What to do: suspend activity or put the screen to sleep?
bebert_
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bebert_ Posted messages 13 Status Member -
bebert_ Posted messages 13 Status Member -
Hello,
This topic is a classic on Mac forums but hasn't been addressed in a while to my knowledge, and the games have changed a bit since then.
When we stop using our Mac, whether it's for just 2 minutes (and want the screen to go black to avoid distraction), to go to the bathroom, or to eat for an hour (in short, for not too long), is it better to suspend activity or put the screen to sleep? In terms of hard drive health, energy savings, etc.
As a reminder and to clearly differentiate the two:
-suspend activity: “suspend activity” in the Apple menu or programmable button on the touch bar
-put to sleep: “lock screen” in the Apple menu or click on the fingerprint sensor on the touch bar or programmable button on the touch bar
This topic is a classic on Mac forums but hasn't been addressed in a while to my knowledge, and the games have changed a bit since then.
When we stop using our Mac, whether it's for just 2 minutes (and want the screen to go black to avoid distraction), to go to the bathroom, or to eat for an hour (in short, for not too long), is it better to suspend activity or put the screen to sleep? In terms of hard drive health, energy savings, etc.
As a reminder and to clearly differentiate the two:
-suspend activity: “suspend activity” in the Apple menu or programmable button on the touch bar
-put to sleep: “lock screen” in the Apple menu or click on the fingerprint sensor on the touch bar or programmable button on the touch bar
3 answers
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Hello
Recurring question, recently asked (https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-37054890-eteindre-un-mac#top) and which always leads to no conclusion, with everyone continuing to do what they think is best for themselves and their Mac.
And as you will read in the link I provided, personally, I never turn it off except when I go on vacation or for the weekend, which has become rare in these times.
Ritchi -
Hi,
Unlike the topic you referred me to, I wonder whether it is better to suspend the activity or LOCK THE SCREEN, rather than turning it off. Because the distinction between suspending the activity and turning it off is relatively clear, whereas between suspending the activity and locking the screen, I am more doubtful.-
Hello,
I perfectly understood your question, and the link I provided was just to show you that these questions (turning off, locking, suspending, leaving your Mac on) are recurring on forums and there are always as many valid and justified answers as there are contributors.
In the cases you mentioned, the attitude to adopt is different each time:
• you want to think for two minutes: I suggest either looking at the ceiling (since there's nothing special to see) or closing your eyes and regarding your Mac, doing nothing unless you're listening to music through your Mac
• you're in a place where people are coming and going and you want to go to the bathroom or go eat: secure your Mac with a security cable and put the Mac to sleep to avoid tempting a jokester or ill-intentioned person to impersonate you on your Mac...
• you're at home and you want to go to the bathroom or open the door for someone who just rang or ... : since there's no risk, just leave the Mac as it is, and even if you end up spending an hour in the bathroom, what's the problem? The Mac will most likely have gone to sleep by itself (see the settings you have made or left in the system preferences)
• you're at home and you want to cook and then eat or go grocery shopping or exercise or ... : then put your Mac to sleep or suspend it if it reassures you knowing it will consume less energy.
All these situations and suggestions are just my way of seeing things, and if a failure is meant to happen, it will happen anyway.
Ritchi
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Hello,
Like _Ritchi_, I rarely turn off my MBP. I close the lid, even when I need to transport it, and I've been doing this since I got MacBook Pros (2007).
And like him, apart from replacing a battery and an HDD with an SSD and doubling the RAM on a mid-2010 model, I've never encountered any problems.
Yet I used it all day long.
Today, I do the same with a 2017 model.
So, as Aliboron Martin says, do what feels right for you, and overthinking won't prevent a malfunction.
Fear doesn't avoid danger.
