Does it harm electronics to turn off power strip?
- Thread starter gumbob3
- Start date
Solution
photonboy
Titan
- Jun 20, 2006
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It's probably a bit complicated if you want to get technical, but for our purposes I'll say no. Anything with software running, or mechanical hard drives that can crash and physically be damaged should obviously not be just deprived of power.
So a PS4 gaming console for example.
*I suggest you look into a "SMART" power strip. This will use one of the power connectors as the "MAIN" one that it monitors. Usually your HDTV would plug in there.
Then, put in the other devices (not most gaming consoles though as said). Your Speaker AMP, BDplayer etc. When you turn off the HDTV the smart strip knows this then kills all power to the supporting devices.
Effectively this is the same as physically unplugging these devices from the wall (must be a physical SWITCH in there for each of the secondary units slaved to the MAIN).
It's mainly about reducing the "vampire" power that devices use which is burned up over the transformer in their AC power adapters.
Other:
You should also not disable devices like TV recorders that need to power on at a set time to record a show.
So a PS4 gaming console for example.
*I suggest you look into a "SMART" power strip. This will use one of the power connectors as the "MAIN" one that it monitors. Usually your HDTV would plug in there.
Then, put in the other devices (not most gaming consoles though as said). Your Speaker AMP, BDplayer etc. When you turn off the HDTV the smart strip knows this then kills all power to the supporting devices.
Effectively this is the same as physically unplugging these devices from the wall (must be a physical SWITCH in there for each of the secondary units slaved to the MAIN).
It's mainly about reducing the "vampire" power that devices use which is burned up over the transformer in their AC power adapters.
Other:
You should also not disable devices like TV recorders that need to power on at a set time to record a show.
photonboy
Titan
- Jun 20, 2006
- 21,567
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TV and PC main concern?
I would not turn off the power then. Mainly because it's a hassle, and the part of the power supply that is stressed when the device is off doesn't wear out very quickly. I would have use a good surge suppressor. I bought a VOLTAGE REGULATOR for my dad's HDTV->
Look for one of the 1200VA Line-R models. These work great:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/APC-LE1200-Line-R-1200VA-Line-Conditioner-With-AVR/13213504
We had power issues which killed some devices. I bought that which conditions the voltage if too high or too low. It can prevent some surges that would normally kill a device.
I would not turn off the power then. Mainly because it's a hassle, and the part of the power supply that is stressed when the device is off doesn't wear out very quickly. I would have use a good surge suppressor. I bought a VOLTAGE REGULATOR for my dad's HDTV->
Look for one of the 1200VA Line-R models. These work great:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/APC-LE1200-Line-R-1200VA-Line-Conditioner-With-AVR/13213504
We had power issues which killed some devices. I bought that which conditions the voltage if too high or too low. It can prevent some surges that would normally kill a device.
- Mar 5, 2016
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My power strip is a monster. I think it has 4 always on spots, and 9 regular spots. So, out of my monitor, hdtv, other monitor, PC, sub/speakers, and my lamp, which should be always on and which should be switched off every time im done? Ill keep the lamp always on, but what about everything else? No tv recorders or anything. Thanks!
photonboy
Titan
- Jun 20, 2006
- 21,567
- 13
- 85,015
re above comment:
I'd keep the HDTV on the "MAIN" switch.
I'd keep PC on a normal connector that never turns off.
I'd get an APC Line-R (I just posted) for the HDTV and PC (600VA model may be okay... depends on what all you plug in) and other devices plugged in.
*Not many devices actually make sense to CONTROL from the MAIN slot. Just think about it. DVD player is the best example since you wouldn't need it without the HDTV on, but again a TV recorder should not be forced off.
Back to the APC...
You can use that WITH the Smart power bar but think about it carefully. I'd put it in between the wall and the Smart bar, then just make sure EVERYTHING you plug into the APC Line-R is won't go over the power rating (make sure to compare WATTS to WATTS as VA, or Volt-Amps and Watts are not the same thing).
Most LED 40" HDTV's are probably around 150W but that's a guess. So a 1200VA unit is hard to exceed
(use 1200VA = 680W for the sake of this post)
I'd keep the HDTV on the "MAIN" switch.
I'd keep PC on a normal connector that never turns off.
I'd get an APC Line-R (I just posted) for the HDTV and PC (600VA model may be okay... depends on what all you plug in) and other devices plugged in.
*Not many devices actually make sense to CONTROL from the MAIN slot. Just think about it. DVD player is the best example since you wouldn't need it without the HDTV on, but again a TV recorder should not be forced off.
Back to the APC...
You can use that WITH the Smart power bar but think about it carefully. I'd put it in between the wall and the Smart bar, then just make sure EVERYTHING you plug into the APC Line-R is won't go over the power rating (make sure to compare WATTS to WATTS as VA, or Volt-Amps and Watts are not the same thing).
Most LED 40" HDTV's are probably around 150W but that's a guess. So a 1200VA unit is hard to exceed
(use 1200VA = 680W for the sake of this post)
- Oct 30, 2004
- 32,255
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- 99,960
1. The primary means of degradation of electronics (light bulbs even) comes from warm-up and cool-down cycles (solder fatique being one primary failure mode). Sony used to have a commercial where they had a TV in a store window for 10 or 12 years ... it was widely debunked for the above reason.
2. One of the primary control methods in the power distribution fields is what is called "staggered starting". The application that stands out here the most is in Generator Design. When a load is placed on a circuit, motors being the primary component of concern here, there is what is called an "inrush current". So if a motor draws say X amps "under normal load" the start up or "inrush current" will be several orders of magnitude higher (3 to 6 times as much) than that. With solid state components, this inrush is much smaller but it still occurs as capacitors charge. THG writes:
The ATX specification requires that a PCs PSU limit downstream current to 100 amps. But again, power and thermal cycling of these components will have an effect on longevity. Most electronics are designed to be able to withstand 3-5 years of "normal usage". This inrush current (or surge) also results in a phenomenon known as "voltage drop" whereby when the is a sudden demand for more amps, voltage drops. In generator design, this can be problematic
http://ecmweb.com/basics/sizing-gen-sets-large-motor-starting
In a PC, the ATX spec requites that voltage drop from the PSU be limited to no more than 5% ... for stable overclocks, you'll want better than that.
By putting several items all on a "power strip". if you were turning them all off / on at once (as many do) you would increase the amount of load that is going on / off in the same instant. So all of the things above will be of a greater order of magnitude.
3. The way you are doing things is of no significance. Turning off the power strip AFTER shutting everything else down and turning off as per proper protocol is having no effect whatsoever. It is however a complete waste of time a sit does not accomplish anything
4. On the other hand, it would be worthwhile to know exactly how much power you are using. I haven't physically turned off a PC in this millenium other than to:
a) Restart it
b) Shut down in advance of severe storm
c) Shut down before a period of inactive use.
It's one of those discussions that you can make a reasonable argument for both sides.... and in 99 outta 100 times, you wouldn't be able to prove it either way. Keep in mind that I am basing this entire position on a PC that is getting typical THG user usage. In excess of 35 hours a week ON. If you check e-mail once a day or use even every other day, I'd prolly leave it off.
I have the power schemes set up to go into sleep mode (monitor, system , HDs, etc) after a certain amount of time of inactivity. During periods of non-use, I have the puters perform maintenance or other reasons such as:
a) HD defrag
b) On site backups
c) Off site backups
d) AV scans
e) It's a media server for iTunes and movie libraries for 10-12 other computers
Other reasons which don't apply to the desktops and lappies here:
a) You use internet phone dialing solution for ya phones (i.e magic jack) , we have an alternate system wide device for this purpose.
b) Installing updates
c) You can hear your puter when it is on ... we don't have any of those.
Primary systems are on a UPS which give me up to 60 minutes of usage after a power outage depending on what is being done ... obviously this doesn't include gaming
.
You might want to invest in one of these to get an idea of just how much power your electronics is using when they are in sleep mode. You can even input the power cost form your utility and find out how much it is costing you each month.
https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B000RGF29Q/
http://www.p3international.com/products/P4400.html
For TV / Cable ... one of two things happens....
a) If you don't take any action (push a button) after a set amount of time (you can set via menu), the TV and cable box go into sleep mode.
b) If you turn off the box, both go into sleep mode.
In short...
That latter discussion follows the same logic as overclocking tho.... yes overclocking makes things warmer and increases voltage each of which have an impact on component longevity. But if my CPU (or MoBo, Vid card, HD whatever) is going to last 5 years instead of 10, I really don't care as I have replaced them before either time period has been reached.
But keep in mind that electronics longevity follows a MTBF model (mean time between failures) and what we see with electronics is that a certain % of units will fail in the 1st 6 months ... and some will last 10 years, following the normal bathtub curve distribution. But, again, the primary means of failure under normal operating conditions will be thermal cycling. Other failure modes include excess temperature, excess current or voltage, ionizing radiation, mechanical shock, stress or impact, and even humidity.
Offices that are heated only during working hours with temp drops to 50F at night with PCs left off will see a wider temp swing when turned on each morning than if the PCs are left on. So, for example a component that failed due to solder stress fatigue after 3 years ... might have lasted 4 years if the device never was shut off or the heat was left on at night. OTOH I have seen condensation occur on PC components when I lived on the shore where nights can be cool and dry and then mornings are warmer and more humid. Not only did condensation sometimes appear on PC surfaces but I had a pair of audio tube amplifiers that when I took them apart to clean the dust out had a layer of salt on some of the surfaces from the sea air.
I let pretty much everything "on" or control its own / off activity. After all, isn't that one of the reasons why they call them "Smart TVs" they are smart enough to turn themselves off
More reading
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-turn-off-your-computer-at-night/
http://www.howtogeek.com/256395/psa-don%E2%80%99t-shut-down-your-computer-just-use-sleep-or-hibernation/
2. One of the primary control methods in the power distribution fields is what is called "staggered starting". The application that stands out here the most is in Generator Design. When a load is placed on a circuit, motors being the primary component of concern here, there is what is called an "inrush current". So if a motor draws say X amps "under normal load" the start up or "inrush current" will be several orders of magnitude higher (3 to 6 times as much) than that. With solid state components, this inrush is much smaller but it still occurs as capacitors charge. THG writes:
The ATX specification requires that a PCs PSU limit downstream current to 100 amps. But again, power and thermal cycling of these components will have an effect on longevity. Most electronics are designed to be able to withstand 3-5 years of "normal usage". This inrush current (or surge) also results in a phenomenon known as "voltage drop" whereby when the is a sudden demand for more amps, voltage drops. In generator design, this can be problematic
http://ecmweb.com/basics/sizing-gen-sets-large-motor-starting
In a PC, the ATX spec requites that voltage drop from the PSU be limited to no more than 5% ... for stable overclocks, you'll want better than that.
By putting several items all on a "power strip". if you were turning them all off / on at once (as many do) you would increase the amount of load that is going on / off in the same instant. So all of the things above will be of a greater order of magnitude.
3. The way you are doing things is of no significance. Turning off the power strip AFTER shutting everything else down and turning off as per proper protocol is having no effect whatsoever. It is however a complete waste of time a sit does not accomplish anything
4. On the other hand, it would be worthwhile to know exactly how much power you are using. I haven't physically turned off a PC in this millenium other than to:
a) Restart it
b) Shut down in advance of severe storm
c) Shut down before a period of inactive use.
It's one of those discussions that you can make a reasonable argument for both sides.... and in 99 outta 100 times, you wouldn't be able to prove it either way. Keep in mind that I am basing this entire position on a PC that is getting typical THG user usage. In excess of 35 hours a week ON. If you check e-mail once a day or use even every other day, I'd prolly leave it off.
I have the power schemes set up to go into sleep mode (monitor, system , HDs, etc) after a certain amount of time of inactivity. During periods of non-use, I have the puters perform maintenance or other reasons such as:
a) HD defrag
b) On site backups
c) Off site backups
d) AV scans
e) It's a media server for iTunes and movie libraries for 10-12 other computers
Other reasons which don't apply to the desktops and lappies here:
a) You use internet phone dialing solution for ya phones (i.e magic jack) , we have an alternate system wide device for this purpose.
b) Installing updates
c) You can hear your puter when it is on ... we don't have any of those.
Primary systems are on a UPS which give me up to 60 minutes of usage after a power outage depending on what is being done ... obviously this doesn't include gaming
.You might want to invest in one of these to get an idea of just how much power your electronics is using when they are in sleep mode. You can even input the power cost form your utility and find out how much it is costing you each month.
https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B000RGF29Q/
http://www.p3international.com/products/P4400.html
For TV / Cable ... one of two things happens....
a) If you don't take any action (push a button) after a set amount of time (you can set via menu), the TV and cable box go into sleep mode.
b) If you turn off the box, both go into sleep mode.
In short...
Turning off the power strip has no negatives / no positives.
Turning off your devices has both positive and negative impacts ... obviously even the small amount of electricity used in sleep mode has a cost. The more and wider the temperature swings from warm-up and cool-down the greater the impact on component life.
That latter discussion follows the same logic as overclocking tho.... yes overclocking makes things warmer and increases voltage each of which have an impact on component longevity. But if my CPU (or MoBo, Vid card, HD whatever) is going to last 5 years instead of 10, I really don't care as I have replaced them before either time period has been reached.
But keep in mind that electronics longevity follows a MTBF model (mean time between failures) and what we see with electronics is that a certain % of units will fail in the 1st 6 months ... and some will last 10 years, following the normal bathtub curve distribution. But, again, the primary means of failure under normal operating conditions will be thermal cycling. Other failure modes include excess temperature, excess current or voltage, ionizing radiation, mechanical shock, stress or impact, and even humidity.
Offices that are heated only during working hours with temp drops to 50F at night with PCs left off will see a wider temp swing when turned on each morning than if the PCs are left on. So, for example a component that failed due to solder stress fatigue after 3 years ... might have lasted 4 years if the device never was shut off or the heat was left on at night. OTOH I have seen condensation occur on PC components when I lived on the shore where nights can be cool and dry and then mornings are warmer and more humid. Not only did condensation sometimes appear on PC surfaces but I had a pair of audio tube amplifiers that when I took them apart to clean the dust out had a layer of salt on some of the surfaces from the sea air.
I let pretty much everything "on" or control its own / off activity. After all, isn't that one of the reasons why they call them "Smart TVs" they are smart enough to turn themselves off
More reading
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-turn-off-your-computer-at-night/
http://www.howtogeek.com/256395/psa-don%E2%80%99t-shut-down-your-computer-just-use-sleep-or-hibernation/
- Mar 5, 2016
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- 0
- 1,810
JackNaylorPE :
1. The primary means of degradation of electronics (light bulbs even) comes from warm-up and cool-down cycles (solder fatique being one primary failure mode). Sony used to have a commercial where they had a TV in a store window for 10 or 12 years ... it was widely debunked for the above reason.
2. One of the primary control methods in the power distribution fields is what is called "staggered starting". The application that stands out here the most is in Generator Design. When a load is placed on a circuit, motors being the primary component of concern here, there is what is called an "inrush current". So if a motor draws say X amps "under normal load" the start up or "inrush current" will be several orders of magnitude higher (3 to 6 times as much) than that. With solid state components, this inrush is much smaller but it still occurs as capacitors charge. THG writes:
The ATX specification requires that a PCs PSU limit downstream current to 100 amps. But again, power and thermal cycling of these components will have an effect on longevity. Most electronics are designed to be able to withstand 3-5 years of "normal usage". This inrush current (or surge) also results in a phenomenon known as "voltage drop" whereby when the is a sudden demand for more amps, voltage drops. In generator design, this can be problematic
http://ecmweb.com/basics/sizing-gen-sets-large-motor-starting
In a PC, the ATX spec requites that voltage drop from the PSU be limited to no more than 5% ... for stable overclocks, you'll want better than that.
By putting several items all on a "power strip". if you were turning them all off / on at once (as many do) you would increase the amount of load that is going on / off in the same instant. So all of the things above will be of a greater order of magnitude.
3. The way you are doing things is of no significance. Turning off the power strip AFTER shutting everything else down and turning off as per proper protocol is having no effect whatsoever. It is however a complete waste of time a sit does not accomplish anything
4. On the other hand, it would be worthwhile to know exactly how much power you are using. I haven't physically turned off a PC in this millenium other than to:
a) Restart it
b) Shut down in advance of severe storm
c) Shut down before a period of inactive use.
It's one of those discussions that you can make a reasonable argument for both sides.... and in 99 outta 100 times, you wouldn't be able to prove it either way. Keep in mind that I am basing this entire position on a PC that is getting typical THG user usage. In excess of 35 hours a week ON. If you check e-mail once a day or use even every other day, I'd prolly leave it off.
I have the power schemes set up to go into sleep mode (monitor, system , HDs, etc) after a certain amount of time of inactivity. During periods of non-use, I have the puters perform maintenance or other reasons such as:
a) HD defrag
b) On site backups
c) Off site backups
d) AV scans
e) It's a media server for iTunes and movie libraries for 10-12 other computers
Other reasons which don't apply to the desktops and lappies here:
a) You use internet phone dialing solution for ya phones (i.e magic jack) , we have an alternate system wide device for this purpose.
b) Installing updates
c) You can hear your puter when it is on ... we don't have any of those.
Primary systems are on a UPS which give me up to 60 minutes of usage after a power outage depending on what is being done ... obviously this doesn't include gaming.
You might want to invest in one of these to get an idea of just how much power your electronics is using when they are in sleep mode. You can even input the power cost form your utility and find out how much it is costing you each month.
https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B000RGF29Q/
http://www.p3international.com/products/P4400.html
For TV / Cable ... one of two things happens....
a) If you don't take any action (push a button) after a set amount of time (you can set via menu), the TV and cable box go into sleep mode.
b) If you turn off the box, both go into sleep mode.
In short...
That latter discussion follows the same logic as overclocking tho.... yes overclocking makes things warmer and increases voltage each of which have an impact on component longevity. But if my CPU (or MoBo, Vid card, HD whatever) is going to last 5 years instead of 10, I really don't care as I have replaced them before either time period has been reached.
But keep in mind that electronics longevity follows a MTBF model (mean time between failures) and what we see with electronics is that a certain % of units will fail in the 1st 6 months ... and some will last 10 years, following the normal bathtub curve distribution. But, again, the primary means of failure under normal operating conditions will be thermal cycling. Other failure modes include excess temperature, excess current or voltage, ionizing radiation, mechanical shock, stress or impact, and even humidity.
Offices that are heated only during working hours with temp drops to 50F at night with PCs left off will see a wider temp swing when turned on each morning than if the PCs are left on. So, for example a component that failed due to solder stress fatigue after 3 years ... might have lasted 4 years if the device never was shut off or the heat was left on at night. OTOH I have seen condensation occur on PC components when I lived on the shore where nights can be cool and dry and then mornings are warmer and more humid. Not only did condensation sometimes appear on PC surfaces but I had a pair of audio tube amplifiers that when I took them apart to clean the dust out had a layer of salt on some of the surfaces from the sea air.
I let pretty much everything "on" or control its own / off activity. After all, isn't that one of the reasons why they call them "Smart TVs" they are smart enough to turn themselves off
More reading
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-turn-off-your-computer-at-night/
http://www.howtogeek.com/256395/psa-don%E2%80%99t-shut-down-your-computer-just-use-sleep-or-hibernation/
2. One of the primary control methods in the power distribution fields is what is called "staggered starting". The application that stands out here the most is in Generator Design. When a load is placed on a circuit, motors being the primary component of concern here, there is what is called an "inrush current". So if a motor draws say X amps "under normal load" the start up or "inrush current" will be several orders of magnitude higher (3 to 6 times as much) than that. With solid state components, this inrush is much smaller but it still occurs as capacitors charge. THG writes:
The ATX specification requires that a PCs PSU limit downstream current to 100 amps. But again, power and thermal cycling of these components will have an effect on longevity. Most electronics are designed to be able to withstand 3-5 years of "normal usage". This inrush current (or surge) also results in a phenomenon known as "voltage drop" whereby when the is a sudden demand for more amps, voltage drops. In generator design, this can be problematic
http://ecmweb.com/basics/sizing-gen-sets-large-motor-starting
In a PC, the ATX spec requites that voltage drop from the PSU be limited to no more than 5% ... for stable overclocks, you'll want better than that.
By putting several items all on a "power strip". if you were turning them all off / on at once (as many do) you would increase the amount of load that is going on / off in the same instant. So all of the things above will be of a greater order of magnitude.
3. The way you are doing things is of no significance. Turning off the power strip AFTER shutting everything else down and turning off as per proper protocol is having no effect whatsoever. It is however a complete waste of time a sit does not accomplish anything
4. On the other hand, it would be worthwhile to know exactly how much power you are using. I haven't physically turned off a PC in this millenium other than to:
a) Restart it
b) Shut down in advance of severe storm
c) Shut down before a period of inactive use.
It's one of those discussions that you can make a reasonable argument for both sides.... and in 99 outta 100 times, you wouldn't be able to prove it either way. Keep in mind that I am basing this entire position on a PC that is getting typical THG user usage. In excess of 35 hours a week ON. If you check e-mail once a day or use even every other day, I'd prolly leave it off.
I have the power schemes set up to go into sleep mode (monitor, system , HDs, etc) after a certain amount of time of inactivity. During periods of non-use, I have the puters perform maintenance or other reasons such as:
a) HD defrag
b) On site backups
c) Off site backups
d) AV scans
e) It's a media server for iTunes and movie libraries for 10-12 other computers
Other reasons which don't apply to the desktops and lappies here:
a) You use internet phone dialing solution for ya phones (i.e magic jack) , we have an alternate system wide device for this purpose.
b) Installing updates
c) You can hear your puter when it is on ... we don't have any of those.
Primary systems are on a UPS which give me up to 60 minutes of usage after a power outage depending on what is being done ... obviously this doesn't include gaming
.You might want to invest in one of these to get an idea of just how much power your electronics is using when they are in sleep mode. You can even input the power cost form your utility and find out how much it is costing you each month.
https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B000RGF29Q/
http://www.p3international.com/products/P4400.html
For TV / Cable ... one of two things happens....
a) If you don't take any action (push a button) after a set amount of time (you can set via menu), the TV and cable box go into sleep mode.
b) If you turn off the box, both go into sleep mode.
In short...
Turning off the power strip has no negatives / no positives.
Turning off your devices has both positive and negative impacts ... obviously even the small amount of electricity used in sleep mode has a cost. The more and wider the temperature swings from warm-up and cool-down the greater the impact on component life.
That latter discussion follows the same logic as overclocking tho.... yes overclocking makes things warmer and increases voltage each of which have an impact on component longevity. But if my CPU (or MoBo, Vid card, HD whatever) is going to last 5 years instead of 10, I really don't care as I have replaced them before either time period has been reached.
But keep in mind that electronics longevity follows a MTBF model (mean time between failures) and what we see with electronics is that a certain % of units will fail in the 1st 6 months ... and some will last 10 years, following the normal bathtub curve distribution. But, again, the primary means of failure under normal operating conditions will be thermal cycling. Other failure modes include excess temperature, excess current or voltage, ionizing radiation, mechanical shock, stress or impact, and even humidity.
Offices that are heated only during working hours with temp drops to 50F at night with PCs left off will see a wider temp swing when turned on each morning than if the PCs are left on. So, for example a component that failed due to solder stress fatigue after 3 years ... might have lasted 4 years if the device never was shut off or the heat was left on at night. OTOH I have seen condensation occur on PC components when I lived on the shore where nights can be cool and dry and then mornings are warmer and more humid. Not only did condensation sometimes appear on PC surfaces but I had a pair of audio tube amplifiers that when I took them apart to clean the dust out had a layer of salt on some of the surfaces from the sea air.
I let pretty much everything "on" or control its own / off activity. After all, isn't that one of the reasons why they call them "Smart TVs" they are smart enough to turn themselves off
More reading
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-turn-off-your-computer-at-night/
http://www.howtogeek.com/256395/psa-don%E2%80%99t-shut-down-your-computer-just-use-sleep-or-hibernation/
The main reason I switch off my power strip is to save electricity cost. I have a Kill-A-Watt that shows how much something (tested my whole strip) is using. Even on sleep mode my PC took a good amount of power, so i would just turn all of my stuff of and switch it off. Now I am building a new pc so ill retest. What I've seen from responses is that no, it will not harm any of my electronics to turn them off, and switch off their power strip every time i use them.
- Oct 30, 2004
- 32,255
- 14
- 99,960
Wait ... I don't understand.
You have a PC and numerous other items connected to your power strip. You have turned off every item connected to the strip turned off and yet the strip itself is still drawing power ? The strip itself should not be consuming any significant amount of power. At best, that little LED that tells you the strip 'has power" will eat less than 1 watt. At the US average $0.10 per kw hour that's:
(1 watt x 365 days x 24 hours per day / 1000 watts per kwhr) x $0.10 = 87.6 cents per year
Again, turning off your power strip has zero impact .. longevity of PC components is the same when they are OFF or when they are double OFF. If turning off your power strip had an impact on those items that are connected to it, then why not plug the strip into a outlet controlled by a wall switch and turn that off too ? When you turn off a light via the wall switch, do you also go down to the basement and turn off the circuit breaker ? That's the same thing as turning off your power switch. Turning it double off has no effect.
As for what you have seen from responses ... If I read my response, 1st thing I would say is "How do I know that Jack guy isn't an idiot ?" Well one answer I could give you is that I have been a licensed design engineer practicing for 40 years designing treatment plants and power plants over that time .. I could also tell you that I have been modifying PCs since the mid 80s and building them for clients, friends and colleagues since the early 90s. But I would still caution that ... I could just be making that up.
The way you differentiate what you read in forum posts is by checking the linked published references. Did you read any of those "?
Ever take a wire like a coat hanger and bend it back and forth a few times ? Keep doing it and the wire will break... this is analogous to solder fatigue where electronic circuits are made of different materials all of which have different coefficients of thermal expansion. That induces stresses on the circuits which ultimately lead to failure. the more you bend the coat hanger, the faster it will break ... the more times your circuit components expand and contract, the faster they will break.
As was previously explained the occurrence of this accelerated failure is simply not in dispute. Whether the accelerated failure is of significance is arguable as whether a particular electronic device fails after 6 years or 8 years is of no significance if you tossed it out and bought a new one after 5 years.
Do some reading ... the engineering gets a bit technical but the answer is clear.
http://www.dfrsolutions.com/white-papers/temperature-cycling-fatigue-electronics/
Here's another analogy ... what tires wear out first ?
a) a vehicle that is driven long haul.... always running, very infrequent braking. This is the PC that is always left on
b) commuter vehicle, always driven hard in rush hour traffic.... constant jack rabbit starts and hard braking. This is the PC that is constantly turned on and off.
You have a PC and numerous other items connected to your power strip. You have turned off every item connected to the strip turned off and yet the strip itself is still drawing power ? The strip itself should not be consuming any significant amount of power. At best, that little LED that tells you the strip 'has power" will eat less than 1 watt. At the US average $0.10 per kw hour that's:
(1 watt x 365 days x 24 hours per day / 1000 watts per kwhr) x $0.10 = 87.6 cents per year
Again, turning off your power strip has zero impact .. longevity of PC components is the same when they are OFF or when they are double OFF. If turning off your power strip had an impact on those items that are connected to it, then why not plug the strip into a outlet controlled by a wall switch and turn that off too ? When you turn off a light via the wall switch, do you also go down to the basement and turn off the circuit breaker ? That's the same thing as turning off your power switch. Turning it double off has no effect.
As for what you have seen from responses ... If I read my response, 1st thing I would say is "How do I know that Jack guy isn't an idiot ?" Well one answer I could give you is that I have been a licensed design engineer practicing for 40 years designing treatment plants and power plants over that time .. I could also tell you that I have been modifying PCs since the mid 80s and building them for clients, friends and colleagues since the early 90s. But I would still caution that ... I could just be making that up.
The way you differentiate what you read in forum posts is by checking the linked published references. Did you read any of those "?
Ever take a wire like a coat hanger and bend it back and forth a few times ? Keep doing it and the wire will break... this is analogous to solder fatigue where electronic circuits are made of different materials all of which have different coefficients of thermal expansion. That induces stresses on the circuits which ultimately lead to failure. the more you bend the coat hanger, the faster it will break ... the more times your circuit components expand and contract, the faster they will break.
As was previously explained the occurrence of this accelerated failure is simply not in dispute. Whether the accelerated failure is of significance is arguable as whether a particular electronic device fails after 6 years or 8 years is of no significance if you tossed it out and bought a new one after 5 years.
Do some reading ... the engineering gets a bit technical but the answer is clear.
http://www.dfrsolutions.com/white-papers/temperature-cycling-fatigue-electronics/
Here's another analogy ... what tires wear out first ?
a) a vehicle that is driven long haul.... always running, very infrequent braking. This is the PC that is always left on
b) commuter vehicle, always driven hard in rush hour traffic.... constant jack rabbit starts and hard braking. This is the PC that is constantly turned on and off.
Old discussion here, but I have something to add. I have a pc and a Sony HDTV connected to the same surge protector. I have been turning off this surge protector every evening for the last six or seven months. This morning however, when I turned on the surge protector, the Sony HDTV would not power on. It took quite a while to finally get it going. This leads me to believe that is best to just keep the surge protector on all the time and just power down the tv itself. I am started to believe that putting a television into a cold state and then bringing it back to life repeatedly is probably not a good idea.
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