Shutting Down Regularly
Shutting Down Regularly
Shutting down regularly is the practical option, but it’s not without its downsides.
Pros
Lower energy costs: Computers can draw a large amount of power, especially if you’re running a high-end desktop. Shutting your machine down when it isn’t in use will prevent excessive and unnecessary use of power, wasting less energy and saving you money on your electricity bill.
Fewer temporary system issues: Those who keep their machines booted up indefinitely are familiar with the little problems that crop up when a computer is in use for a long time. Strange little issues occur and they’re often solved with a reboot. If you’re essentially rebooting every day, you’re giving your machine a fresh start. This helps avoid minor system issues.
Quiet hours: When your machine is running, it’s capable of making noise. The sounds of the fans can be bothersome if you’re sleeping in the same room, but you also run the risk of the computer sounding off an alert unexpectedly. This is easily rectified by muting your your computer’s volume each night, but you have to remember to do it. (You can automate the process on Windows and Mac.)
A longer-lasting machine: While you can never really know when your computer is going to fail, less stress placed on its components will contribute to a longer life. You still have to keep it clean, dust-free and well-maintained, but less activity can help your hardware last longer.
Cons
Inconvenience: The biggest disadvantage of shutting down and booting up on a daily cycle is that it’s inconvenient. You have to get everything in order to shut down each night and wait to start up in the morning. On top of that, if you forget to boot up and need to access your machine while you’re, say, at the office, you won’t be able to because it’s offline. This problem is easily solved by automating the shutdown and startup process. Doing so puts your computer on a schedule that’s more convenient.
Energy used for nothing: While you certainly save energy by shutting down your machine, it’ll still draw power when off. While an operating desktop would draw a lot more, it would at least be capable of doing something while you’re away. This problem is easily remedied with a power-regulating socket like the Belkin Conserve. Alternatively, if your desktop supports it, you can use it as a USB device charger overnight so that small power draw isn’t going to waste.
You can just hibernate instead: Why shut down when you can hibernate? Hibernation draws about as much power and saves the current working state of your machine so you can resume right where you left off. This is a standard operation for Windows machines, but Macs can use it too. Apple calls hibernation “Safe Sleep", and it’s only regularly employed in laptops when battery levels are critically low. You can enable this feature with apps like SafeSleep and SmartSleep.