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Old April 10th 10, 04:30 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Nicholas Dreyer
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Posts: 9
Default More or less safe to turn off power supply rocker switch?

On Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:08:51 -0400, Strobe wrote:

On 09 Apr 2010 03:26:08 GMT, Nicholas Dreyer wrote:

I keep my PC on for at most a few hours a day. After it has powered
down, is it safer to shut off all power to the motherboard using the
toggle switch on the power supply, or is it better to leave it on, or
does it not matter at all?

Thanks for any advice, or pointers to some useful studies on the matter.


For ultimate power economy, use the switch - modern PSUs continue to
provide 5v when the PC is 'off'..

To *really* economise, switch off with a cheap external power strip -
it's cheaper to replace that than a PSU when the switch eventually wears
out!

If you live in an area prone to lightning storms, it's safer to actually
unplug the PC when not in use - a nearby lightning strike on the power
line can easily jump over a power switch and *might* fry your PC.

Of course, at most you'll save a few dollars a year... And many other
devices (TVs, microwaves, cable boxes) also suck power when they're
nominally 'off'.


Thanks all for the feedback that points to the advantages of complete
power off.

I was leaning that way, but my only question regarding that approach
would be: Is there any risk to the motherboard from regularly turning
back on the low-level 5v "soft power"?