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Leaving Mac on all day/night?

M

ManuelGnR

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 4, 2008
164
0
Netherlands
Is it bad for Macs to leave them on a long time when you're not using it?

My nephew once told me he puts his PC off when he goes to school for example, because it would be better for his pc.

Does this count for...
- My PowerBook, running on cable (not battery, whatever)?
- My (to buy) 24'' iMac?

Reason is I sometimes want to leave my stuff on to upload or download stuff...

Thanks:)
 
Only if you don't like paying the electric bill. :D

I sleep my computers but there's nothing wrong with just keeping them running.
 
I haven't turned my mac off in years. I think you do more damage turning the current off and on than leaving it on.
 
It is totally fine to leave them on all the time, giving them a restart or rest overnight every once in a while. I bought my new MBP in october and have turned it off about 10 times since the, so basically its always on...no problems here.
 
capriseyhaze said:
Ohhh noo macs are designed to run veery long they actually run better the longer they run
Click to expand...
There are no facts to back up that statement.

To the OP: It's perfectly fine to run your Mac 24/7. If you're on a notebook, just make sure you run on battery some, and calibrate it at least once a month, as Apple recommends.
 
My macs are all on or sleeping 24/7. The only reason to restart or turn off has been system updates that require it.
 
My MacBook Pro is always on. I restart it probably once or twice a month, as updates require. But aside from that, it's on through the day and the night.

It's been running great these past three years.
 
Thanks al for the great replies, it's very clear. I can keep it on as much as I want. Aside from the light it sometimes give I don't even know if it's on or off, it's so quiet. Awesome, thanks.

So it's also better to run it on the battery every once in a while. How often should I do that? Just to make sure I do it enough :)
 
I got a PowerMac G4 has been running 24/7 as a server for years now. Usually restart only to apply software updates.

I do sleep the other Macs.

sa gringo said:
So will the maintenance scripts run as soon as I "wake" it ?
Click to expand...

With Leopard, yes.
 
ManuelGnR said:
Thanks al for the great replies, it's very clear. I can keep it on as much as I want. Aside from the light it sometimes give I don't even know if it's on or off, it's so quiet. Awesome, thanks.

So it's also better to run it on the battery every once in a while. How often should I do that? Just to make sure I do it enough :)
Click to expand...

If you have it plugged in most of the time, just unplug and run it down to around 50% charge every 2 or 3 days. You'll be fine.
 
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