How long can psu last

Plus a lot of stuff died from the bad cap plague in the s. I had a couple antec PSUs fail from that while ones that are years older are still going strong. TheSlySyl [H]ard Gawd. Joined May 30, Messages 1, I've also had a few last over a decade with no issues. Aspendancer Weaksauce. Joined Aug 24, Messages Still running some PSU's 10 years now. Some are luck of the draw.

Starfalcon said:. GameLifter Gawd. Joined Sep 4, Messages Still going strong. I plan to get a new PSU for my next build. Joined Feb 9, Messages 58, I've run some for longer than that, but I'm not saying that it was a good idea. JustinC Weaksauce. Joined May 25, Messages PSUs last as long as at least 7 years if they are from reliable brands.

My last one from Fractal Designs lasted one whole decade. So do not worry about a 3-year-old PSU. Joined Oct 14, Messages Obviously outliers and eventual hardware issues occur but that's life with electronics. Joined Jun 7, Messages 2, I mean, bad PSUs happen, but generally speaking they last as long as needed.

Usually you're disposing of the "whatever" before the PSU gives out. I just got rid of my old workstation from Joined Mar 26, Messages 13, My Corsair HX in my current machine is from Honestly, it needs to be replaced, the cables look like shit with the window in my new build.

David-Duc [H]ard Gawd. Joined Dec 22, Messages 1, Very lucky. Liteon and Bestec units are firecrackers and like to randomly cook off the primary side mosfets and PWM controller.

But that's just me. But it's in a less important build. You could keep that PSU as a backup in case things go wrong and you need extra components to test things out. Thinking about this one. Edit: Luckily I have a Microcenter right across town.

I love the fact that I have the geek's equivalent of Toys-R-Us near me. Last edited: Apr 23, Joined May 22, Messages 2, 0. A quality PSU that is run well within spec and kept clean can last indefinately. Efficiency will suffer over time. Just my opinion People will say 'the caps degrade' and they do, but So hotter. Heat kills electrics, especially when running at the limit.

Frag Maniac. Joined Nov 9, Messages 5, 1. Depends on quality of parts, esp caps, how robust the heatsinks are, and how well they pass properly done torture tests. Other than that it's up to how much headroom if any in wattage it has how much more than GPU requires.

Caps put out less wattage as they age. If you can check all those points, it will likely last over 7 years. Joined Oct 2, Messages 13, 2. Quality and temperature at which it operates. The lower it is temperature , the longer it'll work.

Sometimes, we don't even notice when one stops working at least, not straight away! Fortunately, most case cooling fans are relatively cheap to replace. The situation changes when you consider CPU cooling fans, which can be more expensive than their case cooling counterparts, and similarly, GPUs.

This one's really simple. Just as with hard disk drives, cooling fans are mechanical—they have moving parts that are susceptible to general wear and tear. Over time, as the fans spin and spin and spin, they're more likely to break down. But this process is accelerated by dust and particle build-up on the fan blades and within the rotating mechanism. When exposed to heat and moisture, the dust can even get caked on and turn into gunk, which could cause more friction and stress.

Good quality PC cooling fans should last for at least five years, if not closer to The first tip for keeping any type of cooling fan working effectively is cleaning. That means cleaning the excess dust and build-up from fan blades, plus the dust from the PC case that contributes to the issue. You could also consider the location of your PC in your home. Leaving your PC on a thick carpet, for instance, can cause extra heat and additional dust ingress, in turn causing your fans to work harder to keep your system cool.

So, how often should you clean your cooling fans? If you've never cleaned them before, give everything in your case a good clean. Then, head back one month later and see how much dust and build-up are gathering on your cooling fan blades. You can gauge your PC cleaning schedule from there.

There is no doubt that certain PC parts wear out quicker than others. You can manage the general wear and tear on your computer using the tips set out in this article. Keeping your system cool, clean, and dust-free will maintain your PC hardware for much longer. Furthermore, looking after your hardware keeps costs down, as you won't have to replace bits that break. Need a faster computer but aren't sure what you should upgrade on your PC?

Follow our PC upgrade checklist to find out. He enjoys copious amounts of tea, board games, and football. Share Share Tweet Email. Gavin Phillips Articles Published. Subscribe to our newsletter Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals! Click here to subscribe. We'll send a magic link to your inbox. Email Address. All Sign in options. Enter a Email Address.

Choose your interests Get the latest news, expert insights and market research, sent straight to your inbox. Newsletter Topics Select minimum 1 topic. Anonymous March 17, 0 Comments. Hi, Any electronic gadget once used and if left out to sit for some while, will surely show some signs of degrading. So, be careful! Debra Carlson Posted March 18, 0 Comments. Adam, Solid state electronics should last for a long time. Michael S. Hank Arnold Posted March 19, 0 Comments.

Barbara Cannon Posted March 19, 0 Comments. Kris Lewis Posted March 20, 0 Comments. Register or Login. Welcome back!