Curse

Painbringer · Feb 14, 2008, 04:46 PM // 16:46

In a recent newspaper article from my local paper it talked about a house fire caused by a computer that was left on. The main reason for the fire was it was an older house with older wiring. The wiring could not hold up to the draw from the computer. Bad luck if you ask me, but then later in the article it said it has happened 5 times in only a couple of years. I live in a community of about 27000 people. On a different topic I saw a TV show talking about vampire products. These are products that draw unnecessary energy when not in use. They had wild figures on how much of your energy bill is spent on supporting these unnecessary power drainers. This got me thinking of all the AFK people in GW. Some I see in the same spot for days.

My question to you when you are not actively on…. Is it worth it to leave the machine on or do you shut it down?

Personally I shut the whole thing down and always have. I pay the bill so less is more

P.S. if anyone could put a poll on this post it would be appreciated

~ Dan ~ · Feb 14, 2008, 04:48 PM // 16:48

If i'm going AFK for more than half an hour i shut it down.

lucifer_uk · Feb 14, 2008, 04:54 PM // 16:54

I don't pay the bill my landlord does. So 23:59:59 spent afk is fine for me.

JeniM · Feb 14, 2008, 04:54 PM // 16:54

I don't pay the electricity here so my computer is on 24/7

Don't give me any enviroment crap as my country is to blame for only ~2% of the worlds emissions, so my emissions are less than 0.0000...ect...%

Kattar · Feb 14, 2008, 04:56 PM // 16:56

Shut it down. Especially with Vista. If you have certain hardware, it can eat your hard drive.

If you're connected to the internet via a broadband connection, it's a good idea to turn it off as well. Or unplug the ethernet cable. Either way.

If you wanna get really technical, anything plugged into an outlet draws some power, so it's better, if you want to save the most money (although we're probably talking pennies here), to completely unplug something when you're not using it.

Vaal 84 · Feb 14, 2008, 04:56 PM // 16:56

Interesting post, I'm guilty of leaving my computer on for far too long when i go out. I guess i just presume that nothing bad will happen to it, or my house for that matter. Maybe i should consider turning it off and going outside. hmmmm naaa!!

lucifer_uk · Feb 14, 2008, 05:03 PM // 17:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vaal 84

Maybe i should consider turning it off and going outside. hmmmm naaa!!

Extension cable + sunshine = happy times

R A C · Feb 14, 2008, 05:03 PM // 17:03

sleep mode here. it's so quick to recover from sleep mode that you can do it even if you are just running to the bathroom real quick. Not that I do.... Also, games don't like sleep mode very much sometimes. Especially online.

Jetdoc · Feb 14, 2008, 05:07 PM // 17:07

I would gather that most of the energy being used by your computer relates to the monitor, and not the CPU itself. If you simply shut off the monitor when you're AFKing, I don't see this being that massive of a concern.

quickmonty · Feb 14, 2008, 05:07 PM // 17:07

Unplug your clocks too.

lucifer_uk · Feb 14, 2008, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Just stick solar panels on your roof and you can be afk 6 hours a day at least.
Anyone for a Carbon negative pc?

Zahr Dalsk · Feb 14, 2008, 05:09 PM // 17:09

I turn it off when going to school or sleeping. Habit mainly; my old computer would overheat if left on for too long.

Of course, I rarely actually leave my computer, so it's usually on anyways.

pygar · Feb 14, 2008, 05:21 PM // 17:21

Constantly on...but use power management and surge protection. Heating up and Cooling down all the time can be hard on your system, and while more energy efficient can lead to more Hardware malfunctions, particularly in the power supply and motherboard. I dont pay my power bill at my new apartment, but I did at my old one, and we're talking about a computer here- not a major appliance like a refrigerator.

I pwnd U · Feb 14, 2008, 05:36 PM // 17:36

My computer is on 24/7 unless I shut it down to take it too class. I don't have to pay the electrical bills since I am in a dorm so it's not a big deal. We have 2 computers in my room that are constantly running and we have never had a problem with either.

Darkobra · Feb 14, 2008, 05:47 PM // 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeniM

I don't pay the electricity here so my computer is on 24/7

Don't give me any enviroment crap as my country is to blame for only ~2% of the worlds emissions, so my emissions are less than 0.0000...ect...%

Factories are the main reason we have those emisssions. So why they're targetting the citizens rather than the factory workers is beyond me.

I leave my computer on during the day. If I'm going out for an hour or two (usually to get drunk with friends and collapse on my bed when I get in), I turn my computer off. Why waste energy when I'm not there to use it?

HawkofStorms · Feb 14, 2008, 05:54 PM // 17:54

It actually requires more power to turn your computer on, off, and on again then to leave it running all day (you have to charge capacitors). Granted, with bad wiring, the steady drain could cause electrical fires.

Partly it just depends on the type of computer you have. Laptops don't take up as much juice for instance.

FeroxC · Feb 14, 2008, 05:55 PM // 17:55

I switch it off at night(because it sounds like a helicopter with all the fans) and when im leaving it for more than an hour. Unfortunately im a complete I.T geek so its practically on 16 hours a day :P

obastable · Feb 14, 2008, 06:13 PM // 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsumi Rikyu

Shut it down. Especially with Vista. If you have certain hardware, it can eat your hard drive.

If you're connected to the internet via a broadband connection, it's a good idea to turn it off as well. Or unplug the ethernet cable. Either way.

If you wanna get really technical, anything plugged into an outlet draws some power, so it's better, if you want to save the most money (although we're probably talking pennies here), to completely unplug something when you're not using it.

It's a bit more than pennies, depending on what you have in your home. We have a 1000 sq. foot 2 bedroom apartment, with 2 entertainment units, about 10 different gaming consoles, 3 computers, 3 laptops, 2 phones, residential gateway, a few stereos, random clocks & lamps, random small appliances, standard energy efficient fridge/stove/washer/dryer, etc., blah blah.

When we moved in Hydro estimated our monthly bill (based on standard usage per person/square footage) at $60 a month. Our actual bill was a few cents shy of $120. I thought that was rather excessive, so we bought some more power bars, rearranged how everything was plugged in, and started unplugging everything before bed except the fridge, 1 digital clock, and 1 lamp (my son sleep walks).

Our bill now averages about $20 a month.

I'd say that's a pretty big savings, as compared to leaving everything plugged in & turned off.

MithranArkanere · Feb 14, 2008, 06:37 PM // 18:37

My laptop is 24/7. I only reset it for some driver updates.

Rest of the time, downloading or playing.

Fluffiliscious · Feb 14, 2008, 06:39 PM // 18:39

I plug all of my computer-related things into one power strip (computer, monitor, cable modem, router, etc) and turn the power strip off once I'm done shutting down my computer.