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2012Tony2012

macrumors 6502a
Dec 2, 2012
741
3
Coming from the PC world, i havent turned off my computer in 3 years, except during hurricane sandy and 1 other time where there is a power outage. My pc is on 24/7 for pretty much 3 years straight, as i have instant message and various server software running on it.

So with this imac, it looks so delicate.. i am afraid to leave it on like that. Of course i will turn off the display, but currently i have computer sleep = never, do you think i can just leave it like that for the next couple of years? just turning off the display at night but leave imac on with sleep = never.

What does everyone else do?

This is what I do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6NmiOUkfk
 

stepshows

macrumors member
Aug 10, 2010
40
1
Usually Left On

I leave my iMac on (Mid-2011). I only shut it down if I'm away from home more than a few days. Otherwise the display is set to sleep after 10 min or so. Never had an issue.
 

Apple Fan 21

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2012
167
0
So when going out of town for a week should I shut it (2011 27in i5) or just put it to sleep and check for updates when I get back? I won't need remote access. Also thinking of shutting down my AirPort Extreme.
 

seble

macrumors 6502a
Sep 6, 2010
972
163
I've always heard that keeping the motherboard and other circuits at a constant temp is better for them than going from hot to cold all the time and vice versa.

I find that sleeping doesn't tend to make a difference to this. On all my mac laptops I've had, if left to sleep, they are as cold to touch in the mornings (or when I first use them in the day), regardless of wether they were shut down or in sleep mode. Sleeping almost is like turning it off anyways.
 

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
I tend to sleep mine overnight unless I forget. I also sleep it when I am out of the house for more than a few hours. For more than a day, it would be a shutdown.

What about you keyboard and trackpad/mouse do you leave them on all the time too?
I presume you mean wireless mouse and keyboard? I switch between a wired mouse and a wireless mouse depending on what I'm doing. The wireless mouse goes in to a very low power mode when I haven't been using it so I don't usually bother with it's power switch.
 
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