According to Energystar.gov, modern PCs are built to handle 40,000 on-off cycles before failure. Does on-off cycle frequency make much difference to component wear?
Consider 3 sets of identical laptop computers:
Control: 30 on-off cycles every month for 10 months (standard consumer usage)
Sample 1: 30 on-off cycles every day for 10 days (heavy testing)
Sample 2: 30 on-off cycles every hour for 10 hours (excessive testing)
Criteria: Power-on duration per cycle standardized in all three groups to 1 minute. Power supplies remain connected and plugged in (active) when laptops are powered down.
Would there be a noticeable difference in wear between these sets of computers?