Conclusion: BUSTED.
This eco-myth was sent in by a SustainLane community member:
"Shutting down a computer causes more harm to the hard drive and other components than the worth of the energy saved. This myth keeps so many of my friends and co-workers machines on 24/7 (even over 4-day holiday weekends).”
Truth: Years ago, the accepted belief was that frequent starts and stops to your hard drive made it more prone to crashing. But with improved technology, it’s perfectly safe to start and stop your hard drive. Experts now say that the biggest threat to your hard drive is actually heat, which will cause your hard drive to age prematurely. Keep your computer as cool as possible as often as possible: shut it down when it’s not being used.
Powering down your computer at night will extend the life of your hard drive and conserve electricity. To save even more power, switch your computer monitor off when you leave your desk for long periods of time, like for lunch breaks or meetings.
Have a friend who swears turning off the light when you leave a room actually wastes energy? Does your uncle tell you Hummers are more eco-friendly than hybrids? Whatever the eco myth, we'll help you get to the bottom of it. Submit your myth to SustainLane Greenbusters.
Jordan P. says:
If you want to save electrical power and boost efficiency, clean out your computer. As alluded to in the article, heat is the enemy of every part of hardware in your system. Most units have intake and output fans to circulate air. The fans suck in all the air around them, including any air born particles. Think about the junk that accumulates on a ceiling fan, many computers look very similar inside the case. Its usually a lint like stuff that builds up in a computer, making a sweater for all the components that want the fresh air from the fans. This insulation then boosts the internal temperature of the system, making at least the CPU fan work overtime.
You can also add screens to the intake fans, just feel the moving air to identify the intakes, this works just like a lint trap and is much easier to clean than your entire system. Don't put screens on the outputs though, as this can only serve to block up the airways. Anyone can open the case and blow in some compressed air, and that really helps, but don't blow your breath in there, as the moisture may cause shorts. I would also recommend only cleaning heatsinks if you are familiar with the hardware, and think you won't break anything. Good luck:)
Jordana G. says:
Jordan - nice name, and thanks for your post here. Any idea how i would go about getting rid of my PowerBook G4's sweater?
Jordan P. says:
Notebooks actually don't get nearly as dirty as desktops. I'm sure you know how hot your's gets, this is because laptops trade air circulation for their form factor. As much as I like your name, I wouldn't recommend taking apart a notebook. There are a couple things you can do though:
Get an application that gives you temperature readouts, so you know how hot the laptop is actually getting. I'm a PC, so I don't know of a specific application which would help you but I know they are out there, and possibly for free.
You may have seen fans which act as a tray under the notebook in order to ease the burden of the onboard fan. I've had mixed results with these. The thing with the fan stands is that the fans just blow air on the underside of the machine. As far as I know, there aren't intakes on the bottom of any notebook on the market. But, if you like building things, you can make a frame with feet which will get the notebook off of the surface it is on, creating more circulation allowing for better heat dispersion. So, every little bit helps, especially when it is free.
:)