The best method to extend the life of a computer?

[OuT]

Today my boss approached me asking how we could get the "maximum" life out of each of our computers, saying that he wants to make sure they last as long as they possible can (which is weird since he never cared about how dusty our warehouse is, and how most of the computers have missing backplates which seem to suck in anything floating by.)

Anyway, I've always suggested shutting the computers down after we've left our 8-hour shifts, and turning them back on in the morning, especially since the owner is worried about the electrity bill.

A co-worker of his says we should leave them running all the time and just turn the monitor off.

And yet someone else suggested we leave the monitors alone and have the computers setup to go into sleep mode/standby.

So what do you think is the best way to get the most out of our computers?

a) Shut 'em down
b) Leave 'em running with monitors off
c) standby/sleep mode
d) who gives a crap, they're HPs and Dells

 

[Steven21]

I say shut em down at the end of day, it will save the PC and save Electricity.

 

[elzt]

Either b) or c) is fine.

Most hardware components are designed to run 24/7, and in fact, frequent power on/off of PC would actually shorten its life.

This topic has been discussed before in <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=71418#71418" target="_new">this old post</A>.

 

[flamethrower205]

Mmm, they certainly r not meant to be turned on off often (ie several times an hour) but on the other hand turning em off lets things cool off, which does good and can prevent damage. Furthermore, if something catches fire at night....that may not be too good. Finally, windows itself will definetly crash running like that!

Hilbert space is a big place.

 

[4Ryan6]

If the total daily work time is one 8hr shift, shut them down, it doesn't hurt the computer to properly shut it down and then restart it in the morning, man its not a diesel engine. You would need to have the computers fired back up before your open for business time by about 15min, depending on how many you have you could save money, and the life of the computers.

<b><font color=purple>Details, Details, Its all in the Details, If you need help, Don't leave out the Details.</font color=purple></b>

 

[svol]

Well I alwaus totally shut down my PCs... but it seems there are many people that this isn't very good for your powersupply (although my bro's PC is no 3 years old gets started almost everyday and we shut it down everyday and disconnect the PSU from the lightsocket).

I think I vote for option C and A.

My CPU fan spins so fast that it creates a wormhole

 

[umheint0]

Most people I speak to say either B or C, and I agree with them and do the same thing with all of my computers save one (which is a server, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for it to be off). The frequent heating and cooling of components can stress the connections between materials and shorten lifespans, as does the dissipation and charging of the capacitors in the motherboard, instead of leaving them charged all the time. Keeping them clean also helps, as does limiting humidity (the number of fried computers I see at swimming pools...)

Then again, D is always a nice option because it means more frequent upgrades to faster crap.

umheint0's phat setup --> <A HREF="http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~umheint0/system.html" target="_new">http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~umheint0/system.html</A><--

 

[alltaken]

untill they make QUIET PC'S (well untill they make MY PC quieter) and untill they make PC's run on 12watts or less.

then i shall turn mine off whenever i finish on it (perhaps 5 times a day)

our country is low on water right now so we have to save power. (ha ha ha if that doesn't make sense then imagine hydro dams)




however our other computer (the one NOT IN MY BEDROOM) and the one that does all the connecting to the internet is ALWAYS ON.






Alltaken

 

[KWPLunchbox]

Unless I'm installing some new hardware, it never gets
turned off. Not even during storms. All hail the mighty
UPS! Now, my 21" Sony E540 monitor is a different story.
That big big boy shuts down after 15 minutes of no
activity.

Oh yeah, tips on extending their lives? Good ventilation,
cool temperatures, and a good dusting of their guts every
couple months.

<font color=purple>AMD XP 2200+, A7N8X Deluxe, 512mb PC3200 Corsair XMS DDR, Geforce3 Ti-500, Audigy Platinum, TDK 48x CDRW, Lite-On 16x DVD, XP Pro SP1, and more neon than a ghetto sled </font color=purple>

 

[flamethrower205]

I dusted my comp yesterday, let's say I couldn't breathe for a few minutes after. My red carpet has managed to become grey....

Hilbert space is a big place.

 

[Turk]

Well, I guess it depends on the hardware/software combo!
Is the hardware u use at your work designed, i.e. proffesional, to be on 24/7-365?

Unless stated different, the monitors should be shut down by builtin powersaver at the end of the day (this could cause some frustration if someone is working late ) if the computers can handle sleepmode then why not put them to sleep (hehe)?

But the absolutely best way of prolonging the hardwares longetivety is simply to have them in the best possible, dust, humidity and heat free, environment but as this dosen't seem possible at your work the second best is to atleast make sure that their is a good airflow in and around the computers. It is also a good idea to secure them against voltageshocks and powerfailures by using UPS. These are nowdays rather cheap.

G L

Turk!