Sleep or Shutdown?

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Hey there, I just picked up the new aluminum macbook and was wondering which was *better* for the computer... Is it best to shut it down after you use it, or is it best to only shut it down once a day, like at night when you're done with it for the day... Just wondering, want to keep it in best shape... I've been reading and found that some people recommend that you leave laptops to sleep moreso than shutdown and I just wanted to confirm this and ask why that is the better choice..

TIA. :D
 
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I rarely shut mine down unless I'm gonna be leaving it for a long time (more than a week). I only restart after a software update or program install etc. and when I'm not using it my MBP is asleep. They're absolutely fine to leave 'asleep' *Zzzzzz*
 
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I rarely shut mine down unless I'm gonna be leaving it for a long time (more than a week). I only restart after a software update or program install etc. and when I'm not using it my MBP is asleep. They're absolutely fine to leave 'asleep' *Zzzzzz*

haha, I would think that it would be best to turn it off, why is it that with laptops its best to just put it to sleep ? Size of the parts or something?
 
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I have never shut my MacBook off, unless I was upgrading RAM or HDD or changing batteries. I only restart for updates, etc.. Before this I had a PowerBook G4 which I bought new in 2004. I also never shut that off, and it ran like new for over 3 years. Before THAT I had an iBook G3 bought new in 2001, also left on for about 3 years.

I also have a 24" iMac which has never once been shutdown since I got it last year. My iMac G3 bought in '98 has been on continuously for about 10 years. It used to go to sleep, but it has been hosting a web server for the last couple years and has been awake and powered on continuously. When your Mac is asleep pretty much everything is shut off anyway, it just stores your current state in a RAM image so when you come back it can start right up. It is better to let your Mac sleep because it gives the hard drives, fans, etc, a break, but there is no reason to completely shut it down.
 
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For me I just use sleep unless an update was done and required a restart
then once a month I may shut it down overnight.
 
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To sleep or not to sleep...

Considering the incredible stability of the Macintosh - there is no reason to shut off the system unless you have recently installed something - i.e. update/ software. Given this information I still shut my Mac down every few weeks, in some cases every few months is acceptable.
 
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It's not a matter of which is better, it's just personal preference.

If my MB sits on my desk, then it sits asleep. However, I turn it off if I am transporting it it a bag. Twice I have pulled it out of my bag only to find it woke itself up while in transit (most likely due to vibration off being lugged around all day). It quickly overheats while turned on inside a case and gives a warning that it has shut down to prevent damage due to overheating. So turning it off while transporting it makes sense to me.
 
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I only ever turn mine off to run software updates. I put it to sleep when I transport it. Otherwise it is almost always on. I usually put it to sleep for at least a little while every day but I leave it on for the most part. I have had no problems with it thus far and it still runs like new. I got it late November 2007.
 

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