To shut down or not to shut down: PC Gamer staff split on nightly PC habits

PC Gamer has run a poll asking readers whether they turn their PC off at night or leave it running until morning. The question arose from a persistent myth that powering a computer down and back up consumes more electricity than simply leaving it on for hours. The author admits to having believed this oversimplification — if not outright falsehood — for years, after an electrician once told him so.

While it is true that repeated power cycling causes some wear on components, so does leaving a machine running for extended periods. And since modern PCs boot so quickly that there is barely time to grab a drink before the system is ready, there is no longer a good excuse for adding to your power bill by keeping it on overnight.

The PC Gamer team itself is divided on the issue. Strategic director Evan Lahti is firmly on the side of shutting down, arguing that every extra hour the PC runs is another hour of dust being sucked into the system. US news lead Andy Chalk, however, got into the habit of leaving his machine on back when he ran a BBS and still does to this day.

Former hardware editor Jarred Walton used to turn his desktop off because its RGB lighting was too bright at night, but would leave his laptop running — a practice that forced the addition of a third option to the otherwise neat poll. The author jokes that this question has become one of the most divisive in PC gaming, rivaling debates over Dragon Age 2's place in the series tier list.

The piece also notes that people often continue habits without good reason, much like starting yet another campaign as Karl Franz in Total War: Warhammer despite having plenty of other campaigns left untried. The poll invites readers to weigh in on where they stand in this ongoing debate.