jackjohnson17 :
So I'm buying a used gaming computer and it's a year old. If the computer was used everyday for gaming and it has normal wear and tear. What, if any, performance deterioration, due to age, will occur after a year? (ie. the speed of the GPU/CPU, fans, power supply, etc.)
Many Thanks
jackjohnson17,
The enemy of any computer really is excessive heat and gaming can be particularly stressful. The components typically have a fairly high tolerance, but if something is severely overheated that can constitute "deterioration". If there are any serious problems there will be error messages and quirky behavior apparent. Watch the system starting up and note general fussiness or sluggishness.
Systems in which the processor is overclocked would be more prone to overheating, but can work perfectly well if the cooling system is adequate. Intensive gaming systems have liquid cooling systems but the presence of one of these may suggest an intensive use. If one was considering buying a used car with a supercharger and fat tyres added might be an analogy. Certainly, check that all the fans are spinning.
Mechanical hard drives can be failure points as the read /write arm actuator, boards, and the motor can fail. Hard drives can be affected by mechanical shocks as well. The drives accumulate bad sectors and the data is automatically moved to another located. The drive can be tested for bad sectors with easy to use software for signs of declining conditions.
The component though that is most suspect is the operating system. These accumulate errors and complications from a lot of alterations. Be sure and have the original Windows software and product key- the code- and I would suggest formatting the drive and reloading Windows and all programs. That would be a good time to add an SSD if the system doesn't have one and a new drive will improve performance and confidence in the condition.
If owned a number of used systems, almost all workstations, and never had a serious failure. I have a 2007 Dell Precision T5400 with hard drives I added in 2010 when I bought it and with four years of heavy use (it's been sitting a year) it works perfectly well running CAD, graphic design, and rendering programs at completely usable speeds. After it's long holiday, I started it a few days ago to prepare to sell and it started and ran with no trouble. Nice to see my old friend AutoCad 2011 again.
If treated reasonably, computers are surprisingly durable, only give the new system a good testing before buying is possible and before use reload all the software. A thorough cleaning inside as well.
I would say that if the system is stable for an hour under some stress, it's probably in usable condition. You can test it for performance with a free trial of Passmark Performance Test and compare the results for the processor, 2D and 3D graphics, memory, and disk system to others will the same components. The overall rating, CPU, 3D, and disk scores will give you and idea of the gaming potential.
No absolute guarantees, but if treated reasonably, computers are surprisingly durable. If the system is only one year old and seems to run cleanly, it's probably quite all right.
Cheers,
BambiBoom
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