Leaving Game/Disc Running

[ArtistofWarfare]

Quick question...

Is there anything wrong with leaving , for example, M2TW running for long periods of time...just at the menu screen? I just like having the program running so I can jump back into it quicker and obviously this requires the disc to be in the drive as well.

Is this a safe practice, or is it overall "not good" for my hardware to do this?

Thanks

[Whacker]

Qualified answer: It's probably not going to hurt anything.

I say probably, because it's going to force your system into gaming configuration, which means if you have system power saving options on those will be disabled, the CPU will ramp up to it's top clock speed, and your video card is going to start pulling lots of juice to render in 3d (even for the menu screen). IF your system is not properly cooled or has problems with heat, it could eventually cause damage if it manages to cook itself too many times. Most modern systems have built-in mechanisms to auto-shutdown or auto-throttle if heat becomes a problem, but repeated exposure to high temps will eventually cause problems down the road.

However

The other reason you don't want to do this is power draw. Having a system idle uses a fraction of the power that it's sucking down when everything is going full bore in gaming mode, especially modern video cards. In other words, sparing yourself a few seconds to load a game is going to cost you quite a few bucks in the electricity bill.

In short, I'd counsel patience. :bow:

:balloon2:

[ArtistofWarfare]

Ty for reply but...are you saying it's ok or not ok?

It seems both...just trying to clarify.

[Whacker]

I'm saying it depends. The main thing you'll need to worry about is heat. If you don't have the technical knowledge or experience to evaluate this, or know someone who can physically do this for you, then your best bet is to not leave it running. And before anyone else jumps in here, I would caution you against having someone try to walk you through installing temp sensing programs like Speedfan, Everest, etc etc for a number of reasons. First and foremost is those programs can be off by quite a bit, upwards of 15 degrees C (mine is off by 10), second onboard sensors are often very inaccurate, third not all systems have temp sensors in the right places, fourth even then if sensors are present, determining where they physically are and what they're measuring can be a chore unto itself, and fifth evaluating airflow and thermal tendencies inside a PC case is something that one cannot do remotely in my opinion.

Again this is just my opinion. This is not a simple yes/no answer. I am sticking to my initial recommendation which is "I wouldn't do it."

:balloon2:

[ArtistofWarfare]

Ok thanks...

For the record- I would never get into heat evaluation in the first place. That sounds like insanity. The PC was built to operate..if it ceases to at some point, it ceases to. I just try to stay within recommended usage. Also for the record- I've been on games in excess of 20 hours straight with this system before I put the air conditioning in and it was over 100 degrees in the room. No issues as of yet.

[ArtistofWarfare]

Oh- also: The disc being in the tray with the program NOT running is irrelevant correct?

I would assume that leaving the disc in the tray and just being at desktop, would mean the dvd drive is not being accessed at all anyway...

thanks

[Whacker]

Ok thanks...

For the record- I would never get into heat evaluation in the first place. That sounds like insanity. The PC was built to operate..if it ceases to at some point, it ceases to. I just try to stay within recommended usage. Also for the record- I've been on games in excess of 20 hours straight with this system before I put the air conditioning in and it was over 100 degrees in the room. No issues as of yet.

All well and good, but PCs do get old and not like a fine wine either. Dust and crap gets clogged in fans, nooks and crannies, etc. Even with diligent and thorough cleaning, fans will eventually wear themselves out over time and not push as much air as they should. Not all PCs are designed alike, and some cases have miserable airflow characteristics and thus constant thermal issues. In short, you may or may not always be able to have one of those 20 hour gaming marathons in Bikram yoga-like conditions. I salute your "drive it til the wheels fall off" mindset however. :2thumbsup:


Oh- also: The disc being in the tray with the program NOT running is irrelevant correct?

I would assume that leaving the disc in the tray and just being at desktop, would mean the dvd drive is not being accessed at all anyway...

thanks

Having a disc sitting in the tray is perfectly fine.

[ArtistofWarfare]

All well and good, but PCs do get old and not like a fine wine either. Dust and crap gets clogged in fans, nooks and crannies, etc. Even with diligent and thorough cleaning, fans will eventually wear themselves out over time and not push as much air as they should. Not all PCs are designed alike, and some cases have miserable airflow characteristics and thus constant thermal issues. In short, you may or may not always be able to have one of those 20 hour gaming marathons in Bikram yoga-like conditions. I salute your "drive it til the wheels fall off" mindset however. :2thumbsup:



Having a disc sitting in the tray is perfectly fine.


Cool- and thanks for the replies Whacker.

I do spend a fair amount of time tending to the pc's maintenance and cleanliness...believe me. I want it to last as long as possible and I enjoy having it.

The thing is that as you said- they age. There's simply no way to keep the PC in the condition it starts day 1 at. Further, if the temp outside is 100 degrees- well come on, I mean PC makers can't be expecting people to not use their PC because the weather got warm. In my eyes, if my PC usage would need to be restrained according to the weather- well then my PC is just going to die an early death.

Although in all seriousness- From what I do know (and my friend who took a once over of the system once- and he is borderline "expert") my system has 10/10 airflow/cooling. Apparently, as my friend said, he was surprised to see how "on top of things" my system was.

That said- yeah it's gonna roll over and croak one day. But it's only less than 4 months old- and to be honest, I have another desktop that I have done virtually NOTHING as far as maintenance with in over 7 years (i don't even think it's seen a spyware scan or windows update in 2 years) and it's as reliable today as it was day 1...which is crazy lol. But yeah, my computer is a gaming PC and ...worth quite a bit more than this PC and that's why I put effort into it's maintenance in the first place.

To be as careful as possible...without losing my sanity. I would say that's my "end goal" with computer usage. Thanks again.

[LeftEyeNine]

Certain files (I can't be any more technical) will be swept from RAM although you have M2TW running while you are doing something else. That will anyhow result in a slower turn back to M2TW.

There's nothing wrong with a CD running in the drive for a long time, they don't get spinned as long as OS does not make a request such as opening Windows Explorer.

However as long as you don't have supermega powerhouse, I'd advise M2TW to be closed, it's not a big hassle coming to the main menu anyway.

[ArtistofWarfare]

Certain files (I can't be any more technical) will be swept from RAM although you have M2TW running while you are doing something else. That will anyhow result in a slower turn back to M2TW.

There's nothing wrong with a CD running in the drive for a long time, they don't get spinned as long as OS does not make a request such as opening Windows Explorer.

However as long as you don't have supermega powerhouse, I'd advise M2TW to be closed, it's not a big hassle coming to the main menu anyway.

Thanks for response LEN...

No it's never a hassle to just come back to the main menu, but I do find myself getting a phone call or whatever and forgetting about the game...and leaving it running.

Since this thread has existed I've begun shutting the program down each time I'm going to be away for more than a few minutes. As you guys are saying- Safer than sorry.

[AlJabberwock]

Hi AoW! You seem like a nice guy, so a note about temperatures...

While I have the "run it till the wheels come off mentality" myself (my personal car is ten years old and my main work and networking puter for the house is 7 years old), I build computer systems for fun and have up to 5 other puters running in the house at various times of the day. If I burn something, I have other machines readily available to me, probably have spare parts in the closet and can fix it when convenient and consider it 'a fun time'. As Whacker said it more humorously, if neither the knowledge or will to spend the money is in you, do as you now do, be cautious...however...

I want to second his recognition of the extrordinary environmental conditions you apparently consider to be normal for computer operations. Doing ANYTHING in a room where temperatures are in excess of 100 degrees for twenty hours, while very 19th-century of you, is something I would not recommend for you or your machine. I would consider it much more problematic than say leaving the disc in or the game running for an hour or so...
You write
"Further, if the temp outside is 100 degrees- well come on, I mean PC makers can't be expecting people to not use their PC because the weather got warm. In my eyes, if my PC usage would need to be restrained according to the weather- well then my PC is just going to die an early death."
You are quite right in two senses, ergo; PC makers do NOT expect you not to use your computer because the weather warms up, they expect you to use Air Conditioning!, and if you don't, ceteris parabus, your machine will most likley experience problems under the conditions you mention earlier than would otherwise be the case. I am very glad to hear you have now installed AC, but just for the record as a system builder I would not recommend using your machine in a room over 100 degrees for prolonged periods- or at all, nor would I recommend playing on the front porch, or in a rain storm, dust storm or in any other way in which the local ambient weather, humidity, or fauna could get at your puter.

PC makers aren't weenies... well some are, but that's beside the point - experience with the hardware makes us say stuff like "do not mix keyboard with coffee, sugar and cream", or "air cooling is more efficient with cool air". May The Prophet grant good luck with your new system and I hope to hear what your rig is!

AlJabberwock