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[SOLVED]how long do gpus last?

• Thread starter Thread starter Pc6777
• Start date Start date Jun 27, 2021

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Pc6777

Honorable

Dec 18, 2014 1,124 20 11,465 How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Solution I have some Cirrus Logic 5434 cards from 1994 and Matrox Millennium and Mystique cards from 1995 and 1996 that still work fine. I expect they'll work for hundreds of years because they have no electrolytic caps to fail or heatsinks that need repasting. They do have some solid tantalum caps that need to either be powered on occasionally, or else reformed at gradually increasing voltage after decades of unpowered storage. In comparison the ATI Mach64CT from 1995 and S3 Virge/DX from 1996 have a few tiny electrolytics that future archaeologists would need to replace before using. I do have older but these examples are all "modern" in that they can generate a 640x480 or 800x600 signal that any VGA display can understand. If things are...

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USAFRet

Titan

Moderator Mar 16, 2013 182,815 24,497 184,590

Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

In working with PCs since the mid 1980's, I've never had a GPU "die" on me. Not one, ever.

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Deleted member 904905

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Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

As with all electronics, they will run until they fail. I still have a 386 machine from 1989 sporting a Cirrus Logic SVGA card that works as well today as it did when brand new. I've also had a couple of failures right out of the box (1 NVidia & 1 ATI)

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hotaru.hino

Glorious

Sep 1, 2020 9,805 3,567 46,090 The oldest card I have that I verified is working on hand is a GeForce 2 MX. Next oldest is a Radeon 7500. So the answer is basically indefinite.

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Crosslhs82x2

Splendid

Aug 12, 2017 2,122 379 27,840 I have a Zotac Gtx 960 Amp 4gb that has been in use since 2015 /16 that started in a Amd fx systems and now on a ryzen sytem where the units would run 24/7 except during upgrades and cleanings. Still running strong and cool on temps. It's also never been taken apart.

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Pc6777

Honorable

Dec 18, 2014 1,124 20 11,465

USAFRet said: In working with PCs since the mid 1980's, I've never had a GPU "die" on me. Not one, ever. Click to expand...

thats good to know, when windows 10 is not supported anymore i can use 10 indenitly(offline) with my old hardware. because future cards will require windows 11 and not have windows 10 drivers, and 11 dosnt look good so far. Upvote 0 Downvote I

iPeekYou

Distinguished

Jul 7, 2014 392 77 18,790

Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

Without repasting, I'm not so sure. Eventually you'd need to do so if the VGA is stressed daily for gaming, rendering, or what have you. For daily light use? I too have a MX400 system lying around in my office that's still up to this day --the problems for that PC usually come from dodgy PSUs they keep me buying and installing. For PCs at my house, the oldest I've got is an HD 4350 or something of the sort. Not sure of the model but it was from Radeon 3xxx or 4xxx era. I keep it around for the occasional testing and for when GPU prices finally come to MSRP at my local stores (planning to trade my 1080 for 3060 Ti). All the VGAs I personally have are repasted though, to scratch my tinkering itch. Upvote 0 Downvote O

ohio_buckeye

Illustrious

Jan 5, 2015 5,896 2,139 41,740 Don’t know about mine as I bought it used, but currently running a gtx 970 that would have come out in 2014. PC components in general seem to do well when they have enough power and are kept relatively cool. Also if you are overclocking you should be even more careful. Don’t abuse your parts and in general dust things out every few months, and with a gpu, new paste probably isn’ta bad idea every few years. I’ve bought used gpus in the past some new ones as well. They almost all did just fine except for a couple. Upvote 0 Downvote

lvt

Honorable

Apr 19, 2021 3,721 609 10,940 A GPU only lasts as long as its weakest component. So a $500 GPU won't last longer than a $100 GPU if they use the same component that costs $1 a piece, for example a mosfet, a choke, a capacitor... The best you can do is to keep your GPU as cool as possible. Upvote 1 Downvote

JWNoctis

Reputable

Jun 9, 2021 460 120 5,090 They do last long even in a laptop, which is not often known for good cooling - My previous one had a Nvidia GeForce GT 640M, still going strong after 9 years, 7 of which featured moderate gaming, and the rest occasionally powered on to keep the caps and the SSD going. The one previous to that occasionally gave garbled graphics in games before decommissioning, but then it was a Nvidia 8600M GT, affected by that chip packaging problem, and still lasted 5 years in the end. Last edited: Jun 28, 2021 Upvote 0 Downvote

David0ne86

Prominent

Mar 11, 2021 423 111 440 As anything in life, depends how lucky you are and how well you treated your components. I've seen cards last 10+ years (i remember having bought an ati 6800 at launch (mind you, not a rdna 2 card lol) and it was in my friends rig still operative as of last year) and i've seen cards dying after a year (the first 1070 i bought). There's really no definitive answer as with any electronic components. I would say a normal lifespan of a gpu should ATLEAST be 5 years. Anything below i would considered a bad piece (unless you mistreated the hell out of it ofc). 10+ years i would consider it a slight miracle. Last edited: Jun 28, 2021 Upvote 0 Downvote

Eximo

Titan

Ambassador May 27, 2010 28,674 5,966 144,340 Not had a GPU die on me, though most of the modern ones haven't stayed in my possession as long as the older ones. A lot of older cards don't even have heatsinks or compound to worry about. Some thermal pads though. Small heatsinks, low mounting pressure, low heat output. Modern GPUs with large heatsinks, under constant temperature cycles and dealing with their own weight. These do require some maintenance, including re-pasting after a few years. Presumably a higher failure rate then the older hardware. If you smoke/vape that usually has a huge impact on longevity if you don't keep the internals clean. All it takes is a little bit of organic goo to bridge two points on the PCB and it is done. Pets are another concern, though that is mostly just an increased dust/hair issue. That can lead to higher temperatures and shortened lifespans. Most of the components I have seen die are from neglect. (And mouse urine) Keep your expansion slot covers on would be my advice to anyone living near farmland. Upvote 0 Downvote F

Flayed

Splendid

Jun 23, 2015 3,574 921 24,990 I had a GTX 760 reference blower-style card that I bought pretty much as soon as it came out. I used it for 3 or 4 years I think and replaced it with a 1050ti because the noise it made was annoying me mainly heh. I gave it to a mate who used it up until a couple of months ago when it suddenly died. RIP GTX 760 lol Sometimes things break I guess and sometimes they go on forever. Upvote 0 Downvote

LolaGT

Reputable

Oct 31, 2020 339 346 5,090 Like most solid state electronics the general answer is if it works for a few months from new the chances are it will keep on working for years unless it is abused as in worked hard all the time or ran in a terrible environment(high heat). I have lost a card before, my FX 5200 just didn't turn on one morning. I don't recall how long that lasted, a year maybe. I ran a pair of 8800 GT cards for 5 years, then in 2013 I switched to a pair of GTX 760 cards, gave one 8800 to a SIL and she ran it for a couple years and I think it got full of cat hair and died. Still have the other one(works fine since 2008), and the 760 cards still run fine at 9 years old. Upvote 0 Downvote

Endre

Honorable

Apr 30, 2019 1,239 257 11,840

Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

Generally, we replace GPUs not because they no longer work, but because they cannot run new apps and games. So, they are quite durable. Upvote 0 Downvote

revodo

Proper

BANNED Jun 10, 2021 241 36 120 All the people here talking about running old video cards from the 90's that haven't died on them, those were from an era where everything was built to last. Not the case anymore. They typically last a long time, but gone are the days where hardware would last 20+ years of use. Unless the card is defective, or you have a massive (or multiple) power surges, or physical damage, you can usually expect 8-10 years at least. Upvote 0 Downvote

TangoDown87

Prominent

Jun 27, 2021 34 4 545 I've worked in HVAC with my brother as a "Trainee" never having any real education in the field but I believe My brother is a very smart honest guy and Believe when he says that the hole notion of things not being "built to last" is a bit of a lie. its not that things aren't built to last any more, Things have just gotten way more complex and With more complexity comes more problems and More things to Break. Sure things back in the '70s '80s maybe even the '90s have lasted longer but they are also Simpler machines. To the point of the thread. Your average consumer isn't going to have a computer for more than 3 to 5 years before it becomes obsolete. So even your lower-end hardware if you to buy something cheaper Will last that and more usually. The Real enemy of your hardware is Dust and heat. Thew all the years I've built my own computer I can't really remember ever having a PC go bad on me, I've had a few default parts, but those usually are bad when I've bought them or have gone bad fairly soon after I start using them. But other than that I can't say I've ever had a PC just die on me. Upvote 0 Downvote

revodo

Proper

BANNED Jun 10, 2021 241 36 120

TangoDown87 said: I've worked in HVAC with my brother as a "Trainee" never having any real education in the field but I believe My brother is a very smart honest guy and Believe when he says that the hole notion of things not being "built to last" is a bit of a lie. its not that things aren't built to last any more, Things have just gotten way more complex and With more complexity comes more problems and More things to Break. Sure things back in the '70s '80s maybe even the '90s have lasted longer but they are also Simpler machines. To the point of the thread. Your average consumer isn't going to have a computer for more than 3 to 5 years before it becomes obsolete. So even your lower-end hardware if you to buy something cheaper Will last that and more usually. The Real enemy of your hardware is Dust and heat. Thew all the years I've built my own computer I can't really remember ever having a PC go bad on me, I've had a few default parts, but those usually are bad when I've bought them or have gone bad fairly soon after I start using them. But other than that I can't say I've ever had a PC just die on me. Click to expand...

"More complex" is not an argument. Do you think computers in the 90's were more complex than their 80's counterparts? Do you think the first PCs in the 80's were more complex than the warehouse sized computers from the 70's? Our current generation of technology is always "more complex" than the last, but you didn't start seeing this massive cut in lifespan until the last 10 - 15 years. It also corrupt global business 101. If you make a product that lasts forever, people will buy it once, and then you don't see any further profit from those people for the next 30 - 40 years. Make it break every couple of years and now you have a consistent flow of money coming in. Of course this plan only works if you've convinced the other companies to do the same. Same thing with medicine. There's a reason the pharmaceutical companies don't have a cure for anything. No money in curing once and being done with it. The slow treatment trickle keeps the cash rolling in. Upvote 0 Downvote

JeffreyP55

Distinguished

Mar 3, 2015 1,156 327 19,570

Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

PCIe cards I assume. Have a GTX295 (2009) running in an old parts machine. Still AOK for basic work. Upvote 0 Downvote

TangoDown87

Prominent

Jun 27, 2021 34 4 545 revodo I'm a bit confused by your reply no I think that going forwards things have gotten more complex and thus things have better chances of breaking down due to the complexity of things. And no I won't argue there are businesses out there that make things with the intent of making it not last as long so they can sell more. Upvote 0 Downvote

alceryes

Splendid

Jun 11, 2004 4,639 1,135 28,090

revodo said: It also corrupt global business 101. If you make a product that lasts forever, people will buy it once, and then you don't see any further profit from those people for the next 30 - 40 years. Make it break every couple of years and now you have a consistent flow of money coming in. Of course this plan only works if you've convinced the other companies to do the same. Same thing with medicine. There's a reason the pharmaceutical companies don't have a cure for anything. No money in curing once and being done with it. The slow treatment trickle keeps the cash rolling in. Click to expand...

THIS. I also think that, back in the 70s and 80s (and prior), companies had a more personal approach to manufacturing, sourcing parts, etc. Very regularly, you had "friends companies doing this/that," or "my wife's brother has this shop that could make that part," etc. This still happens to this day, of course, but much of this 'sourcing' has moved onto the internet, where I feel there is less accountability, honesty, and integrity. Why did your 14-month-old, $600 HP multifunction printer break down? It's because it contains 100+ plastic parts that were each sourced from different lowest-bid suppliers. Upvote 0 Downvote

TangoDown87

Prominent

Jun 27, 2021 34 4 545 Very true alceryes I was just watching a video on youtube about some M.3 cards and how one company had switched several componets on the same model and kept the exsact same specs threw out all the changes even though those differnet componets did not perform the same. Thats why some times paying a little more for a brand like samsung who I belive sources out there own products and stays more consistent can be a better choice. It really comes down to research. If you go out and just buy what ever's new and hot or cheap or what ever the case may be then you are setting your self up to be the fool. Don't just go blindly into it Research. Upvote 0 Downvote

Zerk2012

Titan

Ambassador Oct 6, 2014 22,422 2,457 104,240

Pc6777 said: How long do graphics cards normally last? im not talking about "useful" life in running new games, but durability. can they last 10 plus years used a few hours per day, without ever messign with it or repasting? Click to expand...

I still have a 6970 in one PC so it's 11 years old never been repasted just cleaned. Upvote 0 Downvote

revodo

Proper

BANNED Jun 10, 2021 241 36 120

TangoDown87 said: revodo I'm a bit confused by your reply no I think that going forwards things have gotten more complex and thus things have better chances of breaking down due to the complexity of things. And no I won't argue there are businesses out there that make things with the intent of making it not last as long so they can sell more. Click to expand...

I apologize for coming off rude. I just re-read my post. Upvote 0 Downvote

TangoDown87

Prominent

Jun 27, 2021 34 4 545

revodo said: I apologize for coming off rude. I just re-read my post. Click to expand...

No worries, I didn't really get a "Rude" vibe off it just a very vibrant debate

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