Is It Better To Leave My New PC Always On???

[manooly]

I just built my first pc. I've always wondered is it better to always leave your pc running? I mean always, like overnight and when I'm not home. Do I just lower my fan speeds when I'm not using it? I'm the type of person who uses the pc, plays games for an hour or two and then shuts down everything (even my router) when I'm done. Does firing up your pc 6 or 7 times a day wear on the motherboard and other components? I just figured I'd ask this great community and find out what the majority of you do. I'd love to know the right answer on this so I don't hurt my new pc in the long run.

Here are my specs...

- i5 750 cpu
- cooler master hyper 212 plus heatsink
- 4 GB g.skill ripjaw DDR3 1600mhz RAM
- Asus p7p55d-e pro mobo
- Antec 1200 chassis (with 9 fans)
- 850w xfx psu
- xfx hd ati radeon 5870 gpu
- Windows 7 home premium 64bit

Please let me know if you need any other info from me.

Thanks!

- manooly

 

[treefrog07]

The top rig in my sig is my gaming computer - I turn it off when I'm not gaming. The bottom one is my always-on computer, I run it at stock speeds and settings, unless I feel like playing around with OCing (like every month or so) and restarting for software updates. It has been running problem free 24/7 for more than a year.

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

Why is the dual core your gaming computer?

I'd leave on things like the router. When my gaming rig was the file server I left it on 24/7 for many years. Even now I typically just leave it on all day, and generally turn it off when I leave or go to sleep, stuff like that.

 

[anachronite]

My current rig that I am getting ready to replace is 5 or 6 years old, had some memory and GPU upgrades, but it's been on 24/7 for the entire time except power outages. I have replaced the power supply 3 times, but that problem maybe related more to the quality of the power supplies I bought for it.

 

[jsc]

This question has been coming up ever since there were PC's - in other words, for about the last 30 years. There's pro's and con's for both approaches.

Right now I have three desktop systems running. My workhorse machine stays up 24/7. I turn my gaming machine on and off. I also have a torrent machine, built out of leftover parts, that's up 24/7 also.

 

[Silvune]

If your startup times are bothering you and you want to save time you can always just put it in sleep/hibernate mode while not using it. Altho I can't imagine that multiple startups would cause any problems. I would encourage you to not leave it running 24/7 unless it is doing something for the majority of that time (I believe in the whole climate change thing and being eco friendly).

 

[treefrog07]

Why is the dual core your gaming computer?

It scores >20000 in 3DMark06, the other is about 18000, and I use the quad core for all my daily tasks, while it runs a security system 24/7.

I'd leave on things like the router. When my gaming rig was the file server I left it on 24/7 for many years. Even now I typically just leave it on all day, and generally turn it off when I leave or go to sleep, stuff like that.