Restarting an older computer with a slow hard drive can take an eternity. The sleep mode saves this procedure photo: getty images
By martin lewicki | 28. September 2020, 15:45
A question as old as computers themselves: should the PC be shut down every time, or should it always be put into sleep mode?? TECHBOOK dispels the myth.
Both mac computers with the mac-OS operating system and computers with windows from microsoft offer the option of shutting down, i.e. switching off completely, or putting the computer into sleep mode.
idle mode instead of drive down
The big advantage of the idle state: usually, all it takes is the push of a button or, in the case of a notebook, the flipping open of the display to be able to continue working right away. Restarting a computer, on the other hand, can easily take a minute on older devices. However, the latest devices with fast SSD hard disks can complete this process in 10 to 20 seconds.
Nevertheless: it is simply practical to use only the sleep mode, without the annoying startup and shutdown. In addition, we are used to our smartphones and tablets being ready for use at any time, without having to turn them off completely all the time.
you don’t have to go to bed to switch off for a while. Also, you don’t have to shut down the computer completely to give it a rest
photo: getty images photo: getty images
Sleep mode is not just sleep mode
Sleep mode often works differently depending on the computer, the operating system and the user’s settings. On windows computers, hibernation usually means that the contents of the fast RAM are loaded onto the hard disk and thus no power is needed in hibernation mode.
The RAM of mac computers is not initially "emptied" in sleep mode, but continues to be supplied with a little power. This solution has the advantage that you can continue working where you last left off without delay when you activate the computer. With the windows solution, the data still has to be loaded into RAM. The larger the data, the longer this can take. But the windows solution hardly needs any power.
Apple’s macbooks with fast SSD hard drives go into deep sleep mode after one to three hours in idle mode. Saving energy and ensuring data security.
Photo: getty images photo: getty images
Macbooks manage up to 30 days in deep sleep mode
What apple calls sleep mode, windows calls stand-by mode. In contrast to shutdown, the last work data is also kept in RAM, which makes a faster reactivation possible.
Apple, on the other hand, has introduced an automatic deep sleep mode for mac computers with SSD hard drives. It becomes active after about one to three hours in the regular sleep mode. Here, too, the contents of the RAM are written to the hard drive. This protects against data loss and saves energy. Macbooks produced since 2013 can remain in sleep mode for up to 30 days before the battery dies. However, waking up is a bit sluggish until the content is loaded from the hard disk into RAM. However, this solution is still much faster than a complete shutdown and restart of the computer.
A frequent hibernation does not harm the computer, but you should restart it from time to time, so that updates can be activated for example
photo: techbook
Shutting down and restarting every now and then makes sense
But now to the myth: is the idle state bad for the computer?. It is better to shut it down? Since all components are deactivated in sleep mode as well as in standby mode, you don’t have to fear any damage if you don’t switch off your computer completely for several days.
Nevertheless, a restart is useful from time to time, especially when program updates run in the background and only take effect when the computer has been restarted. After all, you are also prompted to restart the computer when installing new programs or updates.
Also interesting: electricity is cheaper at night from our colleagues at myhomebook.De
in the end, however, the old principle still applies: at the latest when the computer runs too sluggishly and, in the worst case, programs freeze, you should restart it.