I’ve been PC gaming all my life, so I know a thing or two about how long an average gaming PC is going to last. A PC is made up of many crucial components, but it will last a lot longer if you keep it in mint condition.
As a general rule gaming PCs last between 3 to 7 years from a longevity standpoint and 4-5 years from a gaming standpoint. Upgrading your graphics card within 5 years is key to PC longevity with the CPU and other components being less important.
When building a PC spend most of your budget on a quality graphics card like the fantastic GeForce RTX 3080 from Amazon as for 90% of games the graphics card is the main factor in how well they run.
I will explain the different components of a gaming PC and how long they’re expected to last, how often you should replace your gaming PC if a gaming PC last ten years, how long will a top of the line machine last, and if gaming PCS last longer than consoles, please keep reading to know everything about a gaming PC
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How Long Do Gaming PCs Last For?
How Long Does A CPU Last?
The most important component on a gaming PC is the graphics processing unit (CPU) which is responsible for running all games on the PC, think of it like the PC’s brain. CPUs are the longest-lasting PC component even when overclocked for improved performance, CPUs will last 7-10 years which is beyond their useful life.
The CPU in every computer is built to LAST, it’s protected in a sturdy case that keeps it cool for its entire life. The Voyager space probes CPU is still going strong after 40 years! When a CPU dies it’s usually from another piece of the computer killing it, likely the motherboard or the power supply unit.
A CPU does heat up between 30-80 degrees and cools to room temperature while this doesn’t cause immediate damage over time the silicon transistors that form the CPU will over time degrade, whilst modern CPUs have inbuilt protections to stop serious damage from occurring overclocking your CPU removes these protections.
It’s up to you if you think the increased performance is worth decreasing the longevity of your CPU but it usually is worth it. Check out this article from wepc.com for more information about overclocking.
Consider upgrading your CPU every 4-6 years depending on its performance and if you bought a high-end GPU like the highly-rated AMD Ryzen 5 3600 on Amazon which is one of the best CPUs you can get at a fantastic price point.
When you change your CPU you may have to upgrade your motherboard and RAM to ensure they’re compatible.
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How Long Does A GPU Last?
Generally, a CPU will last longer than 5years. It’s from a high-end brand like Asus; a graphics card from 5 years ago will run roughly 50% as fast as a modern graphics card and struggle to keep performing with the latest graphically intensive games.
Heat is the number one killer for most computing components including the GPU since dust prevents electronics from conducting heat you should frequently clean dust your PC at least every three to 5 months or more often if you have pets or live in a dusty environment.
Cleaning the GPU keeps it healthy over time I’ve seen 10 years old cards from x1600 from ATI to Geforce 6800 function well over 10 years.
Living in a humid environment like Florida or Brazil could cause your card to accumulate rust due to humidity, taking care of your electronics whatever environment will make them last.
You should upgrade your GPU when you can get around 3-4 times the performance of your current GPU at the price you bought it or if it breaks by something random like in a power cut. You can check the performance of the GPU you want in videocardbenchmark.net
It is often not given much consideration by PC gamers, but the airflow inside the PC case plays an important role in the longevity of the gaming PC. If your PC runs without a proper ventilation system, the components will lose their health very quickly. However, by using effective case fans and heatsinks, you can expect every component inside the hood to keep working efficiently for a long time.
Take a look at the different cases and heatsinks for your budget on Amazon.
So you want to build a gaming PC have you considered a powerful gaming laptop? Gaming laptops have caught up a lot to PCs in the last few years. See why they’re worth considering in my article.
How Often Should I Replace my Gaming PC?
As a general rule, you should replace PC components every 4 to 6 years if you keep the GPU updated. If you swap a motherboard you should rebuild the system from scratch. Next-gen pieces of hardware are often released every 3-5 years
The most important thing inside your gaming PC is the combination of your CPU and GPU. If you’re replacing your GPU from time to time and keeping up with the latest trends, then you’ll get the maximum frame rates at higher resolution settings.
However, at the same time if you’re not upgrading your CPU along with the GPU then bottlenecking will start to kick in which makes it impossible to play any games because of stuttering and constant frame drops. Hence it is recommended to upgrade both, CPU and GPU from time to time when performance suffers.
If your motherboard and PSU are acting up, building a PC from scratch is recommended. Having a faulty PSU or motherboard could significantly reduce the life of the other components on-boards. But replacing them can be a bit of a headache because sometimes the CPU does not configure properly with the newly installed motherboard, or there’s not enough space to add a new cooler.
And since the power supplies are already extremely expensive and hard to assemble, especially the modular ones (gaming PSU), it would make more sense to replace your gaming PC entirely.
Lastly, with new games being released on new engines like Unreal Engine 5, you need a graphics card that readily supports DX12 a feature that allows developers to add amazing graphics to PC games such as ray tracing and variable rate shading learn more in this article from Nvidia.
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You’re going to need a gaming mouse to go with your gaming PC but are expensive gaming mice worth it? Learn the facts in my article
Can a Gaming PC Last 10 Years?
As a general rule a gaming PC can last 10 years if you’re careful and clean it regularly it usually will last 5-6 years. Components like the GPU have to be replaced every 5 years as a 5 year GPU runs roughly 50% as fast as modern graphics cards and will struggle in graphically intensive games.
There are many things that you need to consider regarding the longevity of your gaming PC. Things like overclocking the internals could significantly decrease the life of a computer.
Similarly, not providing the case with enough airflow or not changing the thermal paste fn your CPU every two or three months contribute to the failing health of a gaming computer. Get some thermal paste for a bargain on Amazon here and cooling fans to prevent PC overheating here.
If you’re planning to buy a gaming PC that could last nearly a decade then you’ll have to treat your battle station with extreme care. Cleaning the dirt from every inch of the motherboard and the other internals will also contribute to the longevity of the PC see this article from PC gamer on how to clean your gaming Pc.
The most important factor in keeping your gaming rig in the shape for 10 years is to provide an efficient cooling system inside the case. Purchasing an air or liquid cooler(see the differences here) for the CPU is ideal since it significantly improves the temperature s during intense CPU usage keeping it cool.
Adding the standard 120mm case fans(like these ones on Amazon) will go a long way in keeping temps cool increasing your PC’s longevity. Speaking from personal experience, not providing efficient ventilation will cut down your PC’s life ESPECIALLY in hotter countries.
Want the best gaming experience possible? You NEED a dedicated gaming keyboard to see the 4 ways they are superior to traditional keyboards check my article.
How Long will a Top of the Line Gaming PC Last?
In total, a top-of-the-line gaming PC built with the best hardware money can buy could run any game at high or ultra settings for at least five years; beyond this, you can tweak the setting too high or lower to get a couple more years out of the hardware.
Top-notch gaming PC bought in 2021 will have the potential to last more than a decade. With an RTX series graphics card backed with either a top-shelf processor from the Ryzen series(get on Amazon) or Intel’s 11th-gen chipsets, you’ll be able to enjoy gaming on 8K for many years to come.
The current generation of gaming hardware is the fastest and the most reliable piece of technology we’ve seen to date. These new components come with high-quality VRMs and power consumption units that resist voltage fluctuation and shield the internals from damage. Furthermore, when you’re getting 12 gigs of VRAM (Video Memory) with these RTX 3000 graphics cards, you’re all set to play games on ultra settings for many years to come.
If you’re buying a top-notch motherboard that supports Thunderbolt technology with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters with slots for M.2 drives then there’s a pretty good chance that even after a decade, your gaming rig will be running as smoothly as ever.
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Looking back at 2015, Nvidia released the GTX 980 and GTX 980Ti that were the top of the line graphics cards of their time. Based on Maxwell’s architecture, these cards were beasts and they handled everything you threw at them.
Now, these graphics cards are still able to perform exceptionally well in every AAA title released in the last couple of years. However, their only downside is that they’re not compatible with DX12, and that’s why they will be obsolete in the next couple of years when most AAA titles will be released for DX12 and higher versions.
As PC gamers we spend hours upon hours sitting down gaming a good gaming chair is essential to not develop back problems later in life. See why they’re worth it in my article.
Do Gaming PCs Last Longer Than Consoles
As a general rule Gaming PCs last longer than consoles as specific PC parts can easily be replaced and problems can be troubleshot and diagnosed. Consoles are harder to troubleshoot and parts are harder to find and replace.
Back in the day when I was given a choice to either buy an Xbox 360 or a budget-friendly gaming PC, I had to weigh the pros and cons of both of these machines. I ended up building a gaming PC because Xbox 360 was becoming obsolete. The last decent game that I remembered on Xbox 360 was Grand Theft Auto V. But with my gaming rig that’s rocking an RX 570, I could still play the latest games with decent frame rates on a 1080p display.
Furthermore, the previous-gen consoles could hardly offer more than 30fps in most games, and the gaming experience with them wasn’t exactly ideal. PC gaming more optimized experience with 4K and great titles on steam to choose from than just a handful of titles on consoles which is one reason why you should consider building a gaming PC over a console.
The laziest yet effective way to get into PC gaming is buying a prebuilt PC. prebuilt has improved leaps and bounds over the last few years, understand the pros and cons of a prebuilt PC in my article.
Maintaining a console is quite hard as when all the vents are clogged with dust, the internals will get overheated, and the performance will start to drop. To get it serviced, you’ll have to hire experts to safely remove all the dirt or void the warranty by opening, which is not feasible for everyone.
And once the overheating problems start to settle in, the performance gets worse, and it also drains the health of the console. On the contrary, gaming PCs are generally easy to clean, and the other case fans play a vital part in reducing the temps and prolong the life of a gaming PC.
In conclusion, gaming PCs tend to last longer than consoles because of their build quality and flexibility. But, for the next-gen console like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, they are far closer to PCs than the PS4 and Xbox One X/S which makes them a far better option than before.
