Most people know what a screen saver is. However, by definition, the screen saver is a computer program that fills the monitor with abstract patterns or images. The screen saver gets activated when the computer is idle for a particular time period.

The idea behind activating screen savers on computer monitors was to prevent the burning of phosphor on Plasma and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors. But today, most people use LCD monitors. Let’s take a look to see if screen savers are still needed in today’s tech world.

Are screen savers necessary any more ?

The animation and colors of screen savers are very pleasing to the eyes.  These were very popular during the 90s and early 2000s when most users still used CRT monitors.

As mentioned above, screensavers were necessary for CRT monitors to prevent burn-in. The functioning of the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) computer screens made it necessary to have an object constantly moving on the monitor. The CRT screens used a gun to focus rays to the various phosphorus pixel centers on the backside of screen.

In this way, the phosphorus points were heated and produced light. Several such hits over the back of the screen produced heat that converted into light energy. This process produced the images on the monitor.

When computers had CRT monitors, the screen saver was necessary to prevent this heat and light energy from burning the screen. However, the LCD uses a completely different technology for its display.

Today, most users have moved from CRT monitors to the LCD ones. The LCD screen does not need a screen saver for the purpose of preventing burn-in. When it comes to LCD users, the screen saver is mainly used for entertainment or security purposes.

When you may still need a screen saver?

First of all, if you are still using a CRT, you will want to keep your screensaver. However, you may want a screensaver even with an LCD monitor for the following reasons:

• If your PC is in a place, such a a work environment, where many people pass by your computer while you are away, you may want to set a password when away from your PC. To help with this, you can enable the option that requires a password to get out of the screensaver. Thus, other people cannot have an access to your computer system while you are not around.
• A blank screen saver can be used to save power. You need to select the power option that turns the monitor off if you are away for a long time. With this setup, power consumption by your system can be noticeably reduced.

You might get tempted to use the gorgeous screen savers like mountains, fish tanks, sea beaches, etc. Actually it is more advisable for you to use the “blank” screen savers for the LCD monitors. The blank screen consumes a very little electric or battery power even if the computer is not used for hours. Thus, you can save on your monthly electric bills and laptop battery power by using these screen savers for modern computers with LCD screens.