Longest you've owned a PC? Realistic lifespan..?

B0bbyEwing

Just curious here as I've no idea how my PC stands in terms of a PC lifespan.

I built my PC in late 2010.
During that time, some components have been changed out for different ones - hard drives, SSDs, RAM.

The original components still in use that were put in on day 1 though:
PSU
GPU
Motherboard
CPU
As well as the little CR2032 battery.

So call it 13 years for arguments sake. 

Not sure how long I can/should expect this thing to live for. I'm not getting in to operating systems and that whole debate. I'm talking about the physical hardware. 

I know with anything like these things, they could well go bang on day 1 of use or many many years later or anything in between, but typically/statistically/averagely/whateveryouwanttocallit speaking...how long is realistic?

RumRat

Triggers broom comes to mind....

onomatopoeia99

I'm not using it any more, but as of a few weeks ago when I last turned it on, the i7-2600k box I built 12 years ago was still working and still on the original windows installation (albeit I took the free 7 -> 10 upgrade). I demoted it to reserve status a few months before the pandemic started.

I've got a 25 year old PC in the office running Windows 98 that still works, for running one piece of software (that I wrote) that is not compatible with the NT kernel and very occasionally is needed to support customers from back then, as even though official support ended more than a decade ago I try to help people out if (for some bizzare reason) they are using a piece of software that was withdrawn from sale in 2003...

Newcad

I have a Windows 98 machine that I got, second hand, in about 2003.

It's got Autocad 2000i on it which I still use now and again.

(You haven't been able to buy Autocad for years, they went subscription long ago).

Still runs fine whenever I fire it up, never had to change anything internally.

I have got a modem board for it (dial up?) but I never installed it and it's  going nowhere near the Internet now.

Neil_Jones

My parents still have the family 8-bit computer.  Which was bought in 1987.

There are no doubt arcade games with their original hardware, cabinets and whatever else, and the early ones go back to the 1970s.

twopenny

Not sure but I see Windows 2007  which would be about right as I bought it new.

HD screen, DVD and lots of ports.

Still on Windows 7 that it came with. It works for what I need.

Some of the keys have the letters worn off and one with a hole. I touch type so no problem.

I did look up replacing it but to get the same quality would be near £1000..........

Prior to that I had a mates second hand full computer with DVD/CD drive he put in lots of interesting programmes and it worked on Windows 98 just fine. Took an age to use the internet though so when it kept sticking and crashing it went for recycling.

I've also got an aging Kindle 7 Fire for £25 to listen to podcasts from room to room. I cracked the screen but that doesn't affect my use.

cymruchris

I recently replaced my PC from 2009 running on its original ram, cpu, motherboard with only a graphics card change a year or so ago. I did replace the hard drives over the years for more modern ones, but the bare bones hadn't changed. I did actually change the outer case though as it got damaged in shipping when I moved back from Malaysia. It started life here, then bounced over to Kuala Lumpur for 6 years, and then bounced (literally) back, and was working just fine. 

I edit photos and video, and in the last year I'd found it was beginning to slow down as some of my files have gotten bigger and software getting more demanding. I decided it was time to replace. I seem to recall that when I built it, the spec cost around £1k back then, and sold it on facebook for £175. I did get a high spec back then, and have gotten a high spec again with my new one - that way I think they tend to last longer.

If it's doing what you want it to do, there's no reason you need to replace it - other than ensuring your boot drive isn't left to get too old with too many important things on it.

B0bbyEwing

Seems like you guys have moved on from your aging machines & use them as and when.

Mine is still my main PC. Through the week it'll get somewhere around an hours use per day maybe. Weekend can be different though. Today I've had quite a lot of computer based stuff to deal with so it's been running most of the day. Yesterday was a few hours.

From time to time I'll look on eBuyer at new machines or even consider another build but then I think well why should I when this one is working fine. It may be slow compared to todays standards but it's not slow for me and I'm an impatient person as it is. 

So yeah, I can't bring myself to part with the cash, simply because this one at the moment is working.

It wont run Windows 11. Maybe there's some workaround, who knows, but it tells me it wont run it. I know that'll upset some people in a few years as far as security goes but I only moved to Win10 last year after staying on Win7 so I've a few more years with Win10 yet  

IvanOpinion

My main computer has been used nearly every day for both personal and work use.  it is an i7-6700 HP Pavillion from 2015 and has never let me down once. The memory has been upgraded to 16GB and the 1TB HDD has been replaced with an SSD. 

I also have a Memotech MTX from the mid 1980's that still works and gets dug out once in a while to play some old games.

several

Many years ago, I bought a cheap computer from Curry’s. It was a miserable slow piece of crap. Then my friend gave me a 5 yr old Thinkpad. It should have been quarter the speed by spec, but it ran rings around the new machine. Made me realise quality really matters. 

Think that old Thinkpad would still be holding its own if still had it.

MouldyOldDough

I still have a C64 from 1982
I tried it last year and it still boots up
I think that I paid £400 for it