Even though quite some modern usage models of personal computers imply that PCs should stay on 24/7, few users actually do not switch their computers off, while the majority still manually shut their PCs down whenever they do not need their machines.

Approximately 32% of respondents of a poll by X-bit labs web-site said they never switch their PCs off, while about 35% of surveyed claimed they disable it every night, while 33% said they turn their computers off whenever they feel they did not need it.

The survey itself does not outline any substantial trends within computer industry. The main outcome X-bit labs can suggest is that around 1/3 of end-users may actively use services like peer-to-peer file downloading or help with distributed computing projects, which requires them not to shout their PCs down. Another large group of people use computers pretty intensively during the day, but switch them off at nights potentially because they are not energetically involved into P2P downloading or distributed computing. Yet another 1/3 of computer users use computers episodically and switch them off pretty often.

In addition to P2P downloading and distributed computing there are calculating or rendering tasks that take a lot of time and may not allow users to shut down their computers at nights.

Developers of computer platform have implemented a number of technologies that reduce PC power consumption and allow computers to suspend themselves after long staying long in idle mode. Additionally, modern PCs can quickly “wake up” after such suspension and resume work.

The X-bit labs poll has surveyed about 3 thousand of respondents among technology enthusiasts starting Monday, October 18, 2004.