Should I turn off mac or just let it sleep?

[jgo78]

i use it everyday but i don't want to shutdown, is there any adv or disadv to shutting down or just let it sleep?

thanks

 

[iemcj]

Let it sleep. One of the biggest points of strain on a computer is when it shuts down and restarts, going from no current to LOTS of current instantly is not something it enjoys. Let it sleep my friend. Only turn it off if you're not going to be using it for like a week.

 

[richwoodrocket]

I leave my computer on as much as possible. Its much faster to resume work, plus you can pick up right where you left off. I don't think there are any negatives to leaving it on. Its designed to be used.

 

[jgo78]

Let it sleep. One of the biggest points of strain on a computer is when it shuts down and restarts, going from no current to LOTS of current instantly is not something it enjoys. Let it sleep my friend. Only turn it off if you're not going to be using it for like a week.

that's what i was thinking as well, kinda like starting a cold car.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I don't turn either of my iMacs off unless I'm going away for vacation.

 

[firedept]

I never turn mine off. It goes to sleep when I am away from it. Only time I shut it down is if I am required to for an upgrade. Never had any problems due to it being on all the time.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

that's what i was thinking as well, kinda like starting a cold car.

The odd reboot will keep it running smoothly but I wouldn't bother anymore than once every month or so.

 

[jgo78]

The odd reboot will keep it running smoothly but I wouldn't bother anymore than once every month or so.

yea, that's true

 

[BeefCake 15]

If you have an SSD HD especially, there would be little reason to turn it off and not just let it sleep.

 

[Max(IT)]

Just reboot it every week or so .... let it sleep

 

[whodatrr]

A power outage is about the only time my iMac gets turned off.

 

[Brandon Ess]

Relatively new iMac owner here... How do I tell when my iMac will go to sleep? I've followed the instructions on the page below, but I don't have a slider to adjust the sleep time, only when to turn off the display.

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21709?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US

I usually just walk away and let the display eventually turn off, but I don't think it's going to sleep.

 

[DeltaMac]

You can always put your Mac to sleep manually. Just press Control-Eject, then press the letter S.
Or, Choose sleep from the Apple menu.

 

[Brandon Ess]

You can always put your Mac to sleep manually. Just press Control-Eject, then press the letter S.
Or, Choose sleep from the Apple menu.

Yeah I get that, but is there a way to configure "If my Mac is idle for 30 minutes, go to sleep"? Because I don't see a setting anywhere to configure that.

 

[ActionableMango]

Yeah I get that, but is there a way to configure "If my Mac is idle for 30 minutes, go to sleep"? Because I don't see a setting anywhere to configure that.

That setting was removed for newer hardware. The computer will still sleep, but based on its own decisions and no longer the user.

 

[bankshot]

Yeah I get that, but is there a way to configure "If my Mac is idle for 30 minutes, go to sleep"? Because I don't see a setting anywhere to configure that.

On the iMac, the Energy Saver preference pane has an option Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off. I would assume that when unchecked, the computer will sleep at the same time as the display - therefore the display sleep time is equivalent to the computer sleep time. This is different from my Mac mini, which has separate sliders for display and computer sleep.

I have not tested this because I keep my computer running 24/7, and therefore have the above option checked. Can anyone confirm that when unchecked, the computer sleeps at the same time as the display?