I've had mixed vibes on this subject, so I'm asking the experts. Is it better to leave my desktop iMac on all the time, or turn it off at night? At present, I'm turning it off at night, and having it restart automatically in the morning. Some non-experts have told me that going to sleep is fine, and you shouldn't have to turn the computer off.
iMac Intel, Mac OS X (10.6)
Letting it sleep at night is best. It only takes a little more power than cutting it off. You can just tap the power button to put it to sleep.
Regards,
Captfred
Letting it sleep at night is best. It only takes a little more power than cutting it off. You can just tap the power button to put it to sleep.
Regards,
Captfred
Apple recommends not turning it off unless you are going to be gone from it for several days.
From page 15 of the manual for my iMac (late 2010 model) -
If you'll be away from your iMac for less than a few days, put it to sleep.
My take on Apple's "recommendation" to let it sleep is that it's just convenient (you won't have to suffer the inconvenience of a reboot or a reboot and log in and then re-open your programs.) I don't think it's better in any way for the computer.
I think you can do either. If you do let it sleep, an occasional restart may clear up any small quirks that may be developing. I've been shutting down at night for years, with no untoward effects.
I've heard of Senior AppleCare techs recommending shutting down.
Where I work - an Apple shop - the iMacs are NEVER turned off. I notice they do get a bit warm...but continue to work, day after day after day...
They are restarted every once in a while... the energy saver has the sleep option set to NEVER.
So... it's up to you!
(BTW, at home, I turn off my computers all the time... before going to bed, going to work, etc. I've never once had a problem with either of the two systems.)
A Funny... on old PC's, the first thing that wore out was the On/Off button!
Turning off iMac Desktop at Night
