Question Can i leave my PC running Minecraft for a week while I'm away ?

[BeastHotDogGUY]

Minecraft isn't really a heavy game except for the CPU (and not even that) so I just wanted to know so i could stack up rewards on a server.
The only other thing is that i have a ton of spawners so I don't know about that.

Specs:
Mobo: B550 matx
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600G
GPU:1660 Super
RAM:16GB 3200mhz
PSU: 600w 80+ gold
Fans: 2 x 120mm

 

[Ralston18]

I would not leave the PC running.

Why?

Any glitch anywhere could make the rewards "objective" moot.

And the system is sitting there doing or trying to do who knows what....

Likely to get timed out as well.

Storms etc.. could cause electrical issues and the system would be vulnerable.

Leaving for a week: Do backups, verify the backups, store the backups somewhere safe and away from the host system.

Power down, unplug (power, internet) and otherwise isolate the system.

Likely potential rewards are not worth the risk.

As for spawners: that could could backfire in some manner and if you are not there then.......

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Misgar]

I leave my pfSense hardware firewall built into an old Fujitsu PC running for weeks on end. Only when I go on holiday do I shut down the system. At only 20W, it's not too costly to keep the firewall switched on 24/7.

Home broadband routers are often switched on all the time to provide internet access and WiFi, day and night.

At work, some people leave desktop computers switched on at night and don't bother turning them off at the weekend. A waste of power certainly, but computers can operate like this for years.

Servers and workstations remain powered on for months with no ill effects. When you do get failures in such systems, it's often at switch on. Computers suffer less stress when they're not switched on and off thousands of time.

If you want to leave your Minecraft computer running for a week and can afford the electricity, create an image of the C: drive with Macrium Reflect in case of problems, then turn off the video display

It might be good idea to switch on the screen each day to monitor the spawners and check if everything's OK. If the computer has crashed, you'll have to come up with a different strategy.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

I certainly would not be comfortable with leaving my PC running while I'm away.
Who knows what I might have to deal with when I return.

 

[bill001g]

Can't say about the minecraft software, many games have memory leaks that require you to restart after running for long periods of time. Since most people run minecraft mods it makes it more likely the software might be unstable running for long times...hard to say that is more of a question for the minecraft guys.

I have a pc that I use to collect and process data from security cameras. It has been running pretty much 24x7 for years with no issues.

 

[Misgar]

I don't leave any computers running when I'm away on holiday, but I don't switch computers off when I go out to the shops if they're in the middle of a long rendering task.

Some people leave a NAS switched on for weeks so they can access files via VPN when away from home on a business trip or holiday.

I leave my fridge freezer on when I'm abroad and I keep the central heating ticking over when I'm away at Christmas and the forecast is heavy frost. It's better than burst pipes.

Some people program their gas central heating to switch on an hour before they get back from work. If you're of a nervous disposition, you wait until you get home and keep your coat on until the room warms up.

Gas explosions occur even if you switch off the central heating when you leave the house. Ditto electrical fires. If you have gas heating, do you turn the gas off at the mains to extinguish pilot flame each time you go out? Do you turn the mains off at the distribution unit to make the house safe?

Computers can fail at any time, but unless you stare at the monitor with your finger over the off switch, you cannot guard against all eventualities. Fit a good quality PSU and the risk of fire is reduced. If you're worried about data loss, that's why you keep backups.

 

[nutshellml]

Wow, surprised with responses. I always leave my PC running while away. I have a UPS backup with autoshut down if power goes out. Mainly leave it running so if I need to remote in to access something I can. There have been handful of times I needed too. May look at Wake-On-LAN feature and keep it off...

 

[geofelt]

I turn it off.
No telling when lightning might strike or windows will push out an update.
If I am feeling a bit paranoid, I will also unplug from the wall.

 

[Misgar]

I've had two lightning strikes on my house. Took out the router on both occasions and a hardware firewall, but didn't reach the 10Gigabit switch or the computers. In both cases the surge came up through the telephone line and coaxial broadband cable.

I switched to fibre-to-the-premises broadband and VOIP telephone so that's one less avenue for destruction. I've also got earthed surge suppressors on some of the Ethernet cables and TV aerial coax cables.

On my video rendering rigs, I've tweaked the Windows Registry so it doesn't restart the computer automatically in the wee small hours after a Windows Update.

It's most annoying when you come back to a machine after 12 hours to see if a render has finished, only to find Windows has restarted the computer and ruined the session.

The Registry tweak prevents automatic shutdown after Windows Update and allows you to restart the OS when you're good and ready. Don't let Microsoft control every aspect of your PC.

No harm in unplugging things from the wall, especially if you don't have an accessible mains switch in line with the computer to turn it off. ATX PSUs are "live" drawing vampire power until you physically switch them off. I use RF controlled mains switches to disconnect some machines by remote control.