05-15-2008, 04:27 AM
Is power your main concern? What kind of PC?
While LCD's *generally* use very little power in low-power/sleep mode, computers often use a significant amount of power even in low power mode.
Computers (and obviously laptops) that use laptop cpu's and have the appropriate software running on them *may* use very little power when asleep, but you can't count on it.
I suggest that you get a Kill-o-Watt and see for yourself what the difference is between active and sleep-states.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202443274&listingid=5668435
...
If your concern is wear and tear on the PC, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The average upgrade-cycle on a corporate PC is somewhere between 18 months and 2 years. If it's leased, maybe you've got 3 years. The components you're stressing with the power-cycling -- whether shutting the thing down or sleeping it -- are probably going to last more than 3 years on most of your PC's even with the additional strain of the rapid heating and cooling, spin-up, etc.
While LCD's *generally* use very little power in low-power/sleep mode, computers often use a significant amount of power even in low power mode.
Computers (and obviously laptops) that use laptop cpu's and have the appropriate software running on them *may* use very little power when asleep, but you can't count on it.
I suggest that you get a Kill-o-Watt and see for yourself what the difference is between active and sleep-states.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202443274&listingid=5668435
...
If your concern is wear and tear on the PC, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The average upgrade-cycle on a corporate PC is somewhere between 18 months and 2 years. If it's leased, maybe you've got 3 years. The components you're stressing with the power-cycling -- whether shutting the thing down or sleeping it -- are probably going to last more than 3 years on most of your PC's even with the additional strain of the rapid heating and cooling, spin-up, etc.