Running a pc 24/7

[Vod]

Hello!

So I'm just asking what would happen if I ran my pc 24/7.

I know it will raise my electricity bill, but I don't know by how much.

And most of the time would be at idle (Or atleast downloading games in the background and such) if i were to leave it 24/7.

But other than that, will that hurt my pc in a way.

Specs:
Rx 580, Ryzen 5 2400g, evga 500w 80+ bronze, b450 hdv, 8gb 3200mhz...

Btw my room is clean most of the time so I'm not too worried about dust piling up.

[Pi31415]

Nothing lol, I had my computer on for 8 months before, just for the lols. Nothing happens

[Ivan the russian]

Yea I leave my pc running almost 24/7 maybe hardware degenerates faster idk 

[NunoLava1998]

You'd waste 11KWh a day maximum (very likely this is going to be much, much lower). If your power cost is 0.01$/kWh, that would be 3$ on your powerbill (if it's monthly).

Now, if you had a 1500W system, getting a higher efficiency PSU could be worth it (although not by much at all):

36KWh (100% efficiency): 10.8$ on your powerbill

38KWh (95% efficiency): 11.4$ on your powerbill (+0.6$)

44KWh (80% efficiency 80+ WHITE): 13.2$ on your powerbill (+1.8$/+2.4$)

[Bartholomew]

6 minutes ago, Vod said:

Hello!

So I'm just asking what would happen if I ran my pc 24/7.

I know it will raise my electricity bill, but I don't know by how much.

And most of the time would be at idle (Or atleast downloading games in the background and such) if i were to leave it 24/7.

But other than that, will that hurt my pc in a way.

Specs:
Rx 580, Ryzen 5 2400g, evga 500w 80+ bronze, b450 hdv, 8gb 3200mhz...

Btw my room is clean most of the time so I'm not too worried about dust piling up.

Most stuff can handle it no problem (if not on insane load for crap like mining....)

 

If doing this for prolonged periods (weeks/months) i would recommend cheching out if psu is top tier.

 

A failing psu in a unattended house/ room is not something id risk with a cheap unit.

[Razor Blade]

running the PC 24/7 will consume more electricity and will tend to collect dust faster (since the fans run all the time). It isn't like it will blow up or something...Just that you will be paying for electric to run electronic components at idle state instead of low power sleep or off state.

 

I would venture a guess more like 1-2KWh (assuming idle is 50-100W) increase per day. So multiply that by the price of your electricity and you should have a rough idea of what it might cost per day.

[r2724r16]

36 minutes ago, Vod said:

So I'm just asking what would happen if I ran my pc 24/7.

Nothing really, the CMOS battery will last longer.

37 minutes ago, Vod said:

 I know it will raise my electricity bill, but I don't know by how much.

Depends on your electricity cost(s). Probably not by much tbh.

37 minutes ago, Vod said:

Btw my room is clean most of the time so I'm not too worried about dust piling up.

I've always kept my PCs on 24/7, and they've always lasted longer than I've needed them.

[Radium_Angel]

I haven't turned off my PCs (except for hardware upgrades, storms, or patching reboots) in years. It's better for them to receive stable power, less stress on the hardware

[iLostMyXbox21]

Just now, Radium_Angel said:

I haven't turned off my PCs (except for hardware upgrades, storms, or patching reboots) in years. It's better for them to receive stable power, less stress on the hardware

So if that puts less stress on the hardware, dies that mean I can stress it and it cancels out?

 

neat, time to run furmark in 987 tabs and then be rendering 32k resolution videos at the same time

 

/s

[JSFetzik]

I have been running 3 machines 24/7 for over a decade. For some components it is better for some a little worse. Power cycling will shorten the life of chips. Constant on will short the life of motors in fans and possibly hard drives. In the end it is a wash that you won't really notice, unless you keep your PC for many years, meaning 5-10 years, before refreshing or completely replacing.

 

In the end the real cost is the extra electricity you use and any additional air conditioning your home may need. That cost varies greatly depending on where you are in the world. Where I am electricity is fairly cheap.

[aezakmi]

42 minutes ago, NunoLava1998 said:

0.01$/kWh

This is beyond science.

[NunoLava1998]

2 minutes ago, aezakmi said:

This is beyond science.

Yeah it's a stupid price, normal is 0.08$/KWh @Vod

[Zando_]

53 minutes ago, Ivan the russian said:

Yea I leave my pc running almost 24/7 maybe hardware degenerates faster idk 

I doubt it, servers run 24/7 pretty much, then years later sell the hardware off and consumers buy it and use it for years more. 

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Vod said:

 

And most of the time would be at idle (Or atleast downloading games in the background and such) if i were to leave it 24/7.

 

Why let the PC run idle instead of letting go to sleep after a few minutes of being AFK.

 

My PC hasn't been shut down in almost a year.  But it goes to sleep when I go to work and it goes to sleep when I go to bed.

 

[comicsansms]

On 3/22/2019 at 7:13 AM, NunoLava1998 said:

If your power cost is 0.01$/kWh, that would be 3$ on your powerbill (if it's monthly).

1c per kW? Fuck that's cheap. It's about 19c (US, or 28c AU) per kW in Australia. That being said, coal power stations are expensive to run (especially brown coal), because how fucking useless they are

[MadmanRB]

I say its cheaper to keep the PC running than it is to power it on and off.

I have actually seen first hand that turning on my PC draws more power than simply leaving it on because my desk lamp is on the same power strip as my computer and when I power ion my machine the light dims ever so slightly.

Does it shorten the lifespan of your PC?
Debatable

But at least in my case I can attest its simply better to leave the machine on.

Got 80plus bronze on the power supply at the very least? yeah you have no worries.

Even 80plus certification period is enough not to chew up the power bill, that 80plus level is a indication of power efficiency and the higher the grade the better it is.

I run 80plus gold and while its no longer the top of the food chain its still a good rating.

Even bronze is satisfactory if you are tight on funds.

[Ankerson]

I have 3 PC's, 2 run 24/7/365 and the other is only used once in awhile so I only turn that one on when I use it and it's not that often.

 

 

[NunoLava1998]

5 hours ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

1c per kW? Fuck that's cheap. It's about 19c (US, or 28c AU) per kW in Australia. That being said, coal power stations are expensive to run (especially brown coal), because how fucking useless they are

Yeah, I accidentally thought it was 10c per kWh but did 1c per kWh.

Here it's 9.88c€/kWh (11c$/kWh), pretty good for my island where energy sources are 70% renewable energy and 30% oil.

[Alan G]

Both my main workstation and HTPC (hooked up to my TV in place of a cable box and it records numerous programs during the night) run 24/7.  I do logout of the Win10 workstation at the end of the day but it still runs backups at night.  As others have already commented, you need to be more conscious of dust accumulation.  I clean the filters monthly and do a DataVac blowout of the interior twice a year to keep things clean.  I do turn the workstation off if I am going to be away for more than a couple of days.  the HTPC is a low power mini-ITX with a low power draw.

[Cypher-Jackson]

its only going to use 15-40W on idle. Thats like half a light bulb. You might spend about $1-5 extra a month, depending on your electricity rate costs

[boggen]

to many years i can not remember its well over 10+ years, pc/s been running non stop, beyond the power outages, and when down for replacement parts. 

 

i figure every 1 or 2 years at least 1 or 2 fans out of 3 to 6 fans need to be replaced. (bearings wearing out), and more than likely to much crud (err dust) build up on them reason for most likely cause of failure. (failure to me is making noise, not complete stopping)

--generally this is taken up with replacement keyboard and mouse, with a replacement fan at same time. (save on shipping)

 

i stay away from complete "sleep", or "hibernation modes", set everything for top performance, and then let just the fans slow down no more than 3/4 speeds, some i might drop down to half there RPMs if i bought fan for just that slower RPMs. 

 

i set monitor to sleep 30 minutes, and let the hard drives. slow down around 15 to 20 minutes.

 

i make sure i have a "battery backup" on pc (big killer),  and make sure i have enough "surge" protection, most battery backups are low on "surge protection", and end up going wall outlet _> power surge protector strip -> battery backup -> pc.

--battery is for "brownouts" or low power, this can be a large killer. (example A/C unit kicking on, a few corded high amp power tools running and stopping, wind whipping power lines into branches). 

--surge protection is for "to much power", lighting strike somewhere down the power line for example, or rather your lights go bright.

 

i get 1 maybe 3 years, if i am not protected before i get nailed and something dies. 

[andrewmp6]

There is servers out there that have been left on for 10 years,Like said it won't hurt it but id make sure i have a ups on it just in case power surges/outages.