cause any damage and you can keep such a computer on indefinitely.

Moreover, less power cycles are actually better for hardware.

On the other hand, if you will not reboot a Windows computer for too long, it may lead to some issues with the operating system and various background services and processes.

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Besides, the question sounds like the OP is asking if they can leave it unattended while they go on vacation or something, as opposed to actually using it during that time, in which case, the non-rebooting issues are irrelevant (though automatic updates may complain). – Synetech Jun 13 '11 at 21:21
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up vote 2 down vote

No, not generally. If the components are in good shape, then they should be okay (they are usually rated for long enough to be able to survive a while of continuous use, though server components are of course rated for much longer continuous use than consumer components).

That said, the longer it remains on (and presumably unattended), the more chance of damage from incidental things such as power-outs, lightening storms, plumbing leaks, children/pets, and so on to occur.

Also, the longer it is on (especially depending on what it’s doing), it could be at risk of overheating; for example if the weather is hot and you leave it running a program with a high CPU load (of course, if it’s left idling, then it may not overheat, but it would be a waste of electricity).

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I wait to turn my system on in the morning (or later) until I am actually going to use it (not just because it’s the morning). I then leave it on—but turn off the monitor and speakers—when I take breaks or whatever (though the power-saving function may turn it off if I’m away for too long). Then I turn it off when I go to bed. Sometimes if I don’t get around to turning the computer on until really late in the day (such that I would only be using it for a few hours before bed), then I just skip that day and use it the next day. – Synetech Jun 14 '11 at 2:40
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up vote 2 down vote

Generally speaking, it will wear the hardware down quicker, but usually that is of negligible impact (usually you'll be replacing the hardware due to newer stuff coming out that you want to upgrade to long before you hit the end-of-life of the original hardware).

While I haven't verified or checked out the claims myself, I have even heard that rebooting a system can put more wear and tear on the harddrive and other such components than simply leaving it idle overnight, or sleeping. You may want to research this if getting the most life out of your components is really critical.

That being said, I regularly run my windows desktop for 30-50 days at a time without rebooting, and my linux fileserver's uptime is measured in years, all with no noticable degradation of the hardware.

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Turning systems on and off causes the most damage to hardware. The initial influx of electricity is usually what blows lightbulbs, and most computer hardware failures occur on power on. – music2myear Jun 13 '11 at 22:30
Complete myth based on extremely outdated information. – Synetech Jun 14 '11 at 2:33
You two are a prime example of why I added the qualifiers around my middle paragraph :) – Darth Android Jun 14 '11 at 13:47
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up vote 1 down vote

I generally recommend leaving it on instead of turning it on and off for whenever you need to use it. When the computer is on, it is generating heat, and heat expands the components inside. When you turn it off, everything cools down, and shrinks a small amount. The possibility of harm from thermal expansion is there, though it's probably unlikely, my guess is that something else will probably break before then, thought I typically leave my computer on anyway.

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Except that computers are designed to handle thermal shock such that by the time they succumb to it, they are already obsolete enough that you have probably decommissioned them to the closet and upgraded anyway. Unless there is a cold-joint or other manufacturing defect, thermal shock is not going to be an issue for most people. – Synetech Jun 14 '11 at 2:35
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