What Happens When a Computer Runs 24/7

A computer can overheat, buzz, and slow down since the internal parts are subjected to a heavy load. Turning it off helps to reduce this load. You can also use sleep mode.

But, it all depends on the computer and the apps running on it. Some IT companies have computers that aren’t turned off for several months, and it’s okay. But let’s see what would happen to a computer that works endlessly.

It’s the year 2356. Archaeologists have made a stunning discovery. Through the lenses of augmented reality, all people are watching an ancient artifact being excavated. Scientists manage to find a weak clot of energy deep under the ground. It seems that an unknown source generates energy from the air. Excavations begin.

In a couple of hours, archaeologists carefully take out a mysterious object. At first, they notice a flat screen that was created in the 21st century. Next, they find the system unit covered with a thick layer of stone. Surprisingly, the CPU is still running inside this computer. And its work has been going on for more than 330 years.

2021. You’re looking for a job as a graphic designer and want to buy a powerful computer for little money. A new one is too expensive, especially with a good video card and RAM, so you decide to purchase a second-hand computer. You find an ad online. There’s a cool, modern, and cheap device for sale.

You arrive at an old antique shop. You can see old typewriters, notebooks, and paintings in the windows. You don’t believe you can buy a good computer here, so you look at beautiful sketchbooks. You’re greeted by an old seller with a long beard. He admits he has been waiting for you for a very long time and invites you to go into the room with a computer. Among some ancient-looking scrolls, an old pendulum clock, and other antique things, you notice a glow.

It comes from the computer. It seems to be a thousand years old, but it still works. The seller launches one of the latest computer games with stunning graphics on it. The game works without lags or errors. You play for a few minutes, then you buy the computer. The old man warns you that you need to take care of it and clean it regularly. As you’re leaving the store, the seller looks happy and relieved.

You come home, place the system unit under the table, connect the screen, keyboard, and the mouse, and notice the computer is turned on. It’s strange because you’ve unplugged it and carried it across the city. It doesn’t matter, because you can play it now and work in the graphics editor. You were sitting at the computer until the morning and fell asleep right at the table.

A few hours later, you wake up with a headache — the noise and the glow of the screen have disrupted your sleep. You go to bed and as you wake up, you notice the computer is still turned on. The screen is lit, the game is paused. The computer has been working all this time.

You open the Start menu and look for the shutdown option, but you can’t find it. Then you reach for the system unit to turn it off but can’t find the shutdown button either. You don’t want to pull it out of the socket, because it can interfere with the stable work of the OS.

For the next few weeks, your computer doesn’t shut down at all. Then, it starts making a quiet noise. You understand that this is a signal that you need to clean all the internal parts. The heat radiates from it and cooling fans are spinning inside. You copy all the data from the computer to the hard drive and pull the computer out of the socket.

It’s strange, but it keeps working. You forget about cleaning it and run back to the store. The building where you bought the computer is abandoned. It’s only been a few weeks, but it looks like no one has lived in it for decades. You come home and clean your computer carefully. The noise disappears, the computer works stably.

Now you’re wondering where it gets its energy from. The next day, you get an electricity bill. It says you have a huge debt, so you realize the computer uses your electricity. Somehow, it connects remotely to your network.

You keep using the computer. It works without rest for months. You’ve loaded many programs, and some of them are running 24/7. You even like it that the computer doesn’t shut down. At any time, you can sit down and get started, you don’t have to wait for the apps to load. When you’re not at home, you can always connect to your computer via remote access. The necessary processes, such as antivirus scanning or OS updating don’t happen during your working hours, but when you are asleep.

But on the downside, it consumes too much power. You have to pay a lot every month. If something happens and the electricity rates go up, you won’t be able to afford it. Constant work wears the hardware out. You try to clean your computer, but it’s not enough.

After a couple of years, you may feel a strong slowdown in some resource-intensive apps. The more the computer works, the more heat it releases. The higher the temperature, the worse it gets. The noise gets louder, it prevents you from falling asleep.

A year passes. The computer’s still working. It’s so hot that you always have to keep the window open. The computer is buzzing, and this sound already gives you a headache. You can’t turn it off, and cleaning the inside while it’s working isn’t as effective anymore. You already want to buy a new powerful laptop and get rid of this old one.

Every day, the computer’s production capacity gets worse and worse. You no longer clean it because you’re too lazy. You live near the highway and every time you open the window, a lot of dust flies in the room and gets clogged in the system unit. The computer doesn’t just hum, but makes a sound similar to drilling. Of course, you can’t sleep in such conditions.

The system unit gets so hot that you can fry three eggs on its surface. You delete a lot of apps to let your computer “relax” a little. It works. It uses less power and doesn’t hum that loudly. But still, you’re going to get rid of it. Tomorrow you’ll throw the computer in the landfill.

In the morning, your employer calls you and invites you to an interview in another city. In a few hours, you’re on the plane. Your new job is so exciting that you forget about the computer. You rent an apartment in the new city and sell the old one along with all the furniture and the humming machine.

2356. Scientists have found out that all the details of the computer are faulty. Rust ate through the hull. All the microchips have been out of service for a long time. It’s all covered with a thick layer of solidified dust and ground. Only the processor is somehow still active. The computer doesn’t generate energy. It gets it remotely from the nearest city power plant. Further analysis has shown that over several centuries, the computer had used a million dollars’ worth of electricity.

After the first few years of constant working the graphics card and all the cooling fans went out of order. At this moment, the computer started making a loud hum, which frightened people who happened to be nearby every night. It was in a landfill for a long time. Rain and dampness caused metal corrosion.

The computer was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground for three hundred years. This disabled the operation of almost all of its details. The processor kept on running and warming up to high temperatures. Strong radiation deterred insects and bacteria that cause materials to rot.

Well, thanks to the intense heat, the ground around the computer began to harden and protect it from any external factors. Scientists conducted carbon analysis and found out the computer started working long before you bought it in the store. Many people tried to get rid of it one after another, but it continued to work. It’s still a mystery who has created it and for what purpose?