61 replies to this topic

[damindor]

do you think a normal cheap dual core pc can be on 24/7/365?

I read something that turning pc on and off is actually bad for the hardware

[Lilrich]

damindor, on 11 January 2013 - 13:00, said:

do you think a normal cheap dual core pc can be on 24/7/365?

I read something that turning pc on and off is actually bad for the hardware

Yes it will be fine.

Turning the computer on and off constantly can reduce the hard disks life.

[tsupersonic]

Yes, a PC can stay on as long as the user wants it to. Just give it proper ventilation, perform routine maintenance, and you're good to go.

I recommend sleep, it's a nice compromise between leaving the computer on and shutting it down. The one downside is it retains everything in RAM, thus if you lose power, it can be problematic (but it should be ok 99% of the times).

[watkinsx2]

Leaving it on 24/7 will be bad for your electricity bill.

[Detection]

watkinsx2, on 11 January 2013 - 13:12, said:

Leaving it on 24/7 will be bad for your electricity bill.

Yup, I worked that one out after getting a huge first electric bill when I moved into this house

[damindor]

OK thank you

[boumboqc]

Would you let your car running on idle 24/7 ?

[+BudMan]

^ not sure I would call it a huge increase in elec bill. But sure its going to cost you a few extra quid.

Do the math, and NO you can not just look at the wattage of your power supply and say well guess it uses 600watts... That is what the power supply is rated for, not what the PC draws 99.99999% your using it.

So as I type this post, I look down at my ups and drawing .065 kilowatts, if I turn off the monitor it drops to .040. So do the math, my monitor turns off in 5 minutes of idle time.. Don't forget that depending on how long you use your computer comes into play here you should only count the extra cost of not turning it off.

Lets say you only use the computer for 2 hours a day, mines more like 18 But lets say its a normal person couple of hours a day usage. Now turn off your monitor for sure. Mine drops to 40 watts, so X my cost of elec which is about .125 kwh x 22 hours a day = (.04*.125*22) = $0.11 a day to keep my machine on when not using it. x 30 = $3.3 dollars extra a month if I only used my computer for 2 hours a day and left it on the rest of the time.

That extra cost goes way down depending on how much time you actually use your machine. But don't think $3 is going to break anyone, nor would I call that a huge increase in elec bill.

Sure you could use standby which would lower it way more!!! But every now and then by box has issues coming out of standby, not worth the hassle for a couple of bucks a month.

Now I show the cost in the UK for elec a bit higher than here in Chicagoland, I show 0.175 vs my 12.5 cents. So cost you what less than 5 quid??

Yes leaving any elec on when not used is going to cost you, but do the math!! Your more than likely taking cents not dollars.. I would really suggest you pick up a killawatt meter and look to see exactly what something uses in elec.

btw, here is what I am talking about for a killawatt meter, it allows you to plug in any device that uses elec and monitor how much it uses over time, right at the moment, etc. So you could let it run for a few days while you use your computer and get an exact figure for how much it cost per day.

http://www.p3interna...0/P4400-CE.html

for example its been plugged into my N40L for quite some time, this is my NAS, my router, linux box and a bunch of other VMs that I play and test with. It is on 24/7/365 for SURE!! So far 6632 hours its been on and used 372 Kwh, So 6632 hours = 276.333 days, now in that time it has used 372KWH or 372/276 = 1.34 Kwh per day. So x my 0.125 cost per kwh = 0.1675 cents a day to run.. X 30 = 5 bucks! Cost of cup of coffee or a beer at local pub. I don't see how this is going to be breaking anyone's bank??

Now maybe you got some crazy supped up machine that idles using 300Watts? Then ok you might want to look why that is -- a killawatt is great tool to have if your looking to understand the cost of running different elec items. Or whole home unit as well, I have meter that gives me what the total draw of the house is at any given moment, and logs it over time, etc.. right now the house is drawing 684 watts.. Man does that spike up when running all the appliances, got elec stove/oven -- most everything is elec. So I clearly understand keeping an eye out for what your using.. But sorry leaving a pc on is not going to be the biggest waste in the house.

[Guth]

boumboqc, on 11 January 2013 - 14:04, said:

Would you let your car running on idle 24/7 ?

if it were properly maintained and was properly cooled by its water and fans and properly lubricated then it wouldnt be a problem.

I saw on TV in some very cold countries people left their cars/lorries running 24/7 or else everything would freeze up and they wouldnt start. (the newer models had a small heater that circulated warm water)

[boumboqc]

Guth, on 11 January 2013 - 14:09, said:

if it were properly maintained and was properly cooled by its water and fans and properly lubricated then it wouldnt be a problem.
A car on idle 24/7 at 900RPM is nothing compared to a long motorway journey at 3000RPM.

But would you ? No, because you know that it is not good for a system to be "active" 24/7.
My point is that you shouldn't let your pc run :
It saves the life time of your pc AND
Less current consumption.

Sleep mode is a good idea though.

[Guth]

boumboqc, on 11 January 2013 - 14:13, said:

But would you ? No, because you know that it is not good for a system to be "active" 24/7.

no I probably wouldn't leave my car on 247 no.
Although I do leave my PC on 24/7, current up time is 6 days. And thats only because of a reboot.
Cars and PCs are different. A car has A LOT of moving parts, bearings etc. Pistons, Valves, Rockers, Fans, Belts to name a few

[nekkidtruth]

Realistically, there's no reason to really turn a computer off in this day and age. Unless your CPU/GPU are running at 100% load 24/7, it should be barely noticeable on your electricity bill. I have 4 machines that run 24/7. One of them is in the living room and used probably 2-18 hours out of the day. Factor in my dishwasher and the lights that are used, my bill is never over $60/month. Hell, the air conditioner in the summer bumped it up to $90/month. If your PC is making such a significant difference in your bill, something isn't working properly.

As for hardware...Personally, I've found hardware tends to fail more frequently when a machine is turned on and off. I replace GPU's, RAM, CPU's and motherboards like crazy on friends/family machines. Most of them are people who turn their machines off every day. I got literally years before having to replace some of those things on my machines that run 24/7.

[boumboqc]

Guth, on 11 January 2013 - 14:20, said:

no I probably wouldn't leave my car on 247 no.
Although I do leave my PC on 24/7, current up time is 6 days. And thats only because of a reboot.
Cars and PCs are different. A car has A LOT of moving parts, bearings etc. Pistons, Valves, Rockers, Fans, Belts to name a few

You are right, technically there are way more moving parts in a car.
But hey, it's just me! I don't let my computer run 24/7 and I had not a single failure in many many years.

[DKAngel]

my pc has been runnign 24/7 for about 15yrs onyl gets switched of in house moving or power outages or rebuuilds

[Detection]

BudMan, on 11 January 2013 - 14:06, said:

^ not sure I would call it a huge increase in elec bill. But sure its going to cost you a few extra quid.

Do the math, and NO you can not just look at the wattage of your power supply and say well guess it uses 600watts... That is what the power supply is rated for, not what the PC draws 99.99999% your using it.

So as I type this post, I look down at my ups and drawing .065 kilowatts, if I turn off the monitor it drops to .040. So do the math, my monitor turns off in 5 minutes of idle time.. Don't forget that depending on how long you use your computer comes into play here you should only count the extra cost of not turning it off.

Lets say you only use the computer for 2 hours a day, mines more like 18 But lets say its a normal person couple of hours a day usage. Now turn off your monitor for sure. Mine drops to 40 watts, so X my cost of elec which is about .125 kwh x 22 hours a day = (.04*.125*22) = $0.11 a day to keep my machine on when not using it. x 30 = $3.3 dollars extra a month if I only used my computer for 2 hours a day and left it on the rest of the time.

That extra cost goes way down depending on how much time you actually use your machine. But don't think $3 is going to break anyone, nor would I call that a huge increase in elec bill.

Sure you could use standby which would lower it way more!!! But every now and then by box has issues coming out of standby, not worth the hassle for a couple of bucks a month.

Now I show the cost in the UK for elec a bit higher than here in Chicagoland, I show 0.175 vs my 12.5 cents. So cost you what less than 5 quid??

Yes leaving any elec on when not used is going to cost you, but do the math!! Your more than likely taking cents not dollars.. I would really suggest you pick up a killawatt meter and look to see exactly what something uses in elec.

btw, here is what I am talking about for a killawatt meter, it allows you to plug in any device that uses elec and monitor how much it uses over time, right at the moment, etc. So you could let it run for a few days while you use your computer and get an exact figure for how much it cost per day.

http://www.p3interna...0/P4400-CE.html

for example its been plugged into my N40L for quite some time, this is my NAS, my router, linux box and a bunch of other VMs that I play and test with. It is on 24/7/365 for SURE!! So far 6632 hours its been on and used 372 Kwh, So 6632 hours = 276.333 days, now in that time it has used 372KWH or 372/276 = 1.34 Kwh per day. So x my 0.125 cost per kwh = 0.1675 cents a day to run.. X 30 = 5 bucks! Cost of cup of coffee or a beer at local pub. I don't see how this is going to be breaking anyone's bank??

Now maybe you got some crazy supped up machine that idles using 300Watts? Then ok you might want to look why that is -- a killawatt is great tool to have if your looking to understand the cost of running different elec items. Or whole home unit as well, I have meter that gives me what the total draw of the house is at any given moment, and logs it over time, etc.. right now the house is drawing 684 watts.. Man does that spike up when running all the appliances, got elec stove/oven -- most everything is elec. So I clearly understand keeping an eye out for what your using.. But sorry leaving a pc on is not going to be the biggest waste in the house.

Gonna have to get me one of those meters then, I've always just assumed the PC was the biggest drain during the night because I know during the day the whole house uses around £0.30p but with the PC on and using it normally (Yup around 18 hours too ) that jumps anywhere between £1.00 to £2.00 per day

We have a key meter for electric and gas, think of it as 'pay as you go' so you put £10 on the key, stick it in the electric meter and it shows £10 credit, every 15-30 mins that credit drops depending on what you use, so I get a fairly accurate idea of how much things cost

Example when we're cooking in an electric oven and hobs, its painful watching the money disappear from the meter