Will turning on and off comp lead to damage

[Quasar44]

Some days I use the computer several times and always do full shut down after . That is 6-10 times a day

Some posters on line said it can cause wear and tear to HD and capacitors

Others say most computers can handle up to 40,000 restarts and a few a day won’t do much .

I think I have a bad habit

 

[Mac-7]

The failure of components is most often caused by heating and cooling

But practically speaking 40k cycles is a long time

 

[DudleySmith]

The constant cooling and heating does cause wear and power supply failures.In your case just leaving it on would be best, but for casual users who turn it on maybe a couple of times a day it would probably be best to turn it off, to save on your electric bill. I turn mine off when I'm going to be away for more than 3-4 hours and when I go to bed. When I was working I left in on 24/7. With Win 7 being so stable I left it on for almost a year and half, then shut it down to clean the inside, especially around the fans and the heat sinks. My last PC still works great after some 11 years and I still use it for games that aren't compatible with my upgraded system. Finding high quality power supplies may be a problem these days though.

 

[Quasar44]

Mac-7
Some experts said you get 40,000 cycles on avg
That seems huge
Let’s say I power it off 300 times a year
It seems small

 

[Quasar44]

DudleySmith

If I just powered it off 3-4 times a day
Will that be ok

I power my smart phone off 3-4 times

 

[DudleySmith]

DudleySmith

If I just powered it off 3-4 times a day
Will that be ok

I power my smart phone off 3-4 times

How often between on and offs? If it's in between normal type work hours I would just leave it on. I set my mine for Sleep after 15 minutes, and let it idle. As for my cell phone I leave it off all the time and check it maybe once a day. I also have a land line though for my relatives and friends.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Doesn't your pc have "sleep mode"?

If my pc is left on (including the monitor), it goes to "sleep" after 10-15 minutes of non-use. Which means the unit turns off everything except the internal fan, to keep it cool......and I don't have to do a full restart.

If I want to use my pc again, I just move my mouse around and it starts back up where I left it.


I would say pc's aren't delicate little flowers by any means, but they do have cheap parts that can wear out easily, and especially when you don't want them to. Like the power button and the internal fan(s).

 

[Bleipriester]

Some days I use the computer several times and always do full shut down after . That is 6-10 times a day

Some posters on line said it can cause wear and tear to HD and capacitors

Others say most computers can handle up to 40,000 restarts and a few a day won’t do much .

I think I have a bad habit

Sudden loss of electricity can cause harm to all kinds of devices, including HDDs. Shutting down the computer does not.

 

[justoffal]

Some days I use the computer several times and always do full shut down after . That is 6-10 times a day

Some posters on line said it can cause wear and tear to HD and capacitors

Others say most computers can handle up to 40,000 restarts and a few a day won’t do much .

I think I have a bad habit

It's the expansion and contraction of the power source that causes the wear. You can set it to sleep mode without turning it off 100% it will only use a few pennies a day like that. The power source will probably last longer if you don't completely eliminate all electrical flow through it there by leaving its temperature at a steady state.

 

[Quasar44]

So the power off will only slightly wear down the capacitors ??

 

[Bleipriester]

Whether computers go kaput is often a matter of luck. Nvidia says my graphics card will last 40 years in office and 10 while gaming.

 

[Quasar44]

Mac-7
Is 40,000 correct

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Some days I use the computer several times and always do full shut down after . That is 6-10 times a day

Some posters on line said it can cause wear and tear to HD and capacitors

Others say most computers can handle up to 40,000 restarts and a few a day won’t do much .

I think I have a bad habit

You should not shutdown your computer everyday.
Modern home computers are designed to be left on for extended time periods... as in days.
When your PC is in sleep mode everything goes to RAM and it uses minimal power to basically just keep enough things "alive" for a faster boot up.
When you totally power down a computer, to restart it the computer powers up fully. Full voltage runs through as the computer self test every component. This is why when you first boot up the fan goes into it's highest setting to keep things cool during the stress of having everything powered on at same time.
So the answer is... yes... you are shortening the life of your computer by powering it off and on multiple times a day.

 

[Ringel05]

You should not shutdown your computer everyday.
Modern home computers are designed to be left on for extended time periods... as in days.
When your PC is in sleep mode everything goes to RAM and it uses minimal power to basically just keep enough things "alive" for a faster boot up.
When you totally power down a computer, to restart it the computer powers up fully. Full voltage runs through as the computer self test every component. This is why when you first boot up the fan goes into it's highest setting to keep things cool during the stress of having everything powered on at same time.
So the answer is... yes... you are shortening the life of your computer by powering it off and on multiple times a day.

By the time it damages the computer that computer will have become obsolete........., by a few decades. I power mine down every night and power them on every morning. I have enough electrical vampires running in low power mode, I don't need any more adding to my electric bill.........

 

[Quasar44]

Is powering on and off your iPhone the same possible slight wear and tear as your comp
???

 

[Muhammed]

About 20 years ago I had a computer that I would turn on and off a lot. Eventually I had to replace the power switch.

 

[Bleipriester]

Is powering on and off your iPhone the same possible slight wear and tear as your comp
???

No. Some day it will break and the reason will be accidentally. Same with computers. Picking out one possible of them is pointless.

 

[Quasar44]

Muhammed
How long did it last