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Okay to leave iMac on for days/weeks?

E

efstuck

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Just wondering if it is okay to leave my new iMac on for days/weeks. I switched over from my desktop pc to the imac...and I think it should be alrite ( i never turned off my pc ) but thought i should ask the more experienced. Thanks.

efstuck
 
Yes....I leave my Macs on for long times....nothing has happened as a result of that.


I restart sometimes, if my Mac ever gets slow(lots of RAM being wasted)
 
Yes, in fact it's good to leave it on because it will de-fragment the HD and delete old system logs and stuff (unless it's asleep). I never turn my MBP off, except when I need to for updates.
 
Except for power failures and occasional reboots after loading new system software, I've not shut down my Power Mac G4 since I started running Folding distributed computing project 5+ years ago. I even leave it on when on vacation. 😎
 
oduinnin said:
Except for power failures and occasional reboots after loading new system software, I've not shut down my Power Mac G4 since I started running Folding distributed computing project 5+ years ago. I even leave it on when on vacation. 😎
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Well, I leave my computer on most of the time. Leaving it on while on vacation? Well, I do believe in conserving even just a little bit of energy that would otherwise be totally wasted.

...but to each their own.
 
CBAviator said:
Well, I leave my computer on most of the time. Leaving it on while on vacation? Well, I do believe in conserving even just a little bit of energy that would otherwise be totally wasted.

...but to each their own.
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Not a wasted second! I run Folding for medical research 24/7 (when I'm not using computer). 🙂

Check this out for further information on an excellent cause: Folding@Home
 
my oh my....what would Al Gore have to say about leaving your computer on when you aren't using it? A waste of energy? Not very green? I suppose it is pretty inconvenient to have to wait for it to boot up
 
Yes, it's fine to leave a Mac on for weeks at a time. It's based on UNIX, so long uptimes are very common and it will remain stable.
 
New iMac just wondering how safe for hardware to leave on

I'm kinda new to Mac, I just completely switched from PC to MAC after finding out how great MAC is! I just bought a new iMac yesterday, and I noticed it gets really warm, almost hot at the top half of the machine in the back when left on, so I'm wondering, are these machines designed to be left on? Thanks
 
btracy713 said:
I'm kinda new to Mac, I just completely switched from PC to MAC after finding out how great MAC is! I just bought a new iMac yesterday, and I noticed it gets really warm, almost hot at the top half of the machine in the back when left on, so I'm wondering, are these machines designed to be left on? Thanks
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Sure, no problem.
 
My MacBook Air is in sleep mode 24/7 if not used. Only off if i am traveling and thus in the need of saving battery, also when I do not need it for several days (which never happens anyway).
My iMac however is usually off. Letting it run would simply cost too much power; sleep mode would be fine, but i don't use it that often so i might as well turn it off.
 
Macky-Mac said:
my oh my....what would Al Gore have to say about leaving your computer on when you aren't using it? A waste of energy? Not very green? I suppose it is pretty inconvenient to have to wait for it to boot up
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Not sure if you are trolling 🙂 but anyway.

From page one of this pdf. 27" iMac uses 1.75W while sleeping. I suspect this is less than Al Gore's blow dryer on a good day.

GurVp.png


Just sleep your Mac when not using and don't worry about it.
 
I just bought a new iMac yesterday, and I noticed it gets really warm, almost hot at the top half of the machine in the back when left ...

It shouldn't be warm when not in use. Put it to sleep when not using for a while. It is perfectly safe to leave on for extended periods. Some software updates require you to restart and that happens a few times/year. However, at least according to Apple techs, it is best to turn it off once in a while to clean or clear things out. They told me this last year when I was having some issues with my iMac. I sold my iMac in favor of a MBP which I turn off once or twice a week but I usually put it to sleep.

Congratulations on your new iMac. I switched about a year ago for a slow, old, XP PC and never looked back. Whisper quiet, fast, smooth and plenty of places to learn the things I need to learn, including this site.
 
Funny that people brought up Al Gore and his love of electricity saving, this must've been taken before he got the urge to save the world.

alGoreCinemaDisplay.jpg
 
Jazwire said:
The private jets he uses to fly all over , are no doubt solar powered right?
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Oh my, let's not get started on what a hypocrite he is. Definition of one.

On topic, I leave my iMac running all the time. However, it hasn't been defragmenting, as I am unable to re-partition. grrrr
 
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