Category: Geeks r Us
I was yelled at by some one in my family for keeping my computer turned on over night, because it's a lap top and I was told it could over heat.
What do you people think, is that person in my family right?
If so then why doesn't the same thing apply to the desk top computer we have on all day long?
I'd be curius to know what you all think.
Laptops can't harvest the cooling power that the larger fans used in desktops can provide. Inherently, they do get hotter over time than a desktop might, since they receive less airflow to push out the heat.
Laptop components are also smaller, more fragile. Desktop component makers have enough room to shield the parts they make, whereas laptop components must be made as compact as possible. That means they must make some sacrifices, and along with those sacrifices comes thinner wiring, flimsier connections, smaller electronic circuitry... all of which may be adversely affected by extreme or prolonged heat.
My opinion is it's best not to leave your laptop active over long. A couple hours should be fine for any well-made laptop. But since they're a fairly big investment, best not to take that chance.
Hey girl,
TURN. IT. OFF. OVER. NIGHT. What ever you do, don't leave it on for more then 5 hours (and I even stetches sometimes.0
I usually leave Kari on most of the time, but.. he does tend to get hot so... I do turn him off now and then.
Yeah
! It's ok to leave a laptop on overnight, but only if it's got adequate ventalation. For instance, setting it on a chair, and leaving it on is not a great idea! However, if it's sitting on a desk or table, and has good airflow around it, it won't hurt anything. In fact, if the hard drive and fans are allowed to spin, it's probably better in the long run to leave it on, as components spinning up and getting a sudden electric charge tend to break down sooner. I leave mine on, and it's a hotty!
One thing about computers is that they wear down over time. It is better to keep any machine in one state for a longer period of time than it is to turn it on and off a lot. If you know your going to be using the machine several times during the day then just keep it on and let it do background tasks like downloading or something similar. Laptop makers make their units well enough that they can withstand being on for long periods of time. Just keep them in an area that is well cooled, and air can pass fairly easily. If you however do start to get laptop overheating issues, you can buy a device that will keep your laptop cooler, so it will stay on for longer periods of time. Many computers; desktops and laptops, will have overheating alarms and failsafes that will shut the computer down when it gets to hot. this makes sure that you can run the machine as long as you want without reprocussion. I had to learn all this for my A+ computer repair certification test lol.
where are those devices sold
I fried a hard drive on m lt for keeping it on too long. I even heard that you arn't even suppose to be treating your lt like your personal computer, which means you arn't suppose to be on it all the time and that desktops are for that purpose. Is this true? This came from my dell's owners manual, or does dell just make cheaper parts and say that b/c they know their parts arn't going to last.
Troy
I leave my desktop on constantly, a friend who's a progrmamer says that you have a better consistant result then off, on off on... As for a laptop, I haven't bought one yet, but I'm not sure.
yep. all my computers I use consistently stay on all the time. I just restart every now and then to free memory.