One gamer left his computer turned on for 5 years in a row – and explained that there was no reason to turn it off

Gamers are always debating whether to turn off devices. One gamer now says: His computer has been running for 5 years straight and nothing bad has happened. This causes great discussions.

There are regular discussions about whether you should leave your computer on at night. Critics argue

• A computer or gaming PC that is constantly running will consume a lot of electricity and you will also see that on your electricity bill.
• Built-in hardware will wear out more in the long run than if you turned off the computer regularly.

One user has now explained on reddit: Tested this for 5 years and nothing happened. If you are still looking for reasons why you should turn off your computer, take a look at the following article on MeinMMO:

Two computers: one has been working for 5 years, the other is always off

The user explains On RedditThat he had two computers: one that he turned off every evening and the other that ran for 5 years in a row. There is no real difference between the two systems:

I have been testing this as anecdotal evidence over the past five years. I have one computer that sleeps every night, and another that shuts down every night. There is no difference at all except that one costs more.

But even the additional electricity costs of a sleeping computer compared to a “turned off” computer are negligible. It's about 4 cents per month.

By the way, any well-made and maintained server stays online forever (yes, with reboots for updates), so, you know, that's what it was built for.

He himself explains that “every influence is there [den PC aktiv zu lassen] “It can affect the health of your computer and is so insignificant that it doesn't matter.” There should be no more wear or significantly higher costs. At least 4 cents a month has nothing to do with it.

RAM is only emptied when the computer is turned off

Are there critics too? Yes there is. For example, one user explains that there are good reasons why you should shut down your computer properly. Main memory can only be empty if it is properly turned off (via reddit.com):

Things like memory leaks can slowly consume usable RAM over time, and the only way to free RAM is to restart Windows. Dead threads can stay there and consume system resources while the original program “forgot” about the thread.

But Windows also puts the computer back to sleep during the update, even without user consent. But this can also be very annoying. This recently happened to a player who woke up at night on his gaming PC because the system was rebooting itself at night.

In principle, there is also the option to deactivate this function, but to do this you have to delve into the system registry. Alternatively, you can simply shut down your computer properly.

Shut down your computer properly: Many users connect their computers to a power strip. But does it harm the device if you turn off the socket at the end of the day? Can any harm be caused if you turn off the power strip on your computer?