Can you run a personal computer 24/7?

[Andrew4444]

Hi, I run a small gaming server on my personal desktop computer 24/7. Thus far i have not experienced any problems at all and have been running my applications 24/7 for around 2 weeks now. My personal computer is a GT5220 made by gateway. I am wondering if It is safe for the computer to continue running 24/7. Some information you might want to know is that I have heard the fans working harder than normal and noticed the temperature of the system a little above normal range. After a while the fans go back to normal and the system temperature is fine. I'm worried about the systems temperature and the wear on the hardware. Does anyone know if this is really a good idea or not?

 

[jitpublisher]

Absolutely. Just keep in mind that if you are running 24/7, it is a good idea to clean out the inside of the case, heatsinks, fans, etc. more often.
We have PC's in the office and also out on the production that have been running non-stop for years. 1 particlar unit has been running nearly 10 years. They are Gateways and Dells.

 

[cjl]

Absolutely you can. My computer has an average uptime of between 1 and 2 weeks between restarts (mostly for updates).

 

[rand_79]

I havent shutdown my computer for over 19monthes.. (not counting update restarts and a couple driver fubar issues(bad driver update)

one thing i noticed is after you shut them down after a year about 50% of the time one of the fans starts making noise or goes bad

 

[uncfan_2563]

just make sure that your ISP is okay with that game server...

 

[4745454b]

Another person here who barely ever reboots. The only bad thing I've noticed is that when I do reboot, it takes a LONG time for the reboot to happen. Other then that no problems with doing this.

 

[jimishtar]

i keep my desktop on till 15th day every month (its how i hack my network provider, so I dont get the transfer limit and decrease in speed). so far havent seen any problems, but u do need a great psu.

 

[SpidersWeb]

It is perfectly safe.
However you are wasting power, and wasting the lifespan of the machine.

I leave mine on if I need it, e.g. leave it doing a download, or someone else is gonna use it soon, or I'm gonna use it in an hour or the king "I've opened heaps of workspace and dont want to reopen anything".

But if you're going to sleep, or going to work/school then switch it off. Leaving it on is like leaving on all your lights during the day even though the sun is gleeming in.

 

[abfox]

Yup, you are fine. I do restarts and power downs only as necessary myself (I dont know if my power company loves me or hates me, lol). If anything, I would lean towards it being better for your fans, HD's etc as they aren't stopping and starting frequently, but that is my 2c. Your utility bill may be a different question entirely, but your GT5220 doesn't exactly strike me as a power hog. ;3

 

[uncfan_2563]

Yup, you are fine. I do restarts and power downs only as necessary myself (I dont know if my power company loves me or hates me, lol). If anything, I would lean towards it being better for your fans, HD's etc as they aren't stopping and starting frequently, but that is my 2c. Your utility bill may be a different question entirely, but your GT5220 doesn't exactly strike me as a power hog. ;3

I doubt your power company hates you, more power consumption == more cash for them

 

[bgd73]

yes, they can run a long time.
I started a machine in feb 2006, and the total runtime is
2.6992009132420091324200913242009 years.
(23645 hours)

that means 72.816580438531658043853165804385 percent uptime...over a period of

3 years, 8 months, 15 days

I forget a month goes by. they do not bung up like they used to. The only reason for downtime was tinkering with something...


for serving, acpi stuff ought to be set to a perfomance machine, and the fans. damn that subject sucks...there is a type of ball bearing sealed with fluid. It is the only one I have encountered that goes many many weeks, and months and years, and starts cold in a whisper. My only peeve left is the fans. (I make my own)