# Do you ever turn your Mac off?



## Omes01SLE (Nov 22, 2007)

I'm relatively new to the Mac world (but LOVE it so far) - I purchased a PowerMac G5 and was wondering if I should turn it off after each use or put it in "sleep" mode? I use it about 4/5 days out of 7 on an average week. Is there any harm in turning it off and on, or subsequently is there any harm in leaving in on 24/7?
thx


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

I have a Windows machine that is basically on 24/7 (it's always doing something for me) and other than one failed HDD (which probably had more to do with bittorrent than anything else) it runs like a top.

Given that is what I expect from a PC I built myself, you should expect better from a shiny new PowerMac.


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## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

I have a Mac mini that I leave on (active, not in sleep mode) 24/7, and that has had no issues. My iMac is either active or sleeping. I only shut down my iMac if I'm going to be away for extended periods of time (more than a week).


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## Phat Bastard (Jan 3, 2003)

From an environmentalist point of view, I hate people that keep their computers on. Unless you are using them for something or need to maintain network access, turn the things off, you have no idea how much energy you are wasting and therefore how much greenhouse gas emissions you are emitting.

Put your Mac to sleep--it will take less than 5 seconds to wake it up. There's no reason whatsoever for leaving your computer on all the time.


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## bgw (Jan 8, 2008)

At one time turning off and on computer was hard on the machine; this isn't the case any more.

Usually I turn the machine off at night. Mainly because of the electricity costs. When in sleep mode it only uses 5 or so watts of power, which is really nothing, but it still is yet another phantom load in the house. That juice has to be made somewhere and I don't want to be breathing it (coal powered electricity generation) or causing any additional disruption to the environment.

If you want to leave your machine on all the time you may want to get a good uninterruptible power supply. You never know when your AC my go south! Last two minute blackout at my place was registered by the UPS alarm going off – the Mac kept running beautifully.

I also often turn off my high speed modem even if the machine is on. This is out of habit; when I had my PC the firewall would issue an alert about something every few minutes. There are no known wild viruses etc. for the Mac so most internet nasties aren't a worry. But I also don't want people trying (even unsuccessfully) to hack into my machine.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

I never turn my Mac off unless I'm leaving it for extended periods of time.


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## Carl (Jun 7, 2003)

My computer is on basically 24/7, doing one thing or another. I design technology that reduces energy consumption on large scale industrial processes.

So what I am saying, is, sure, I blow $10 bucks a month leaving my computer on all the time, but my work will save millions a year in electricity and comparable amounts of CO2 emissions. Trust me, the whole "save a ton" BS is just helping power generators put off building infrastructure. 

So, from an environmentalist designers point of view, I hate people who think riding a bicycle and unplugging a power block to save 10 bucks a month is some noble gesture to Mother Earth.
Big picture. Conservation and reduction strategies only work in dying economies with no industrial growth and no population increases. I don't live in a country like that. If I did, I wouldn't be able to afford all of these shiny things, and my dinner would probably come in a burlap sack dropped from a UN plane.

Save energy by innovating. I'm going outside to fart now---oh, and I'm leaving my Mac on.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

Phat Bastard said:


> From an environmentalist point of view, I hate people that keep their computers on. Unless you are using them for something or need to maintain network access, turn the things off, you have no idea how much energy you are wasting and therefore how much greenhouse gas emissions you are emitting.


I keep mine on - do you hate me?  Just kidding, I use it for remote access and run PhoneValet which needs to be on to take voice mail. 

But, actually I do have an idea how much energy I am "wasting" - I have a "Kill A Watt" meter that tells me exactly how much power my devices use. Here's a couple of things worth noting:
- a computer with a 350 watt power supply uses nowhere near 350 watts.
- compared to your computer, other things in your house use much more energy. Your fridge, washing machine, etc. Invest in Energy Star appliances if you really want to save energy. Turn your furnace down to 20 or less and put on a sweate. Turn your A/C up to 25 in the summer - taking the humidity out of the air affects your comfort more than bring the temperature down to 21 or 20. As long as the A/C runs a little in the summer, it'll go a long way.
- power usage changes with CPU, disk, and screen activity. If your computer is on, but the screen is sleeping, and you aren't doing anything, your computer isn't using much power at all


> Put your Mac to sleep--it will take less than 5 seconds to wake it up. There's no reason whatsoever for leaving your computer on all the time.


There are plenty of reasons to leave it on, but if you don't have one, I agree, put it to sleep. I wouldn't turn it off though - that's just a waste of time.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Most of the time I turn it off as I don't really trust the sleep option.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

Nah, it loves me unconditionally.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

gordguide said:


> Nah, it loves me unconditionally.


Ha ha! multiple entendre!


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Good rule of thumb. If you are going away for a few munutes or even 2 or 3 hours set it to sleep. Any longer shutdown. Remember a sleeping computer uses about 60 Watts per hour. If you never shutdown that's $40+ year in wasted electricity. 

You will also save wear & tear on the monitor and HD.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

eMacMan said:


> If you never shutdown that's $40+ year in wasted electricity.


Enough for most never to notice.  A whole $3.33 a month!



eMacMan said:


> You will also save wear & tear on the monitor and HD.


Incorrect. If the hard drive needs to spin up and down more frequently, it will also wear out more quickly at the same rate. A computer that is not shut down or put to sleep regularly also doesn't have a hard drive that is constantly spinning up and down.

Secondly, you can turn off or just sleep your monitor without shutting down or sleeping your Mac. (And even then, unless you hit the power button on your external monitor [excluding iMacs], the display is still running and sucking power even without showing video.) That being said, leaving your monitor powered up 24/7 makes little difference to its lifespan.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

Lars said:


> Incorrect. If the hard drive needs to spin up and down more frequently, it will also wear out more quickly at the same rate. A computer that is not shut down or put to sleep regularly also doesn't have a hard drive that is constantly spinning up and down.


Sure it does. Indexing goes on in the background. Maintenance tasks run. All kinds of crap happens when you're not around if the computer is still on.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

It's kind of like asking do you leave your telephone plugged in it at night, or do you plug it back in in the morning? Mine only goes off I have to restart with some types of new software. No damage so far.

Frank


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Contrary to myth, turning a computer off does NOT reduce its electric use to zero. The difference between deep sleep and off (in terms of energy use) is trivial.

I let my machine sleep when it's not in use. If I'm going to be away from it for more than a day, I turn it completely off.

The sleep thing is conditional on it being attached to a UPS with AVR. How's that for some more acronyms?


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## DS (Oct 7, 2004)

No.

In fact I never really reboot any machines I have except for the Windows ones. My FreeBSD server has an uptime of 671 days right now.


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## Lichen Software (Jul 23, 2004)

*On/Off and energy observations*

Everything is turned on in the morning and left on. Sometimes databases do not do well on sleep, so sleep mode is not enabled. Then everything is turned off at the end of the day. This is more a habit going back to Classic days when starting and restarting performed some diagnostics and corrections to the system.

My understanding of OS X is that as it is based on a Unix system, it is made to be on 24/7 and that there are some routines that are done at night if the machine is left on. There is a program, I believe it is called MacJanitor that will let you manually run these routines.

As for the power issue:

1. Bicycles are good things - they just have to design the roads in this neck of the woods so that it is not worth your life to ride one.

2. Energy Star applicances, especially a washer will save you much more that turning off your machine.

3. Our heat is at 17.5 during the day and at 15 at night

4. Air conditioning Bad .... Plant trees, put up awnings. We do not have A/C. We do not miss it. I won't put it in. Our power consumption goes down in the summer. Cheap awnings on our kitchen and family room windows which face west immediately brought the temp in those rooms down 10 degrees on hhot sumer days. I have Sumac growing around the patio that is now further shading the house.

Living in an apartment is another thing. A/C on some apartment buildings could actually save your life during a heat wave. Mass bad design.

5. Use a microwave

6. I have two cars - Suzuki Swift and a Dodge Caravan. I use the Swift exclusively around town. The Caravan is used by my wife and on road trips. I like to drive something on the highway where if I hit a dog there is no question that I win. On the other side, I would really like to see Zen motor cars approved in Canada. A Canadian Made electric town car would be really nice. You can go to Rick Mercer.com and go through the past episodes to see a piece on these vehicles. It is really good. He does a service to Canada through his show.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Speaking of which, I didn't see a lot of "smart" cars on the road during the -30˚C cold snap this winter. I wonder why. Maybe not so smart after all?


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## zarquon (May 24, 2005)

fjnmusic said:


> Speaking of which, I didn't see a lot of "smart" cars on the road during the -30˚C cold snap this winter. I wonder why. Maybe not so smart after all?


I saw a usual amount in the city, and even on the highway. I can't see any reason why they would be less effective in the winter than the summer - except the rollback canvas roof might be a little less insulating. Maybe the diesel would be harder to get going at -30, but no more so than a diesel VW.

Z.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Didn't see a lot of VW's either. Plenty of SUV's though.


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## zarquon (May 24, 2005)

fjnmusic said:


> Didn't see a lot of VW's either. Plenty of SUV's though.


Well, that's another matter altogether isn't it. Big SUVs, in the city, with no one in the vehicle other than the driver. I can't think of any other way to be so wasteful and do as much damage to the environment - except when these idiots park illegally out side Tim's or Starbucks to get their morning 'fix' and leave the engines running. 

For these people, driving an SUV has nothing to do with road handling, or bad weather performance (nor of course off road ability). It's a pseudo-style choice that they've been led (like lemmings) to make so that the big auto makers and oil companies can laugh and get richer.

Compare the greenhouse gases produced by these vehicles to leaving your computer on 24/7 on high performance even, I doubt that the computer comes close.

Still, except the server, all my computers (home and work) are either off or in sleep when not in use. the displays are also off.

Z.


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## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

I leave my Macbook on in sleep mode whenever I'm not using it. The only time I turn it off is when I put it in my laptop bag


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

I'd turn my computer off if I was patient but because it would take like 15seconds, I wouldnt wait so I leave it on.

Although, in the middle of the night, it turns off automatically and then in the morning, its not shutdown. I know this because all my applications were closed in the morning.

...

Freaky...beejacon


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## garf1108 (May 30, 2006)

I am one of those that switches it off at night


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

When i get my Mac, I'll turn it off, so the hard drive stops spinning or something unless I have some torrents Dling.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Lars said:


> Incorrect. If the hard drive needs to spin up and down more frequently, it will also wear out more quickly at the same rate. A computer that is not shut down or put to sleep regularly also doesn't have a hard drive that is constantly spinning up and down.
> 
> Secondly, you can turn off or just sleep your monitor without shutting down or sleeping your Mac. (And even then, unless you hit the power button on your external monitor [excluding iMacs], the display is still running and sucking power even without showing video.) That being said, leaving your monitor powered up 24/7 makes little difference to its lifespan.


Which of course explains why those of us that only run our computers when we use them get 5-10 years out of our hard drives, while those that go 24/7 often need to be replaced after about 3 years.


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

I turn it off. It's a waste of energy not to. Unless you think your pets want to use it while you're sleeping.


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## Lichen Software (Jul 23, 2004)

fjnmusic said:


> Speaking of which, I didn't see a lot of "smart" cars on the road during the -30?C cold snap this winter. I wonder why. Maybe not so smart after all?


Apparently there are quite a few in Timmins ... Not the most beneign climate


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

My eMac, running Tiger 10.4.11 has been running for months without a single issue, sleeping every night.

My MBP running Leopard 10.5.2 needs a full restart every other day or so to function properly.

I'll leave any comment on the quality of the two operating systems aside for now.


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## AquaAngel (Feb 16, 2007)

WOW amazing how may people leave it on 24/7. 
I use to leave mine on 24/7 several years ago, but no more once i am done with it and or my Xbox 360 "shared wireless connection" i turn it off when i don't need it.

It is not only for green house, but it is to expand the life of my G5 and my hard drives / hardware. it is just matter of common sense. you don't use it? turn it off


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

FlaminWiz said:


> When i get my Mac, I'll turn it off, so the hard drive stops spinning or something unless I have some torrents Dling.


You can configure the Energy Saver settings in System Preferences you can put the Display(s) and Hard Disk(s) to sleep when the computer is inactive which stops the spinning... no need to shut it off for that!


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

Is there a feature for the iMac that'll let you configure the times for when to shut down and to turn on. This way, for example, the iMac will shutdown at 10pm and will turn on at 7am.
So is there a feature of this sort?


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

FlaminWiz said:


> Is there a feature for the iMac that'll let you configure the times for when to shut down and to turn on. This way, for example, the iMac will shutdown at 10pm and will turn on at 7am.
> So is there a feature of this sort?


Yes -- System Preferences - Energy Saver - Schedule... (it's a button on the bottom right...)


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

Mine run 24/7 but automatically go into sleep mode at night


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

eMacMan said:


> Remember a sleeping computer uses about 60 Watts per hour.


That is completely false. A sleeping computer uses maybe a few kWh (2 or 3), not 60. Check yourself with a Kill-A-Watt meter. I wonder if these figures are made up by overzealous environmentalists. I consider myself an environmentalist but even I don't believe that.

I'll have to check again, but I don't think even an idle computer uses 60 kWh.


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

If people are really concerned about saving energy, my thinking is to pick areas to conserve where you will get the most bang for your buck. It is about sustainability. I'm not convinced that shutting down my Mac Mini (or PC) each day will save much in the end. I will explain my reasoning below.

Here in BC also, most of the electricity is hydro electric so it is renewable energy. Ontario uses nukes, another form of clean energy (although probably not the best). I have had at least one drive spinning in my house for nearly 12 years now... no issues at all, except for a higher electricity bill by ?? $.

By cutting out one or two flights per year, you will save way more units of energy (and carbon emissions). Same goes with reducing use of the car, turning down the heat, and not buying veggies/packaged salads that get shipped from Florida.

Keep in mind that computers and features for remote access such as "Back to My Mac" or 'Desktop Desktop Sharing" sessions can save you big $$ from travel. That alone is justification to use computers to make your life more efficient and convenient overall... thus a savings in energy in the long run. 

The $40 in electricity used per year for my computing, has easily saved me 10x that in energy costs in other areas in my life.


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## bgw (Jan 8, 2008)

zlinger said:


> By cutting out one or two flights per year, you will save way more units of energy (and carbon emissions). Same goes with reducing use of the car, turning down the heat, and not buying veggies/packaged salads that get shipped from Florida.


He's right. I once reviewed a study where it indicated that half the greenhouse gasses for the average German were generated by their annual flight to Spain for winter vacation!

Still every little bit helps. Hence most nights the Mac is off - even it the main reason is '_Moneys Too Tight To Mention_'.


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

Maybe I will start to consider a scheduled shutdown/startup when it truly is not being used. It would be good to save a few kilowatt hours on the hydro bill.

I do wonder though if the Energy Saver preference option to "put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible" will also shut down the external drive arrays that I have setup. There needs to be an automated process to startup all services so it goes back to normal.

I actually called Apple yesterday asking them why my Back to My Mac feature was not working right. It turned out that my Mac Mini was sleeping after 60 minutes or so (around the same time it takes me to drive to work , have a coffee, and check emails). So now I need to leave it on all the time.

If Apple wants to truly go green, they should improve some of their energy saver technologies, such as a Wake Up from Sleep option on the Airport Extreme. This way you can nudge your Mac out of sleep remotely when you need a connection to a drive or screen share.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

MacBook ges shutoff.

eMac goes to sleep when I am not using it.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

3 Macs, all on 24/7. And, I drive a Jeep. 

YouTube - George Carlin - Saving the Planet [PG]


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

hayesk said:


> That is completely false. A sleeping computer uses maybe a few kWh (2 or 3), not 60. Check yourself with a Kill-A-Watt meter. I wonder if these figures are made up by overzealous environmentalists. I consider myself an environmentalist but even I don't believe that.
> 
> I'll have to check again, but I don't think even an idle computer uses 60 kWh.


Actually that is how I came up with the number. True for my eMac at least. Maybe less so for non CRT computer.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

eMacMan said:


> Actually that is how I came up with the number. True for my eMac at least. Maybe less so for non CRT computer.


Oh good gawd yes. The whole motivation behind LCDs is that the use a fraction of the power CRTs use.

The sooner each and every eMac (and similar PC) has been recycled and broken down into reclaimable parts, the happier I (and the earth) will be. I know some people love their eMacs, it wasn't the worst idea out there at the time, but lard what an energy hog.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

chas_m said:


> Oh good gawd yes. The whole motivation behind LCDs is that the use a fraction of the power CRTs use.
> 
> The sooner each and every eMac (and similar PC) has been recycled and broken down into reclaimable parts, the happier I (and the earth) will be. I know some people love their eMacs, it wasn't the worst idea out there at the time, but lard what an energy hog.


Only a hawg if you don't shut it down when not in use. Actually the in use energy consumtion for the new iMac is about identical and I cannot sync the display as accurately to an outside photolab. Just can't tell if I will have shadow or highlight detail the way I can with the eMac. Also I find the 4:3 aspect ratio more useful than 9:5. 

Sooner or later the eMac will wear out and I will reluctantly have to update my system. Course if the old LC 475 is an indicator that may be 5 or 6 years away.


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## AquaAngel (Feb 16, 2007)

wow again, this is going out of hand. wow. have your mac programed to be on at your required time and shut off whenever you don't use it. there will be an energy saver gore here. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:         
my rule is simple. you don't use it, shut her off or else, go PC. at least we have something to blame for. mouhhahaahhahahaaha beejacon 

mine is on time saver . up at 4 am and shuts down at 9 pm. simple. program is there for a reason. just use it. i would hate to see the energy saver gore around here. Splat :lmao:


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## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

We've dealt with this in previous threads but not for a while I have to admit...

Put it to sleep baby. Sleep it once and end it!


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## Firefox (Dec 29, 2007)

Wow you 'environmentalists' are brainwashed. If you want to 'save' the planet stop using a car, don't buy any packaged goods, transported foods, oil, clothing, shoes, bicycles, candles, any electronics, Macs/PCs, portable devices, etc... seeing how everything made uses energy to be produced, you trying to "save" the environment (which all the temperature readings are based off NASA, and a Canadian, found a HUGE error in it, and it completely disproves the nut job environmentalists). So really you waste just as much energy as someone that runs their AC at 18C durning the summer.

And to those that think driving an SUV is based on 'pseudo-lifestyle' and are 'lemmings' to the automobile industry... funny, that you would make a comment like that seeing how you contradict yourself as you are sheep that follow people like Al Gore (who has a 8000 sq.ft house) and David Suzuki who uses TV to get his point across.

Its funny that people that use more energy then you are "wasters," only when it accommodates your argument, yet you are no better. If you want to be a saviour live like a hobbit.

And my Pro only sleeps, and is never shut off, I also leave all my lights on, my desktop on 24/7, 365 days a year, my 2 tube tvs, 1 LCD tv, 1 Rear-projection TV, my washing machine, dryer, dish washer, I also leave my car running when I'm sleeping.

Hate me now?

P.S Ontario doesn't use Nuclear power. 75% of Ontario's power is hydro-electric the other 25% is imported from the US.
Nuclear power is cleaner, and more cost effective as 1-5lb of Uranium will last 5 years the way they use it, there are 2 problems... 1)If there is a melt down there is chance of a nuclear explosion 2)Uranium -238 is used and its by-product is Plutonium-239 which is weapons grade (where do you think Iran, North Korea, India, and Pakistan purchased their Plutonium-239 from?.

Anyways to recap.
My PC and MBP only sleep and are only shut down (mostly my PC because windows is a piece of ****) when I need to upgrade hardware.


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

"Electric power is everywhere present in unlimited quantities and can drive the world's machinery without the need of coal, oil, gas, or any other of the common fuels." -- Nikola Tesla


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## zarquon (May 24, 2005)

Firefox said:


> And to those that think driving an SUV is based on 'pseudo-lifestyle' and are 'lemmings' to the automobile industry... funny, that you would make a comment like that seeing how you contradict yourself as you are sheep that follow people like Al Gore (who has a 8000 sq.ft house) and David Suzuki who uses TV to get his point across.


Have another hit of espresso and calm down for a minute.
Since you are referring here directly to my post, I *did not* contradict myself, I am not a sheep, and I never mentioned Al Gore or David Suzuki. I also never claimed to be an _'environmentalists'_. However, it doesn't take much to see that our actions effect the world around us - _even in Woodbridge_.

As for Nuclear power in Ontario, according to Ontario Power Generation Corp's web site:


http://www.opg.com/power/nuclear/ said:


> Accounting for 31% of the energy used in Ontario in 2006, OPG’s 10 nuclear units generated 46.9 terrawatt hours (TWh) - an increase of 4% over their 2005 production levels. The Pickering Unit 1 reactor also completed its first full year of operation since returning to service in the fall of 2005.
> 
> Ontario Power Generation owns and operates the Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Power Stations. The two stations have a combined generating capacity of about 6,620 megawatts.


according to Google maps, Pickering is about 55KM from Woodbridge, Darlington is in Clarington, about 90KM

and no, I don't hate you. Hate is a waste of energy. 

Z.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

The only Mac I ever measured the power on is my old G4 Sawtooth.
It uses 60 watts when it's running, that equates to $42.- per year at 8 cents/kWh if I leave it on 24/7.

My understanding is that it's actually harder on the electronics if you switch them on and off every day. I rather have my $60.- hard drive go than the motherboard or the CPU. But the Mac and the hard drives have been on 24/7 almost continuously since 1999 when I bought it with absolutely no failure.
The LCD display turns off automatically after a few minutes of non-use. Not only to save power but also to extend the life of the flourescent tubes.


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## Phat Bastard (Jan 3, 2003)

It seems like there is a perception by many people that have posted in this thread that those of us "environmentalists" that are concerned about reducing energy use and emissions have to _choose_ between minor things like turning of our computers and major things like reducing driving.

Hello? They aren't mutually exclusive! If I wanted to reduce my emissions by a significant amount, I would be *stupid* to rely on things like turning off my computer instead of leaving it on 24/7. _Of course_ I would ALSO do things like alter the AC settings for night-time in my house or drive less.

Having said that, I'm not saying that the so-called minor life changes, like not leaving your computer on all the time, are insignificant or not worth doing. If you can save $40 or whatever the amount is in energy costs a year, and you don't actually need your computer on at night, why wouldn't you put that computer to sleep??? It's just common sense.

As for the Unix tasks that are set to run at night...well, I never keep my Mac on at night and other than the random Leopard crashes I've talked about in another thread, my Mac is just fine without these tasks having run. Once in a while I manually run them, using Onyx or Cocktail or some such utility.


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## skinnyboy (Oct 7, 2007)

I have slooooooow speed internet and therefore, I can not turn off my computer at night otherwise it would take 40 days instead of the standard 20 to DL a movie file  

As for the environmental element to this discussion...

Even though I bike to work almost 8 months of the year (used to be 12 until winter biking became too much of a time crunch), recycle everything possible, compost all biodegradable kitchen stuff (do you know that some people put their poop in there too - not ready to go there), and own only one vehicle in a family of 5, I believe that for all the "good" Alberta and Saskatchewan residents do it is being nullified completely by what is happening in Northern Alberta's oil sands. 

Oh well, it's a lifestyle and a healthy one at that.


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

If I put the computer to sleep, does the hard drive still spin/run?


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

FlaminWiz said:


> If I put the computer to sleep, does the hard drive still spin/run?


You can stop the HD spinning without having to put the computer to sleep...


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

Cause I wanna make my computer last longer. Without spending the precious few seconds waiting for it to boot.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

eMacMan said:


> Actually that is how I came up with the number. True for my eMac at least. Maybe less so for non CRT computer.


Set your eMac to power down the monitor when idle. My test was with a G4 PowerMac and a Dell 17" CRT, it used only a few watts when idle, and the power on the CRT shut down automatically when the CPU was idle.


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

I have decided to flip all the breakers off when I go to work in the morning. Need to save some extra energy. It could be used elsewhere on the grid.

I will also disconnect the car battery once I get to the office. I hate it when the dashboard clock draws power from the battery. It's such a waste.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

Firefox said:


> And to those that think driving an SUV is based on 'pseudo-lifestyle' and are 'lemmings' to the automobile industry... funny, that you would make a comment like that seeing how you contradict yourself as you are sheep that follow people like Al Gore (who has a 8000 sq.ft house) and David Suzuki who uses TV to get his point across.


Sorry, but I get tired when I hear these lame "Al Gore has a big mansion" and "David Suzuki uses TV or flies on a jet" arguments against environmentalism. So what, they are pundits that need to speak to a lot of people and thus need a big place to do it or need to travel quickly - you are not one of these people. The fact is, pollution is getting worse, oil and fresh water supplies are dwindling. Deny global warming argument if you want, but you can't deny that fresh water and oil is not limitless, and smog and pollution is not something we want to increase.

It's funny how these anti-environmentalists (for lack of a better label) can only criticize the people delivering the message and not the message itself.

Anyway, I leave my computer on because I need to access it remotely. If you don't, then sleep it. Regardless, I don't feel guilty because I checked that it uses very few kWh when idle.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Firefox said:


> Its funny that people that use more energy then you are "wasters," only when it accommodates your argument, yet you are no better. If you want to be a saviour live like a hobbit.


Actually, hobbits consume quite a bit of energy. Remember breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, tea, dinner, supper…

"I don't think he's heard of second breakfast, Pip."


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

hayesk said:


> ... Anyway, I leave my computer on because I need to access it remotely. If you don't, then sleep it. Regardless, I don't feel guilty because I checked that it uses very few kWh when idle.


I'm in the same boat as you, and really like the new Back to My Mac feature. I got it working flawlessly today (both screen share, and access to files). The performance was impressive and I was using a busy wireless network.

One question that I am curious about, and maybe someone can answer. How many kWh do you think a Mac Mini would draw (if idle & drives sleeping)? I assume the 'put hard disk(s) to sleep' option is also different than the full sleep option. Just need to make sure I can access it remotely.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

zlinger said:


> How many kWh do you think a Mac Mini would draw (if idle & drives sleeping)? I assume the 'put hard disk(s) to sleep' option is also different than the full sleep option. Just need to make sure I can access it remotely.


A couple of links that answer that - depends on the specific model.
And the Mini draws Watts, not Kilowatts.

Apple Mac Mini: Smaller, More Stylish - and Cheaper Than a PC? | Tom's Hardware

Mac mini: Power consumption and thermal output (BTU) information


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

Is there a feature for the iMac that it will turn on at a set time (morning)?


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Sure.

System Prefs > Energy Saver > Schedule

(The schedule button is at the bottom right.)


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

FlaminWiz said:


> Is there a feature for the iMac that it will turn on at a set time (morning)?


You asked more or less the same question on page 5 of this thread and I replied with the same answer then that you just got from SINC... ????


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## zlinger (Aug 28, 2007)

G-Mo.. will this setting also work with a Mac Mini?


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## spitfire (Feb 26, 2008)

aww hellz no! I like it when the LED of my pacbook pro glows in the middle of the night...


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## FlaminWiz (Feb 18, 2008)

G-Mo said:


> You asked more or less the same question on page 5 of this thread and I replied with the same answer then that you just got from SINC... ????


Oh. I thought I asked that for shutting down, not waking up. lol
Sorry.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

speaking of sleeping....I have a G4 Sawtooth, G3 BW, Lombard and MBP 

all machines go to sleep except the G3, I shut that off....only because I can't stand the noise the fan still makes when it sleeps....

so my question is why is my Sawtooth (when sleeping) is so quite when the G3 the fan sounds like it's still running? And can I shut the fans off the G3? If I can I will also keep that on and put it to sleep.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

zlinger said:


> I have decided to flip all the breakers off when I go to work in the morning. Need to save some extra energy. It could be used elsewhere on the grid.
> 
> I will also disconnect the car battery once I get to the office. I hate it when the dashboard clock draws power from the battery. It's such a waste.


I hope to god you are joking (which you probably are) otherwise, you should seek professional help!:yikes:


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

zlinger said:


> G-Mo.. will this setting also work with a Mac Mini?


The OS X software is the same on all Macs.
Different versions and releases of course that people run and the install DVD can be machine specific, but the features and the way they operate is identical across machine types.

So the answer is "yes"


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