Sleep vs. shut down

Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Messages
65
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
United States
Your Mac's Specs
Getting a Macbook Pro i7 in June. I also own an iPhone 3GS.
I'm going to leave my MBP plugged in over night. Should I let it sleep, or actually shut it down when I go to bed?
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2003
Messages
654
Reaction score
11
Points
18
Location
Southern Indiana
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro Quad Xeon 2.66GHz 3GB RAM, G4 Quicksilver w/Sonnet 1GHz Encore ST, 1ghz G4 Powerbook
I never shut down my Mac Pro Dual-Core Intel Xeon…I just tuck it in and let it sleep all night. I've been doing this for years without the first problem. I'm one who believes the peaceful, gentle nudge to wake the Mac in the morning is less stressful than the shocking "BONG – IT"S MORNING…WAKE UP AND GET AT IT!" The only time I shut down is if I'm leaving town for a couple of days.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
311
Reaction score
19
Points
18
Location
Shakopee, MN
Your Mac's Specs
iMac, late 2012 model, 21"
I agree. There is no reason to shut down the laptop during the night. It won't wear your computer down or cause it harm.
 

CrimsonRequiem


Retired Staff
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
6,003
Reaction score
125
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
Depends how high you want your electric bill to be. :p
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I would think this depends on if you want to wait for the machine to have to boot up or be readily available.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
Depends how high you want your electric bill to be. :p

This is a fairly ridiculous answer -- a sleeping Mac using almost no power, and a completely shut-off Mac uses about the same amount (yes, a shut-down Mac that is still plugged in continues to draw a trickle of power!).

The total difference in your electric bill over the course of a year of doing it one way or the other would amount to no more than $1's worth of power.

Apple themselves suggest that their computers are designed to be put to sleep when not in use UNLESS you will be leaving it alone for a prolonged period. I've always found that its generally best to do as Apple advises until you find a good reason not to.
 

CrimsonRequiem


Retired Staff
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
6,003
Reaction score
125
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
This is a fairly ridiculous answer -- a sleeping Mac using almost no power, and a completely shut-off Mac uses about the same amount (yes, a shut-down Mac that is still plugged in continues to draw a trickle of power!).

The total difference in your electric bill over the course of a year of doing it one way or the other would amount to no more than $1's worth of power.

Apple themselves suggest that their computers are designed to be put to sleep when not in use UNLESS you will be leaving it alone for a prolonged period. I've always found that its generally best to do as Apple advises until you find a good reason not to.

Wow, sarcasm. Can't detect it huh?
 
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
38
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
Broke through Heaven
Your Mac's Specs
iMac i5 27", MacBook Air 2010 13"
The night is long, and I think that some hours off is good for ANY device.
As others said a Mac can be totally fine with sleeping...but i always turn it off when i go to bed. During the day i usually just close it and let it sleep.
 
OP
HonestIllusion
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Messages
65
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
United States
Your Mac's Specs
Getting a Macbook Pro i7 in June. I also own an iPhone 3GS.
The night is long, and I think that some hours off is good for ANY device.
As others said a Mac can be totally fine with sleeping...but i always turn it off when i go to bed. During the day i usually just close it and let it sleep.

That's what I was thinking.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Messages
260
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
Your Mac's Specs
21.5" iMac i5 2.9 Ghz, 15" MBPro i7 2.0 Ghz, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, ATV2, ATV3, iPad2, iPad Mini
Off at Night

The night is long, and I think that some hours off is good for ANY device.
As others said a Mac can be totally fine with sleeping...but i always turn it off when i go to bed. During the day i usually just close it and let it sleep.

Plus one for this method
 
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
Messages
4,744
Reaction score
381
Points
83
Location
USA
Your Mac's Specs
12" Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz)
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
1,409
Reaction score
101
Points
63
Location
arizona desert
Your Mac's Specs
2007 iMac 10.6.8 | 2009 MacBook uni 10.6.8 | 2010 MBA 10.8.5 |
I just let mine sleep. For a little while I shut it down nightly and it seemed more sluggish the following day!
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
2,116
Reaction score
123
Points
63
Location
Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Your Mac's Specs
1.8 GHz i7 MBA 11" OSX 10.8.2
Here is a decent blog post on what a relatively modern mac draws.
David Alison's Blog: Power off or sleep at night?

Check out the chart in the middle generated off of his APC backup battery
In sleep mode - 0 watts used, 0% battery load and 785 minutes for battery backup

Don't forget that your hard drive gets accessed a lot when you boot your computer - so you are putting wear and tear that you may not need to on your hdd. (Hence the faster boot up times from SSD drives, and since there are no moving parts and you are mainly reading it may be a moot point for SSD based computers)
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I don't think it really matters since a modern Mac computer, whether it's a notebook or desktop uses negligible amounts of power. Like Technologist said, it might amount to a dollar or so a year.

Now having said that.... if you live in an area where severe weather moves fast and the likelihood of thunderstorms and lightening is great, (Texas and Florida are good examples) I highly recommend powering down and remove the AC adapter. Even an UPS is not sufficient for protection during a severe lightening storm.

Regards.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
712
Reaction score
13
Points
18
Location
Australia (American born)
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 15" 2006 | 2011 21.5in iMac-1tb-i5-12gig | iPhone 3gs
Mines powered on 24/7 and "sleeps" when I don't use it. 5 years doing this, I've never had a problem nor have I seen any fluctuation in my power bill except for the rate rises!

Personal choice is all I say.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Messages
7,295
Reaction score
301
Points
83
Location
Wisconsin
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini (Late 2014) 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
Great article on this, plus more:

He's talking about Macs, not a collection of random electronics from some study.

Yeah, that's the 'plus more' part. I submitted it for general interest in the topic since it was coincidentally in the paper the day I read this thread.
 
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I don't think it matters either way but for what it's worth, during the day I put mine to sleep when I am going somewhere and then shut it down at night.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
311
Reaction score
19
Points
18
Location
Shakopee, MN
Your Mac's Specs
iMac, late 2012 model, 21"
I say just leave it in sleep mode. It's hardly drawing any power at all doesn't do any damage to the computer. If someone can prove otherwise, I'd be interested in seeing the evidence.
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
336
Reaction score
7
Points
18
I use sleep mode, too. When I'm finished using the Mini, I generally just log out to the sign in screen, click sleep then turn off the mouse so the Mini doesn't get a sudden bout of insomnia.
Generally speaking, the only times the Mini gets restarted are if it's running sluggish, or there's a Software update which requires a restart, like 10.6.4 did.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top