Leave on or turn off monitor?

Leon Roberts · Post by **Leon Roberts** » 21 Mar 2004 10:19 am

Should a person turn the monitor off when the CPU is shut down. I have been turning mine off and my wife tells me they leave their monitors on at work and shut down the CPU. What's correct?
Leon

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 21 Mar 2004 11:39 am

Depends on whether it is a cathode ray tube (picture tube) or LCD monitor.

Cathode ray tubes operate similar to a light bulb when it comes to life expectancy. But instead of the filament burning out (like in light bulbs) the cathode "burns" out; or greatly diminishes in efficiency (dim screen) over time. The longer it is heated the less life it has.

So to get a longer life CRT type of monitor, shutting it down adds to its life. Also, but of lessor importance, "burn in" of the phosphers on the front of the CRT. But "screen savers" pretty well take care of this; IF you are using one.

For an LCD monitor this is not necessary. But in both cases there IS a savings in electrical power which equates to dollars if one shuts it down when not in use.

We Americans (particularly in business) are indeed a waistful society. We may pay dearly for this in the not too distant future.

carl

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 21 Mar 2004 5:48 pm

Mr.Dixon
If it were not for people like yourself,I would still be using a phone booth to communicate

Anyone remember phone booths.??

Leon Roberts · Post by **Leon Roberts** » 21 Mar 2004 5:51 pm

Thanks Carl. I'll continue to shut it down. Leon

Ron Sodos · Post by **Ron Sodos** » 22 Mar 2004 3:03 pm

I would disagree with what has been said so far. I work as a hardware tech in the IS department of a large medical lab here in Albuquerque. We have 800+/- computers. Company policy is everything stays on all the time. A lightbulb will last longer if you leave it on. Most of the wear and tear takes place from the surges of turning it on. Thus, leaving it on will make it last longer. Ask anyone at a recording studio why they never shut anything off......Also stabilization of heat is a factor. Wear and tear also occurs from the device being cold and then hot and so on. If the heat is stabilized as in leaving it on makes it last longer as well...........[This message was edited by Ron Sodos on 22 March 2004 at 03:06 PM.]

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 22 Mar 2004 6:26 pm

nada Leon

carl

George Rozak · Post by **George Rozak** » 22 Mar 2004 7:01 pm

Well, I never used to turn my monitor off, or the computer either for that matter. I've had computers run for years without ever powering them down, except once in a while for upgrades. We went out for breakfast one Saturday morning though, and when I got back home an hour or so later, the monitor was literally smoking. I hate to think what might have happened had we been gone all day.

Anyway, I still don't shut the monitor down when I'm at home, but I always power it down before leaving.

Just something to think about.

George

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Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 24 Mar 2004 7:30 am

There's also the question of cost. Let's say person A runs their CRT monitor 24/7/365. Let's also guess the power the monitor uses is 135W (17"). The anual cost, using $0.12/kW-hour is:

0.135kW * 0.12/kW-hour * 24hr/day * 365day/yr = $141.91

Person B who runs their monitor only 8 hours per day would pay one-third of that, or $47.30, or a savings of $94.61. If a monitor usually lasts 5 years (?), that's a total electrical cost difference of $473.

Just something to consider. That also makes the higher sticker price on plat panel displays look better, since they draw far less power than CRTs (50W or less).

Sources:

http://www.fpl.com/savings/energy_advisor/EA/PA_20.html http://www.pctechguide.com/07panels.htm

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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?