Do PC components (CPU, PSU, RAM...) wear over time?

Question

I have a 6 year old pc, which is still running fine, even the newest games (well not on ultra, but still), and I wonder if I should save money for a whole new computer, or just upgrade my own...

Currently, the most worn off part is the HDD, it is visibly slow, and you can hear it when the PC reads from it.

But what about the other components, like the CPU, the VGA, the RAM, do they become weaker with the passing of time? Meaning they are not working at the top condition like they did when they were new?

Or its only the HDD that wears off?

Answer 1

Cables can dry out and then short circuit or even burn. Or they break. Contacts can oxidize. Harddisks fail. Memory can fail.

I've used a 2003 Dell desktop as home server til 2014. The last five years it ran 24/7. Something will fail. A RAM module, harddisk or videocard is easy to replace. Well, easy said, but parts from 2003 or 1998 are not always that common. Harddisks from back then used IDE, now SATA, and the next replacement is on its way. Probably you'll find plenty of second hand IDE disks on Ebay, but likely they already have been used for five or ten years.

Then at some point something doesn't work anymore, and you have no idea what it is - some chip on the motherboard or a contact that fails now and then. You don't have spare parts laying around to test possible causes, and you have to order them from China or wherever and there is no free return policy.

By then it will become more expensive to repair then to buy a new computer. But you will make that calculation yourself by then.

Advice

• A six year old PC that works OK for you - keep using it!
• Buy a new SSD and this will speed up your computer incredibly. You can put this SSD in another computer later, so it's not wasted money.
• Upgrade RAM if cheap and possible.
• If you use this computer as server and have it running 24/7, consider a Raspberry PI - it will save you money on energy consumption. (Warning: don't put any valuable data on the sd-card without a good backup method. Those sd-cards are not reliable!)

Answer 2

Nothing lasts forever.

Parts fail, even if they don't actually 'wear out' - non-moving parts will still eventually give up the ghost.

The only thing that lasts is the case.

Partly, over the years, things feel slower because every new OS needs more resources, every new game is designed for the highest-spec machines of the time; plus over the years, you add cruft that hangs on the system like a weight. That latter can be cured by a good clean-up or fresh install, but the former you just have to live with.

An alternative to simply throwing out the entire machine is to upgrade one piece at a time.

• A new HD now will easily migrate later.
• A new PSU, bigger & more powerful, will be ready for when you update the graphics later.
• A new Graphics Card [assuming your motherboard isn't so old it has AGP Graphics] would speed up drawing, though on your existing setup it won't necessarily feel too much faster right now as the underlying architecture will slow it down.

…but these are all steps that can be taken as & when you can afford them.

The only part you have to do all in one go is the motherboard, CPU & RAM - as they are unlikely to be compatible with current component specs - but if you've already upgraded the rest of the machine, that will be ready to take it.

I've done the same with all the machines here for 15 years; though one has had 3 different cases over that time too… we call it the Philosopher's Computer^[1]

^{[1] Comparable to the philosopher's axe - it's the same axe, but the head has been changed twice & the handle 4 times ;-)}

Answer 3

Re PC components in general: in the long run they must do, but this might be a very long time indeed. Because of some proprietary hardware requirement I have to use an old 386-based computer from c.1991 (any later and the serial port runs too fast). It works fine. It has no hard disk, I used to run it from floppy but I recently got a USB-based floppy replacement which also works. Otherwise it is all good.

I regularly hear people say "oh my computer is 3 years old and it's slowed down because it's worn out" and IMO this is balderdash.

Hard disks (and floppies) are exceptions. They don't slow down with age though they may by slowed by fragmentation and/or becoming nearly full of data. However disks will fail eventually and probably, if you carry on using them, in your lifetime. SSDs also have a limited life though in practice most of them will be replaced long before they reach it.

With most modern (<10 years) computers the thing that most slows them down is the lack of an SSD, and the easiest way to speed them up is to replace the HDD with SSD. However if your system is PATA and not SATA based, this may not be worth it, especially since you won't have TRIM support which will shorten the life of your SSD.

Answer 4

HDD and SSD and everything rewritable and memorable will easily worn out. RAM is not worn out easily, most ram broke because unstable electricity. Old CPU is durable because their core so big that can be cooled easily, but newer CPU especially 14nm-10nm is also durable because they use less power and produce less heat.

Answer 5

A PC is just a machine. Everyone is aware that machines require service some time after purchasing. You take care of it and service it from time to time until your PC permanently goes offline.

So my advice for you is to service your PC from time to time.