PowerNap vs "put computer to sleep"

[aicul]

I'm trying to figure out the true (not the logical) difference between PowerNap and "put computer to sleep" options that are available in Mavericks.

I ask this because I note that PowerNap does not seem to complete what it should do (ie. collect mail and do TM) unless "put computer to sleep" is set to Never. Which to me seems incoherent.

Does anyone know exactly what the differences are, or can relate me to a a pertinent information page on the web ?

Thanks

 

[GGJstudios]

This may help, if you haven't seen it already: OS X: About Power Nap

 

[aicul]

Hi,

Just read thru that article. I agree with what it says in "principal", but it is not what I observed on my 2013 27" iMac.

I have PowerNap activated, and "computer sleep" set to 1hr. However, every morning after I wake my computer I notice that TM has not run since the previous evening and mail has not collected any mail.

Sort of telling me that PowerNap is not working.

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I mean, if the setting for "computer sleep" is set to "never" there is no need for PowerNap because the computer does not sleep (nap).

 

[xgman]

Power naps and sleeping computers have been plagued with problem since the dawn of the technology. I just avoid them.

 

[Bear]

...
I have PowerNap activated, and "computer sleep" set to 1hr. However, every morning after I wake my computer I notice that TM has not run since the previous evening and mail has not collected any mail.

I don't see the real purpose of PowerNap. Unless you get a whole lot of mail overnight laden with graphics, it doesn't take long to collect your mail when your wake your computer from sleep. And if you're not doing anything at your computer, what changes have there been to back up?

 

[Alrescha]

I don't see the real purpose of PowerNap. Unless you get a whole lot of mail overnight laden with graphics, it doesn't take long to collect your mail when your wake your computer from sleep. And if you're not doing anything at your computer, what changes have there been to back up?

This. My experience with PowerNap is that the machine will wake up in the middle of the night and never go back to sleep. Since a PowerNap wake means the fans don't come on, the result is a laptop that has been cooking half the night.

In addition, upon wake I would invariably get an "IP address in use" error (which is false, as the machine has a static address assigned by the router). Both of these problems went away when I turned off PowerNap. I never looked back.

A.

 

[RabidMacFan]

This. My experience with PowerNap is that the machine will wake up in the middle of the night and never go back to sleep. Since a PowerNap wake means the fans don't come on, the result is a laptop that has been cooking half the night.

Equipped with a solid state drive, your computer will hardly produce any heat when performing these non-intensive tasks that don't even require the graphics card.

 

[Alrescha]

Equipped with a solid state drive, your computer will hardly produce any heat when performing these non-intensive tasks that don't even require the graphics card.

I was not speculating, I was reporting.

A.

 

[aicul]

what changes have there been to back up?

OSX does do nightly housekeeping which (if TM is set to cover the system disk) will generate a backup. So will any email collected.

With respect to the other postings about why... My question here is not if PowerNap is useful, it is if PowerNap works.

 

[Bear]

OSX does do nightly housekeeping which (if TM is set to cover the system disk) will generate a backup. So will any email collected.

With respect to the other postings about why... My question here is not if PowerNap is useful, it is if PowerNap works.

So if you sleep instead of PowerNap, your mail is collected in the morning and there are no changes overnight to backup. And from what I've read, it sounds like PowerNap is hit or miss.

 

[aicul]

So if you sleep instead of PowerNap, your mail is collected in the morning and there are no changes overnight to backup. And from what I've read, it sounds like PowerNap is hit or miss.

Hi Bear,

Your reply is not very clear to me, could you substantiate it ? What is implies by hit or miss ? (I'm not a native UK/US so this may explain my confusion).

thanks

 

[Bear]

Hi Bear,

Your reply is not very clear to me, could you substantiate it ? What is implies by hit or miss ? (I'm not a native UK/US so this may explain my confusion).

thanks

"hit or miss" - means that for some people it is working as intended (hit) and for others it's not working right (miss).