Well, it’s both. This is one of those questions that seems to never get fully answered, as opinions vary.
One thing is certain. You shouldn’t power your PC off every time you’re done with it. Cycling the power can damage components because powering up a machine causes a lot of stress on the system.
However, you should turn it off every now and then to clear out the memory and let your components get some rest. If you have an older (3 years plus) system, you can shut it down at night. For newer systems, at lest once a week is good. We recommend twice a week if you use it heavily.
Newer systems have better power management and their sleep mode works pretty well, allowing your system components to power down fully or almost fully. For Windows 7 machines, it works even better. Still, you do need to shut it down occasionally to clear out the memory. This will speed up your machine.
If you’re going out of town for a few days, it’s always a good idea to turn it off. Another good time to shut down is during lightning storms.
For more information, tips and help with other computer issues, please visit our website at Saguaropc.com.