Understanding the Different Sleep Modes of your Mac

Different computers and laptops have various energy-saving capacities. If you’ve already decorated your Apple with enough apps including Microsoft Office for Mac, the question of Mac’s intricate sleep modes has probably popped up in your head every now and again. The different sleep modes that Apple supports have been around for some 9 years or so now.

To help you understand these different modes, read on and see which of these functions suit you best on your needs.

First is the Sleep mode. This means the RAM is still up and running while your device is on sleep. You can “wake” your Mac up pretty quickly while it’s on this mode because nothing needs to be loaded up from your HDD. For desktop Apple computers, this is the default sleep mode. Sometimes this is referred to as hibernatemode 0.

Second is Hibernation. What happens in this mode is that the contents of your RAM are copied into your HDD before your gadget enters sleep. Waking up will take a lot longer because of the reloading time. This has been the default mode for portable Apple devices for about a decade now. Don’t be discouraged because of the slow recovery time. Writing the contents onto the HDD is actually a safeguard that you can count on.

Third is Safe Sleep. Essentially, the contents of the RAM are copied onto the hard disk but the RAM remains powered up while the Mac is sleeping. The waking up time happens very fast because the RAM still has the information that on it. This is also known as hibernate mode 3.

In the different modes of sleeping for the Mac, the process of copying data onto the hard disk is often a commonality while the random access memory remaining on and off may be a difference depending on the mode being chosen.

The most common occurrence when your Apple goes to sleep is most of the peripherals end up being disabled. These can include the USB Port, the Keyboard and the A-V input and output and the processor is put on low-power.

Of course, if you’ve been working on your Microsoft Office for Mac the whole day, you may want to put your computer to sleep every once in awhile to conserve energy. It pays to know the different intricacies so that you will know which mode is most suitable for your current needs. Have fun with your Office 2013 suite and don’t overwork yourself!