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From: Nicholas Dreyer on 8 Apr 2010 23:26
I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
does it not matter at all?

Thanks for any advice, or pointers to some useful studies on the matter.

Nick
From: Man-wai Chang to The Door (33600bps) on 9 Apr 2010 08:18
On 4/9/2010 11:26, Nicholas Dreyer wrote:
> I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
> down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
> toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
> does it not matter at all?

Soft-off still draws electricity. If you worried about fire, shut off
all power.

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From: John McGaw on 9 Apr 2010 10:02
On 4/9/2010 8:18 AM, Man-wai Chang to The Door (33600bps) wrote:
> On 4/9/2010 11:26, Nicholas Dreyer wrote:
>> I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
>> down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
>> toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
>> does it not matter at all?
>
> Soft-off still draws electricity. If you worried about fire, shut off
> all power.
>

And if you are really really worried, unplug it entirely. No telling when
bad switch karma will catch up with you...
From: Strobe on 9 Apr 2010 19:08
On 09 Apr 2010 03:26:08 GMT, Nicholas Dreyer <gurfler(a)q.com> wrote:

>I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
>down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
>toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
>does it not matter at all?
>
>Thanks for any advice, or pointers to some useful studies on the matter.

For ultimate power economy, use the switch - modern PSUs continue to provide 5v
when the PC is 'off'..

To *really* economise, switch off with a cheap external power strip - it's
cheaper to replace that than a PSU when the switch eventually wears out!

If you live in an area prone to lightning storms, it's safer to actually unplug
the PC when not in use - a nearby lightning strike on the power line can easily
jump over a power switch and *might* fry your PC.

Of course, at most you'll save a few dollars a year...
And many other devices (TVs, microwaves, cable boxes) also suck power when
they're nominally 'off'.
From: Nicholas Dreyer on 9 Apr 2010 23:30
On Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:08:51 -0400, Strobe wrote:

> On 09 Apr 2010 03:26:08 GMT, Nicholas Dreyer <gurfler(a)q.com> wrote:
>
>>I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
>>down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
>>toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
>>does it not matter at all?
>>
>>Thanks for any advice, or pointers to some useful studies on the matter.
>
> For ultimate power economy, use the switch - modern PSUs continue to
> provide 5v when the PC is 'off'..
>
> To *really* economise, switch off with a cheap external power strip -
> it's cheaper to replace that than a PSU when the switch eventually wears
> out!
>
> If you live in an area prone to lightning storms, it's safer to actually
> unplug the PC when not in use - a nearby lightning strike on the power
> line can easily jump over a power switch and *might* fry your PC.
>
> Of course, at most you'll save a few dollars a year... And many other
> devices (TVs, microwaves, cable boxes) also suck power when they're
> nominally 'off'.

Thanks all for the feedback that points to the advantages of complete
power off.

I was leaning that way, but my only question regarding that approach
would be: Is there any risk to the motherboard from regularly turning
back on the low-level 5v "soft power"?
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