Why are screensavers no longer used?

Screensavers were very popular more than a decade ago, in the days of Windows XP or CRT monitors. Currently, the use of screensavers has been considerably reduced and those who use them do so solely for aesthetic reasons.

However, that was not the true purpose of the screensavers. Below we will see why its use has decreased in recent years and what its true purpose was.

Why are screensavers no longer needed today?

The colorful screensavers of yesteryear are no longer as necessary as they were in the 1990s or 2000s. Their main objective was to prevent phosphor from burning CRT monitors after prolonged use. But with today's LCD monitors, screensavers are often activated just for security reasons.

Philips CRT monitor

The true purpose of screensavers

With cathode ray tube or CRT monitors, screen savers served primarily to prevent screen burns and to save energy by keeping the monitor on. Firstly, CRT monitors worked by using beams that targeted different phosphor pixels on the back of the screen. In this way, the phosphorus dots became heated and produced light.

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If an image stood still too long, the cathode ray gun continuously aimed at the same phosphor points to retain the image. Since the light was generated by heat, in those circumstances there was a risk of causing permanent burns.

Asus ROG Strix XG35VQ

To this end, the screensavers were designed as constantly moving images so that the rays hit different phosphor pixels.

Also, it was much easier to let the screensavers activate than to turn off the monitor. Especially since the CRT monitors consumed a lot of electricity when they turned back on.

Are screensavers still necessary?

With the new LCD monitors, phosphor is no longer used. Images are created by aligning liquid crystals in different ways using electricity. Since the heat generated by this method is not too high, LCD screens can stay lit with the same still image for a long time without risk of burns.

Samsung CHG90

However, keeping a static image on the screen active can consume power, and it is always best to turn off the monitor while not in use. Unlike CRT monitors, LCD displays don't consume too much electricity when turned on.

You can use Windows power options to make the screen turn off after a period of inactivity.

Save battery

Some people still use screensavers for fun and because they look good. But the truth is that the screensavers are no longer necessary. When using them, the monitor stays on and in all that time consumes energy. It is always better to turn off the screen when you are not using it, to turn it back on when needed.

In summary, the answer to the question in the title of the article would be summarized as follows:

1. People no longer use screensavers because they are no longer needed with current LCD monitors. Using screensavers would consume more power than would be saved by turning the screen on and off.

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