Answer:
This is a question that has persisted since the advent of the personal computer, with two competing viewpoints battling for acceptance. The two main issues that surround this question are energy conservation and system wear and tear.
When it comes to conserving energy, there’s no doubt that shutting down your system at the end of the day is the best method of reducing your electric bill. Depending on the cost of electricity in your area, the average computer and monitor will cost you about $1 per day if you leave both components running the full 24 hours. If you shut down your system when you’re finished for the day, you could conceivably save $120 per year on your energy bill.
However, as you’ve heard, there are hidden costs involved with turning off your system every day. Your PC is a conglomeration of electrical and mechanical components, designed to work in a consistent, stable environment. When you turn on your PC, a surge of electricity initializes each component. In the case of your hard drive, each platter begins to spin, as fast as 10,000rpm. Other components warm up, and a series of electronic switches begin to activate as your computer conducts its POST (power on self test) regimen. Like your car, your computer operates best after it has had a chance to warm up. This is also true for CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors.
When you shut down your computer, these components either spin down or discharge any residual electricity. The problem with frequently shutting down your system is the risk of wearing out your hard drive prematurely. Your computer’s hard drive has the most moving parts, and components with moving parts tend to be the first to fail. The last thing you want to do is increase the chance of your hard drive failing. In addition to your hard drive, your computer has a series of cooling fans that are vital to your system’s health.
Monitors pose a different problem. CRT monitors are conspicuous energy hogs, consuming a good two-thirds of your computer’s total energy bill. LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors are much more efficient, requiring less than half the electricity of a comparably sized CRT.
As peacekeepers in this long-running feud, we offer a compromise: configure your system to shut down your monitor after 10 minutes of inactivity, leaving your PC running. You’ll need to go into your OS’ power management utility (click Start, Settings, Control Panel, Power Options in Win XP) to change these settings. Shutting off your monitor will reduce your electrical consumption, letting your system maintain a safe equilibrium. If you are leaving your computer for an extended period of time (a day or more) you can safely shut it down until you return.
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