Best option for my minecraft server

so me and some friends are gonna set up a minecraft server for us to play on. I have the best computer of the group and so the thought process is that ill host it. 

one of the things we need is for the server to be up all the time so i was wondering if leaving my computer on and running the minecraft server most of the time would be bad for my computer (i would think it would be but i dont know for sure)

my other options are 

1. build a server to use for it - not that big a deal i was going to build a media server for my house that could lan a few games for when my friends are over anyways. but I was wondering about what specs i should be aiming for for a server with at most maybe 7 people on it 

2. pay to have one hosted. everyone has said they dont mind pitching in a few bucks to just pay someone else to host it wich may be the best option if hosting proves to be potentially harmful to my computer (even if only a little) I just dont know what the best site to use for that is. any suggestions?

You'll be fine leaving it on 24/7 just give it a reboot every day or two. My computer is on pretty much 24/7.

i build a minecraft server myself and then ended up giving it to a friend (who is a gamer without a gaming pc) and upgraded the snot out of it for him :) and it'll be fine having it run 24/7, just install Defragler and set it up so it defrags on a timer every 1-2 days (so your hard drive lasts) and reboot it every couple days also

 

k so run it on a HDD and defrag it every couple of days and reboot it every one in  awhile. k got it