Keeping the pc on: advantages and disadvantages

What advantages and disadvantages of keeping the PC on? This is undoubtedly one of the most debated issues in the history of computing: leaving your computer on all the time, even if it is not in use, or always turning it off when you finish your activity with it. Today we help you solve this great question.

Advantages and disadvantages of keeping the PC on

Surely many people have heard that the best alternative is to turn off the computer when not in use to save energy. However, many things have changed since the time when many of us had our first contact with computers, and today there are a number of arguments to answer that question. After all, it all depends on how and how often you use your PC.

To help you decide what's best for you and your team, let's take a look at the pros and cons of keeping your PC on all the time.

Advantages of always keeping the computer on

There are many reasons pointed out by computer lovers, and that are not only reduced to greater agility when using your PC, but also to keep your desktop computer updated and up-to-date at all times. backups.

Comfort Is it really a differential factor?

There is no doubt that this is the main reason to leave the computer on all the time. Contrary to what happens when we disconnect our computer, here there is no need to wait for the system to start, just plug in the monitor to use it instantly . Typically, it takes about 1 minute for a medium-sized computer to boot up and display the operating system workspace screen (if you are using a conventional hard drive). If the user has a handful of installed programs that start with the system, this time can go up considerably, making the wait take forever. Therefore, keeping the equipment connected eliminates that wait.

Those most concerned with the end-of-month electricity bill may choose to leave the computer suspended, which not only speeds up system startup, but also keeps all previously open files and programs intact. Although this point is more relative every day if we take into account how cheap we are finding the best SSDs of the moment.

The team is always up to date (Security updates)

Keeping a team always up-to-date requires patience and work. Updates, backup routines and antivirus scans devour all the resources of our computer and overload the hard disk, worsening its use and agility . That said, ideally, all of these tasks should be scheduled for the early morning period, when most people are away from the PC. To do this, you need to keep the PC on all night.

Disadvantages of always keeping the computer on

It is very likely that you turn off everything and any electrical appliance after you finish using it, right? So here are some of the reasons why you should do the same with your desktop computer.

Component Life Is this unnecessary wear necessary?

It doesn't matter if your equipment components are expensive or cheap, one thing is certain: they have a useful life. In other words, when this period expires, your computer will simply stop working. Leaving your computer always on causes all internal components to wear out faster, causing your computer to stop working. In part- mounted computers as in our enthusiastic PC configurations, their lifespan is longer than that of a pre-assembled mall computer.

Higher energy expenditure

This was without a doubt the first argument you have ever heard in favor of turning off the computer or why not keep the PC on when not in use. Despite having sounded like a universal truth a few years ago, it is now necessary to analyze the amount of energy that a computer consumes in an idle state. A 21.5-inch iMac consumes about 56 watts of power at moderate consumption. This rate drops to 44 watts after the computer has been idle for 5 minutes and drops to 18 watts when the monitor is turned off. When turned off, the consumption is only 1 watt, which corresponds to when it is plugged into an outlet. Therefore, it becomes evident that it is necessary to turn off the equipment and remove it from the outlet to effectively save some energy, since leaving it turned off and connected to the wall will affect the account at the end of the month. Another clear example are the miniPCs like the Intel Nuc that have a consumption of 10W at maximum performance.

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Risk of overloads and short circuits

Overloads and short circuits are rare to occur if a good power source is used, but they generally damage the electronic components of equipment when they do occur. To avoid any type of problem of this nature, the ideal is to purchase a power strip with protection against electrical overvoltages and a power strip with a magnetothermic switch.

Restarts improve performance

Some time ago, the equipment manufacturers themselves recommended a periodic restart of the machine to avoid unexpected accidents. That reality has no longer existed for years, especially since modern operating systems can cope well with its resources, cleaning the cache of memory and the hard disk from time to time and opening space for the computer to stay on continuously without Loss of performance. Despite this, restarting the machine is still the main way to solve some of the day-to-day problems. Therefore, turning off the computer at the end of the day frees the entire system from these problems and is ready to start work the next day .

After reading all the advantages and disadvantages of keeping the PC on, you will continue asking yourself the question : What to do? With so many arguments, it is possible to say that the decision to keep the equipment permanently connected depends on each person. There is no need to turn it on and off several times during the day, just as there is no harm in leaving it on all night. On a personal basis, I always turn off my desktops and laptops and for any download I use a NAS that is on 24 hours. But does it consume a lot of that equipment? Not at all.. they are only 8 to 15W, which with the savings from using quality LED bulbs ( that's another matter ) throughout my home I can afford. What need do I have to leave a state-of-the-art i5 or i7 on? As of today none… and more using SSD disks that the operating system loads in 3 seconds.