Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
32 Posts
0
6022
March 2nd, 2004 18:00
Does standby mode extend notebook life?
Don't know if what I've been doing will extend the life of my new 5150, so feedback appreciated if in disagreement:
Early every moring I turn the notebook on and don't turn it off until early evening; so in effect it is on non-stop for about 12-14 hrs. every day. But I never actually use it for half that time, sometimes much less. What I do is use the notebook as needed, which is for brief spurts 5 or 6 times per day. My thinking is that turning it on and off several times a day is bad for longevity...something to do with wear on the "circuitry." My solution is to simply enter it into standby mode when not in actual use. The notebook stays plugged in at all times, and I know that standby mode is mainly for battery conservation when in battery use. But even when plugged in, standby mode stops the hard drive, fan, and shuts down the lcd screen...thus hopefully reducing system wear. I do know that lcd screens have finite life span, and that screen saver does no good for lcd screens. Seems like horse sense to put in standby mode when not in use....BUT, does constantly entering and coming out of standby mode put the same stress on the system? Could it be that as long as plugged in it's best to leave it on in no powered down mode? Thanks.
Pete
DELL-Corey
2.6K Posts
0
March 2nd, 2004 19:00
Thank you for using Dell's Community Forum.
Interesting question, but I think that the differences you would experience by always putting the system in standby or not, would not really account to much.
If I was concerned though, I probably would put the system in standby when not in use.
viper11885
791 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2004 20:00
In a way, standby is similar to turning off your machine. Your hard drive, fans, and lcd (maybe other various stuff too) gets shutdown which is the same as turning it off. So everytime you turn your laptop on, you are basically turning on all those components as well which is the same as doing a cold boot. However, I guess you could argue that there is a bit less stress on the hard drive because you don't need to bootup your OS after a shutdown. But I don't think that it will make a huge difference in the longrun.
In your situation that you described, I would put it in standby. Not because it'll prevent wear to the hardware components, but because it is a lot more convenient coming out of standby mode when you need it. You also don't need to wait for the OS to bootup, which means that you can get up and running in 10 seconds or so.
PeteNbama
32 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2004 23:00
Makes sense what both of you suggest; however, after having read numerous posts on the overheating issue with the 5150 (due to dust accumulation on fan and heat sink), it would seem to make sense that since the fan in standby mode is idle there is no continuing dust buildup. Afterall, having that fan turning non-stop 12+ hours a day vs. only 3 or 4 hours because of regular standby mode, should lessen the frequency for dust removal maintenance.
Pete.