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Do you shutdown your MBP?

J

JHNguyen

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 14, 2006
91
0
Hi,
I just got a 2.0 Intel Core Duo Macbook, and I love it so far. I traded it for a 1.83 core duo imac. One thing I was wondering was, should I be shutting down my laptop everynight? With my imac, it would be on for days without even resetting, and I never really shut it off. I'm ususually downloading something so it was usually on at night. (not sure if it's asleep while downloading, or just the screen is off) Is it okay to keep the macbook on for long periods of time?
 
I don't see why not, I don't turn my macbook off until it starts slowing down and complaining. Generally I just sleep it and it works just fine. :)
 
I never shut mine down, and the only time it restarts is when Software Update or something else requires it. It hasn't slowed down yet so you should be good.
 
I don't shut my laptops down or sleep them, doesn't seem to affect anything. My 500 MHz Ti Book has been running like that for about 6 years.

If anything, I think recurrent cycles of thermal expansion and contraction are worse on the logic board than keeping it running (warm) constantly. The HD may be another story, so I do in fact let the drives sleep when not in use.
 
I generally keep my stationary Macs (Mac Mini, iMac) on all the time. There shouldn't really be any harm that will come to a Mac if you leave it running. If you're concerned about saving energy, putting the macs to sleep after a time should be fine too.

My MacBook Pro though, I shut down fully whenever I'm stowing or moving it somewhere. That's just a personal preference. I'm sure putting it to sleep will be fine, and I know a coworker who just lets his MacBook sleep when he takes it home. I would just rather make sure that the battery isn't being used or run down, in the event I'll need it.
 
scaredpoet said:
. . .My MacBook Pro though, I shut down fully whenever I'm stowing or moving it somewhere. That's just a personal preference. I'm sure putting it to sleep will be fine, and I know a coworker who just lets his MacBook sleep when he takes it home. I would just rather make sure that the battery isn't being used or run down, in the event I'll need it.
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I find that for my highly-mobile PB 1.67, forcing hibernation works really well for long-distance transport. i.e., write RAM contents to HD and then power down completely. Saves from ever having to re-boot.
 
Well, contrary it seems to everyone who posted above, I shut my MBP down every night.

I leave mine sleeping all day but I make sure to shut if down properly every night. I personally don't think leaving it on the whole time (or just putting it to sleep) can be a good thing, but I'm superstitious about that sort of thing...
 
thegrandmaster said:
I leave mine sleeping all day but I make sure to shut if down properly every night. I personally don't think leaving it on the whole time (or just putting it to sleep) can be a good thing, but I'm superstitious about that sort of thing...
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Computers are designed and built to run.


My MBP has not been off for more than 10 minutes since I got it.
 
thegrandmaster said:
Well, contrary it seems to everyone who posted above, I shut my MBP down every night.

I leave mine sleeping all day but I make sure to shut if down properly every night. I personally don't think leaving it on the whole time (or just putting it to sleep) can be a good thing, but I'm superstitious about that sort of thing...
Click to expand...

Cold starts and hard shutdowns are the worst thing for any HD. I'd say (from personal experience as a PC tech) that 90% of HD failures occur during those times. But, to each his own (it does minimally save on electricity shutting it down).
 
I only put it to sleep when I'm at work. Even at night, I listen to music in bed, so I use InsomniaX to keep it running.
 
I keep mine on for days without shutting it down, i only do shut it down if i know i wont be using it that night.
 
I put my mbp to sleep during the day when its not in use and I shut it down only at night when Iam about to go to sleep.
 
I always turn mine off when not using it. Sometimes I keep it running overnight when downloading.
 
My iBook G4 is nearly 4-years old and it has been running non-stop since day one. Only exceptions, like everybody else, were for software update restarts, OnyX -mandated restarts, and one battery replacement about a year ago.

For the life of me, I can't understand why PC laptops need to be shut-down to move across the room. My PC friends think I'm nuts for just putting my iBook to sleep. But then, they can't seem to turn theirs on without plugging this monster unwieldy power transformer block into the wall. But I digress.
 
Osarkon said:
I don't see why not, I don't turn my macbook off until it starts slowing down and complaining. Generally I just sleep it and it works just fine. :)
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Same here. SLEEP it at night (or auto whenever I leave for awhile), only power on/off it it is crashing or slowing down. Power off to travel.
 
KJdanReuben said:
I never shut mine down, and the only time it restarts is when Software Update or something else requires it. It hasn't slowed down yet so you should be good.
Click to expand...

Same here. In fact, I get all upset when a software update ruins my uptime :mad: I don't even switch it off when I'm travelling. It sits in its bag in the boot ('trunk' for y'all Americans out there) asleep on a regular 80 mile commute, and no issues yet.
 
Is it meant to be good to not turn off your laptop? Or is it simply for convenience, because I would think you would turn it off at night or when your not using it for a long period of time, and only put it to sleep when your away for a short period of time such as watching TV or heading down to the local shop.
 
mrjaja said:
Is it meant to be good to not turn off your laptop? Or is it simply for convenience, because I would think you would turn it off at night or when your not using it for a long period of time, and only put it to sleep when your away for a short period of time such as watching TV or heading down to the local shop.
Click to expand...

I like to think of it like a car analogy. Lets say that two identical cars are bought on the same day. One is driven across the US from NY to LA and back once a month (non-stop). The other car accrues the same mileage per month, but is used around the city everyday, starting and stopping several times. When both cars reach 100,000 miles, the cross-country car will still run perfect, but the city car will likely be leaking oil. Why?, becausue of routine thermal expansion and contraction of the metal engine parts. The highway car's engine gets warm and stays warm, but the city car's engine is constantly expading and contracting, getting hairline fractures at the joints.

computer logic boards are not too far removed from the car analogy. Sleep the screen and let the HD spin down, but just let the processor idle along when not in use.

just my opinion due what you want, BUT, know that my main desktop Mac will be a decade old soon and still runs like it's brand new. Has only been off when the power is out.
 
The car analogy is slightly flawed. The system that gets shutdown is on for a fewer number of hours each day. If a part of the system is only good for 10,000 hours, the one that was shutdown when not in use should last longer, but with the trade-off that it will have a greater chance of failure due to going through greater thermal extremes.
 
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