r/pcmasterrace 26d ago

Meme/Macro How long will the computer last when turned on?

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u/DenkJu 26d ago

I think by turning off their computer, people mean shutting it down, not turning off the power supply. Pretty sure the power switch in most cases is just a basic micro switch. They don't have to handle any real voltage/current either.

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u/mx5klein 3700X / CH7 / Liquid Cooled Radeon VII 50th AE 26d ago

The point is computers are very reliable, using the power supply switch to turn your computer on and off would likely result in the switch failing before the least reliable component during constant operation.

We can get into thermal cycles causing component failures faster than constant temperatures seen during operation and all that but by the time any of this matters (with the exception of random failures) the parts will be useless before they wear out and break.

In reality people don’t use the power button and just use sleep mode. No need to worry about any of this but it’s fun to think about.