How long can i expect my hardware to last?

[Fascinate]

No i don't mean in regards to performance and keeping up with games (although that could be part of the conversation if intel/nvidia ever start making leaps and bounds in tech again). I mean how long will the components actually last before failing.

I built my system in august of 2011 so i guess about 4.5 years, only part that has changed is my GPU i went from a gtx 465 to a gtx 760 a couple years ago. Everything is working as it should right now, but how long do components last nowadays? I do have a WD black 80gb HDD that is at least 15 years old that is still running good in my sisters machine, but are things built that well nowadays?

I have two parts in particular i am amazed are still going, my monitor which is branded hannspree (what is that lol) and a biostar p67 motherboard that i got at microcenter with my CPU for around 30 or 40 bucks lol. My CPU is overclocked but i havent fiddled with voltage, its just running a straight 4.2ghz on stock volts.

I know a lot of factors will affect the lifetime of electronics heat being the major one, my room is air conditioned in the summer so maybe thats why things are still working lol? But the big one for me is i smoke, i figured this would have at least burned out my monitor. My case has a good dust filter in the front so i only have to clean it once a month or so, but some of the components inside are actually yellowed from smoking lol.

So what do you guys think, will my PC hardware take a crap before they are end of life in regards to performance?

[Lathais]

So what do you guys think, will my PC hardware take a crap before they are end of life in regards to performance?

Not likely. We have PCs at work that have been limping along for 15+ years. Performance will become an issue long before the parts themselves simply fail in most cases. Sure, sometimes something breaks early, but for the most part, PCs can last upwards of 20 years and still do what they are capable of.

[Deleted]

It really depends

I've had 2 identical SSD's. bought on the same day from the same shop. Installed in the same PC and only moved once, at a case swap.

one of the drives died a month ago, and i got a new one. the other one is still kicking it nicely.

I would say, don't EXPECT stuff to live past 3ish years and just be happy if it does.

there's a reason you don't get a 10 year warranty on most hardware - mostly coz they want you to buy new stuff instead of getting old broken stuff fixed for free.

Personally i consider my hardware to have a 3 year life cycle, with the exception of the CPU, PC case and monitors.

Stuff like PC case fans, GPU fans and such has some estimated amount of hours of life-time. depending on the usage, amount of dust and such, you can give or take a bit (it's like 20000 - 40000 hours though, usually)

[Fascinate]

Not likely. We have PCs at work that have been limping along for 15+ years. Performance will become an issue long before the parts themselves simply fail in most cases. Sure, sometimes something breaks early, but for the most part, PCs can last upwards of 20 years and still do what they are capable of.

Ya i also would expect a basic system in a work environment to last that long, but that clearly isnt what my situation is lol. I got an overclocked CPU, factory overclocked GPU (which is near max values, 1250mhz 760). On top of that you got smoke all around the room etc, but at least its cool in here : )

I guess maybe heat is all that matters? Just trying to figure out how my hardware hasnt died lol.

Just to be clear i am in a good financial position atm and tossing together a 1500 dollar rig would be an easy proposition, im just generally curious as to how good these parts are made (sandy bridge generation and up).

[Lathais]

Ya i also would expect a basic system in a work environment to last that long, but that clearly isnt what my situation is lol. I got an overclocked CPU, factory overclocked GPU (which is near max values, 1250mhz 760). On top of that you got smoke all around the room etc, but at least its cool in here : )

I guess maybe heat is all that matters? Just trying to figure out how my hardware hasnt died lol.

Just to be clear i am in a good financial position atm and tossing together a 1500 dollar rig would be an easy proposition, im just generally curious as to how good these parts are made (sandy bridge generation and up).

While OCing can shorten the life, we're talking shortening the life from 25+ years to 15-20 years, unless you were running it too hot, then of course it will fail sooner. As long as it is staying within safe temps though, which current hardware throttles or shuts itself off before it gets to unsafe temps, it should run for quite some time. Hell, when I upgraded my PCs last year I took one of my 6 year old PCs and hooked it up to my TV as an HTPC, still OCed and whatnot, and it's still chugging along left on 24/7 and used on a daily basis.

[Deleted]

Let see had to replace CMOS battery so last decade I think I build this one (core2quad q9650): 1 HD warranty(was OS disk 3y), ~2 PSU (needed more, other one just lost it's power 5y), 1 GPU (solder mostlikely 3y), 1 CRT monitor (some component that could not be gotten then). Pile of smaller HD, couple GPU swapped for better. +not supporting new Windows (drivers) 3 thingies (crashing W8-10)

Then theres the OLD computers before this that never really broke down on my use... IBM ps/2 16MHz, p 120MHz, pII 200MHz, AMD 1400MHz and AMD 3000+ ~2000MHz.. oh and commodore 128 1-2MHz.

[moremana]

Heat and dust is what kills a PC, if you keep your computer clean and decent airflow, change your tp on you cpu and gpu they will last as long as you maintain them. Items that have moving parts will eventually die.

[Yunru]

Well one of my 1.st computers from year 1992 still works just fine. (mostly used to dowload stuff)

Voodoo 2 still works
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo2

What i generaly replace are cd/dvd driver, mouse, fans and powerboxes. If you clean up computer 2-3 weeks (if used), it can last for quite a while.

Anyway...if you are planing to buy a new stuff, always check what the other people said abauth it.
If you see something like a 1 positive review, its usualy a fake one.

[Blackmist]

For me, it's memory that can suddenly go bad. Normal RAM you can just replace. If it's VRAM, then a new gfx card is in order.

Power supplies can also give out, as well as any fans (although you'll hear those long before they fail).

HDDs can last a long time, but some will die a few years in. No way to tell how long one will last.

[Afrospinach]

Heat and dust is what kills a PC, if you keep your computer clean and decent airflow, change your tp on you cpu and gpu they will last as long as you maintain them. Items that have moving parts will eventually die.

There is wear and tear on your CPU/GPU too. No matter what they will eventually fail and there is really nothing you can do about it, this basic maintenance is just delaying the inevitable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromigration

I kid you not, if you REALLY want to know how your CPU is holding up, you need to inspect each and every transistor with an electron microscope. There was a group of researchers who were developing a process by which there would be a sort of health indicator for your ICs but I have not heard anything about it for a long long time.

What we can say is:

More heat = shorter life span
More voltage = short life span
More operations in a given time = shorter life span

That last one is not so important, just because you OC your CPU does not mean it is dreaming up more stuff to do, obviously. Overclocking without bumping the voltage and strapping on a good cooler is nothing but net.

I don't think there is a real practical limit on today's CPUs, overclock or no. The worst thing I have heard is that occasionally an overclocker has to bump the voltage(since we use the lowest voltage possible as opposed to a fairly wide berth given by the factory settings). That is possibly because of degradation.

I think the short answer to this though is everyone is essentially guessing. The processes by which CPUs are made are not all that old, the first chip off the line would still be running fine, more than likely. I am sure intel do stress tests on their things but I have not read anything about them. Solar panels have a similar issue. There are not that many out there that have been installed long enough to truly crap out en masse to give the final word in how long they last.