Why to shutdown computer each night? Top 5 reasons from our experts
To shut down or leave your computer running has been up for debate for as long as the computer has been around. Many people leave their computers on for days or even weeks at a time, but is that really a smart choice?
The idea of shutting down your computer each night isn’t the norm for everyone know more about this IT tips. Most people fall into one of the two
- I shutdown my computer each night
- I shutdown my computer only when its stuck
You either turn off your computer once a day or never shut down till you are forced to. If you’re one of those who shuts down their computer often you’re making the proper choice, but for those who don’t shut down their computer, continue reading as you will be surprised by what your 1 minute mistake everyday is costing you.
1. Extended Lifespan
The most valuable and noticeable effect is extended lifespan of your computer. Even if you are heavy user using your computer throughout the day and 7 days a week, you can help extend the lifespan of your device by shutting down each night.
While it’s true that every computer (both laptops and desktops) will eventually wear out and need to be repaired or replaced, certain parts are more sensitive to being left on for extended periods of time. For example, a laptop’s battery life will significantly shorten after about 300 charge cycles and an LCD panel only has around 15,000 hours (2 years) of use. Also, when a computer is on, it generates heat. Even as the fan runs, this heat is wearing down parts and shortening the life of the computer. For this reason, shutting down your computer after a day’s work could extend your device’s life by months or even years
2. Improved Computer Performance
Have you ever left your computer on for days and noticed that it’s slowing down?
It could be for many reasons including random programs hogging resources and fragmented files that are taking up extra processing power. A fresh reboot can help free up resources by shutting down unnecessary programs running in the background and discarding file fragments.
Here are some other computer performance problems you may fix or avoid by shutting down every day:
- Driver crashes. Graphics card drivers, printer drivers, monitor drivers and just about any other driver you can think of can crash or malfunction. When you shut off your computer every day, it gives your system a chance to fix those crashes and reboot the driver properly.
- Memory hogs. Sometimes programs get greedy and they begin hogging your memory. When they do this, this can slow down or even freeze your system. When you shut down, your computer system will stop the memory hog from causing problems and give you a smoother and faster experience.
- Wi-Fi malfunction. Wi-Fi is great, but sometimes it just doesn’t work no matter how many times you run the diagnostic tool. When that’s the case, shutting down your computer can help reload the Wi-Fi tool properly.
3. Protection From Power Surges
Power surges are inevitable and beyond our control. Plus, they can damage your computer seriously, which will not only cost you money but the data that was unsaved or wasn’t backed up on the cloud. This is another important reason as why to shutdown computers each night.
No doubt, you can use surge protectors. They’ll protect your PC from small surges like the ones caused by power grip switching and against most lightning and storms (the only true way to protect against power surges is by disconnecting every device from its power outlet). Of course, if any such thing occurs in the middle of the night, it makes the PC you left on and plugged in vulnerable
4. Save Money
Another reason why to shutdown computer each night is money. A desktop consumes 200Wh on average for regular eight-hour usage, causing an annual consumption of about 600kWh, costing you around AED 300 annually.
For a laptop, the electricity consumption is around 300kWh per year, costing around AED 350 annually. Of course, these are rough values, and your experience is likely to vary.
Depending on how many computer devices you require for your work, your electricity cost gradually increases when you leave them on for 24 hours.
Besides that, leaving your computer on can also cause damage to its parts. So the repair cost will also add up to the sum. Nevertheless, if you continue operating the way you do right now, the repair cost may go in vain because of the decreased lifespan of your device. Talk to one of Chipin Onsite IT Resources in Dubai to help you understand this point better.
5. Confidentiality
Another reason for turning off your computer is privacy. Shutting down your Computer can help protect important data as it prevents cyberattacks. In addition, if it’s not turned on, your computer cannot be broken into. Read our article for IT tipson how Chipin can help you fight against a cyber attack
This way, you can save any sensitive information you may have on your device, be that your own or that of a client or otherwise
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