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By default Windows 7 turns of (stand by) monitor every 20 minutes. So I guess, it should be OK to turn off LCD (manually push the power button) when I need to leave for over 20 minutes.

In this thread: Should I use a screensaver or just turn the monitor off when I am done?, snicker said:

Powering off modern monitors will not cause any detrimental harm to them.

If you want to save power, it is best to turn them off completely when you are not using them.

But TandemAdam said:

if you are going to be going on and off your computer constantly, then I would just let the screensaver run, as turning you monitor on/off all day could eventually cause more damage.

and torbengb said:

turning a device on and off causes wear because the electronics expand and contract a little when they heat up and cool off. That can eventually lead to a failure.

In summer, my room temperature is 28~31 Celsius degrees. But In winter, it could drop to 3~8 Celsius degrees. Turning on/off LCD in winter seems to cause quite big temperature change to the LCD.

My question is: Does "frequently" (10 times a day) turning on/off LCD shortens its lifespan, especially in my winter? (I plan to use my monitors for over 5 years)

Thanks

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There is pretty much no difference between turning the monitor off with the power button and letting the computer switch the monitor into sleep mode. Both operations turn off pretty much all the electronics in the monitor.

Yes, going from off to on causes an increase in the internal temperature and parts expand. Going from on to off causes contraction. It is incredibly minor in modern monitors. I have had my 19" LCD on for most of the day and it is barely warm.

It is far more likely you will wear the power button out before the monitor dies from the tiny amounts of expansion and contraction caused by repeatedly powering it on and off.

As for your winter temperatures? I assume you have some form of heating in your property, so it won't actually get that cold inside.

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  • The part about the power button is true. The button in my monitor died years ago, so now the monitor just auto shuts off.
    – David
    Dec 16, 2017 at 23:08

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