Hibernation, Standby, & Suspend

[doctorcilantro]

I was hoping someone could shed some light or tips on these various modes. Within windows and CMOS you have some control over these functions as well as others like spin down hard drives. I am going to download a prgram that allows me to shut down the monitor instantly. I want to get my system to be at true idle and leave it on; is this hibernate or suspend. I'll be cruising the web for answers but I know there are some smart cats here with great insights. Thanks in advance!
Jonathan

 

[doctorcilantro]

Okay, I understand that hibernating will let you shut down the computer and save ram to disk allowing you to start off where you left off. I would like to use the optimal feature for energy saving my monitor and cpu.