Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequently asked questions I get from clients. As is often the case, it all depends on who you ask. Now I’m of the opinion that yes, you should shut your computer down at night. You don’t have to “drink the Kool-Aid” and blindly agree with me, but I’ll put forth my reasoning and you can decide for yourself. Sound good? OK, here goes.
Are you the type of person who is concerned that your computer is vulnerable to malware attacks whenever it’s connected to the Internet? Well, if you shut it down when you’re done for the night, you’ll have fewer hours to worry about it! I don’t have to tell you that the cost of electricity is high and continues to climb. Obviously, computers, particularly desktops, require power to run. Desktops need continuous electricity. So, you’ll be saving on your electric bill if you shut your computer down at night. The motherboard on your desktop always has a small power draw, so you won’t be able to completely eliminate all power demands unless you unplug the computer entirely, but you’ll certainly limit power consumption by shutting the computer down. Power outages and surges can do a number on your computer as well. As we move into Summer the possibility of severe thunderstorms exists regularly. You’ll definitely want to shut down when the weather looks grim. The components inside your computer have a lifespan. If a computer runs non-stop 24/7 (God I hate when people say 24/7), that lifespan will logically be shorter. Finally, I just find that things work better when a computer is shut down. The first suggestion we always make when a user encounters a problem is to restart their computer. Resetting the operating system is always the easiest (and cheapest) fix you can ever complete.
I liken leaving a computer on all the time, really any electronic device, to a person who didn’t sleep all night. How sharp do you think that person will be the next day without any rest? Odd problems can creep up without a shutdown. Obviously there are reasons that it isn’t possible to shut your computer down every night. If it’s part of a network environment at work that is maintained during non-work hours, you’ll have to leave the computer on. Also, if your computer runs so slowly that you can’t wait for it to boot up in the morning, you may want to leave it on all night. In my experience though, shutting your computer down regularly is the way to go. Your mileage may vary.