Should I turn my PC off when I'm not using it?

This is the flip side of a companion question: Is it okay to leave my PC on all day?

Short answer. The best schedule for your PC is probably your schedule. Turn it on when you get up in the morning (or get to the office) and turn it off when you go to sleep (leave the office).

Long answer. There are three factors to consider -- energy consumption, wear and tear, and convenience. Modern PCs, especially those with advanced power management and "green" features, consume relatively small amounts of energy -- usually no more than a light bulb or two. Hence, there's very little incentive to turn them off based on either cost or environmental concerns.

From the point of view of wear and tear, there's good reason not turn off your PC more than once a day: starting and stopping your PC not only physically jolts the mechanical components (primarily the drives) to get them into motion, but also shocks the solid state components with internal, unsurpressed surges of power. To get a better perch on wear and tear, consider this. Most of the parts in a PC have a mean-time-between-failures rating of 50,000 hours or better.¹ With MTBFs that long, most parts will -- on average -- give 12 years of 12-hour-a-day service before failing. Of course, some parts will fail sooner, and a defective part will fail a lot sooner. Actually, it make sense to run a PC as much as possible to get the early failures to occur during the warranty period!

Since it doesn't really save money or the environment if you turn your PC off when not in use, and it's actually better not to jolt it with frequent starts and stops, wouldn't it make sense to turn it on in the morning and enjoy the convenience of a ready PC all day long? We think so.²

How Much PC Do I Need?

Do I really need a Pentium 200 MMX computer with 32-bit sound, 4 mB of video RAM, and a 16X CD-ROM?

Short answer. Probably not, but if you're buying a new PC, go for it.

Long answer. If you're considering whether you can squeeze a little more use out of your current PC, or you're outfitting an office on a tight budget, these guidelines might help.

For word-processing and basic spreadsheet applications (no fancy graphics, or self-generated letterhead, or specialized newsletters or bulletins), a 286 or 386 processor with 4-8 mB RAM using DOS software on a 100 mB or better hard drive and any available monitor will do just fine.

For general office use including newsletters, database applications, networked stations, contact management, and accounting, a 386 or preferably a 486 processor with 8-16 mB RAM using Windows software (Windows for WorkGroups or Windows 95) on a 250 mB or better hard drive, SVGA monitor, quality mouse, 4X or better CD-ROM, and a 14400 or 28800 fax/data modem make sense.

For internet access -- WWW browsing and email -- coupled with general home office use, a 486, 586 or low-end Pentium (100 mHz) with 16-32 mB RAM running Windows 95 software on a 500 mB or better hard drive, 16-bit sound card and speakers, 8X or better CD-ROM, 15" SVGA monitor driven by 2 mB video RAM, quality mouse, and most importantly, a 33600 or better fax/data modem are what's needed. The key elements here are plenty of RAM and a fast modem.

"Gee, that seems to cover almost everybody," you say. Not really. Today's games cry out for high-speed MMX Pentium processors, 17" or bigger monitors, 32-bit sound cards, high-quality speakers. Serious desktop publishing and any application involving image manipulation need accelerated video cards and plenty of video RAM. CAD (computer aided design) software demands the biggest and best of everything. Large-scale database and spreadsheet applications run best on the newer, faster, more capacious equipment.

Can you "get away" with less than the top of the line equipment. Yes, of course you can, and Installations Plus+ will be glad to help you meet your needs. But if you're buying new equipment, you'd be doing yourself a serious disservice if you buy less than the best you can afford. Historically speaking, PCs are cheap. More importantly, many new PC applications just plain won't work on older equipment, and those that do, aren't as much fun and/or don't generate satisfyingly professional results. Although every responsible software house tries to maintain "backward compatability" as long as possible, there's really very little incentive to cripple new applications by making sure they run on slow PCs with small drives even smaller memories and no accessories! If you're buying a new PC, don't sell your computing future short. Buy the best you can afford.

Which modem do you recommend?

My 14400 baud modem just doesn't cut it anymore. I see that there are new 56600 baud modems available. Which one should I buy?

Short answer. Hold on to your modem! This is not the time to upgrade unless you've decided to move to ISDN.

Long answer. You're right. With virtually all online services providing reliable 28800 baud connections, your 14400 modem is passe. However, by waiting this long to upgrade, you've just about missed a generation. Modems that will transmit data at 33600 and receive data at 56600 are now on your retailer's shelves. But now (April '97) is not the time to rush out and buy one!

At this writing there are two competing, incompatible 56600 technologies, one from U.S. Robotics (now a division of 3Com) and the other from Rockwell. The U.S.R. modems are available and in test trials by AOL with three or four access numbers -- nationwide. The Rockwell modems are in recall. As we have observed elsewhere, "the buying public longterm prefers a single standard where it makes sense to have one." In other words, when the dust settles, there will be only one 56600 modem technology in common use.

We suggest you wait and watch. Since AOL is far and away the biggest online service,³ the technology it opts to support will be the winner. Our bets are on U.S.R.. U.S. Robotics, because of its consistently superior technology, has long been the dominant player in the modem market. Unless its 56600 X2 technology is flawed, there is little likelihood that it will be toppled from its rightful perch.

Of course, if your local telephone company is offering ISDN service at good rates, this might be the right time to skip two generations. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a set of transmission protocols that makes it possible for copper wire to carry several channels at the same time. With ISDN you could be transferring data or faxing and talking on the phone at the same time, on the same line. Used with an ISDN adapter or modem, bi-directional transfer rates of 128800 are possible. Currently, installation at about $250 and the ISDN modem at about $300 are pricey. We expect local phone companies to start offering free or low-cost installation soon. When that happens, check with your online service company to make sure they offer ISDN access, then go for it.

1. Semiconductor parts are rated even longer, typically 200,000 hours and longer. In fact, it's extremely rare to experience anything but mechanical failure. At Installations Plus+, we've seen our share of hard drive failures, but never found a failed CPU.

Back to text

2. We don't recommend leaving unattended equipment on for extended periods of time. If you're leaving the house or leaving the office for more than a few minutes, turn off any electrical equipment that doesn't need to be on, this includes your PC.

Back to text

3. At this time, AOL has 8+ million subscribers and CompuServe, its nearest competitor, about 3 million. Rumor has it that AOL is bidding to take over CompuServe, which has acknowledged it is in talks to be acquired. We think it is not AOL, whose cash reserves are low, but the deep-pocketed MSN who is looking to buy CompuServe. AOL's capacity problems are just about solved. It would be cheaper for it to expand from within than to buy troubled CompuServe. MSN, whose technology is closer to CompuServe's than is AOL's, can afford to pay a little extra to leap to the number two spot. CompuServe's strength is its overseas penetration and its success with business customers. We think that will be more valuable to Bill Gate's MSN than to AOL on its present course.

Back to text

• The November, 1996 PC Tips on Laser Printers
• The December, 1996 PC Tips on Buying a Personal Computer
• The January, 1997 PC Tips on Computer Viruses
• The February, 1997 PC Tips on Deleting Files and DLL Problems
• The March, 1997 PC Tips on the "Hole" in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Windows Error Messages
• "Highway Robbery," Nathaniel Wice's TIME Digital Magazine undercover investigation of sleazy computer "salesmanship", which appeared in the November, 1996 issue
• "Does Not Compute," Michael Maren's New York Magazine article on selecting a PC repair shop, which appeared in the November, 1996 issue

Back to top