[X4U] Leaving an iMac running 24/7

[Jan Melichar]

On 27 Feb 2006, at 22:04, Randy B.Singer wrote:

> John Richardson said:
>
>> Is there any downside to running an iMac G5 20" all the time?
>
>
> This is a subject that has been debated many times.
>
> The guru for my old Mac User Group, BMUG, called a number of Apple
> engineers to settle this question.  The answer was that, while  
> business
> mainframe computers are meant to be left on all the time, personal
> computers aren't built to the same standards (and hence cost a lot  
> less)
> and live longer if you shut them down when you will not be using  
> them for
> an extended period, let's say about an hour or more.
>
> There are exceptions.  Some Macs that don't have fans can suffer  
> from the
> continued heat cycling caused by frequently turning them on and  
> off, and
> can develop cold solder joints.  (I've fixed many Mac Pluses just by
> touching the solder joints around the flyback with a soldering  
> pen.  In
> fact, I used to install fans in Mac Pluses for friends to make them  
> last
> longer.)
>
> And a Mac whose hard drive is obviously on its last legs should not be
> turned off until the drive is fully backed up.  Drives that are  
> about to
> die commonly give up on startup.
>
> A number of years ago Macworld put to the test the old myth that  
> turning
> a Mac on and off caused surges that eventually would lead to the
> machine's death.  Their testing showed that Macs had an impressive  
> amount
> of surge protection built in, and that turning them on and off was  
> not a
> problem at all.  It helps to use a good (not cheap) UPS with automatic
> voltage regulation (AVR).
>
> Hard drives and other components can wear out if left running
> continually. LCD monitors will lose their brightness and can  
> eventually
> need an expensive replacement of the backlight.
>
> And, of course, shutting down your Mac overnight saves energy.
>
> Depending on how long you are expecting your Mac to last, it may  
> not make
> a big difference one way or another.  Most folks don't expect their
> personal computer to last more than about 5 years these days,  
> before they
> are longing for a newer, faster, better one.


Where does 'sleep' come into all this?

Jan