Alot of people have told me that if you leave your computer on 24/7 it saves more electricity than turning it off and on each day, and then some of my other friends say the opposite, they say that leaving your computer on 24/7 uses more electricity.

So, which is true? and how?

They say that when you turn a computer on/off usually (3 times a day or so) it uses more electricity than leaving it off.. well, what I want to do is leave my computer on 24/7 but I'm just worried that my mum will have a heart attack from electricity bills so I need to make sure.. can anyone bring some light on this issue?

Here are my computer specs:

AMD Sempron 2600+ Skt 754
512MB DDR400 RAM
80GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Geforce FX5200 128MB AGP
Pioneer 16x (DL) DVD Writer
400W Deluxe ATX Case
ViewSonic 17" Flat LCD Monitor


I've heard that the cooling system you use (fan, etc.) can also help with decreasing the electricity the computer uses..

any computer pro's, experts and the like, please help!