[SOLVED] how long do gpus last?

[Pc6777]

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?

 

[USAFRet]

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?

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

 

[ex_bubblehead]

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?

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)

 

[hotaru.hino]

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.

 

[Crosslhs82x2]

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.

 

[Pc6777]

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

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.

 

[iPeekYou]

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?

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.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

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.

 

[lvt]

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.

 

[JWNoctis]

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.

 

[David0ne86]

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.

 

[Eximo]

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.

 

[Flayed]

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.

 

[LolaGT]

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.

 

[Endre]

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?

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

 

[revodo]

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.

 

[TangoDown87]

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.

 

[revodo]

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.

"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.

 

[JeffreyP55]

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?

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

 

[TangoDown87]

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.

 

[alceryes]

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.

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.

 

[TangoDown87]

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.

 

[Zerk2012]

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?

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

 

[revodo]

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.

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

 

[TangoDown87]

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

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