How can I lengthen my computer's life?

[Jaypaul97]

Hi,

My PC worked good for about two years before it started making a very loud noise and eventually stopped working. Turns out the fan wasn't working on the graphics card GT230, which made it heat and get damaged, and the harddrive also was damaged.

They repaired it and replaced the GT230 with a GT430 and a new harddrive. It's working fine for now but I can sort of hear a bit of noise and when I feel the computer it is slightly trembling. Not as bad as before but it is.

So it has me worried: what if it does that again? What can I do to help prolong the life of my PC? I put it to sleep when it's not in use by my sister uses it almost all day for casual stuff like microsoft word, though I use it maybe an hour or so a day for gaming.

 

[bigmck]

Hi,

My PC worked good for about two years before it started making a very loud noise and eventually stopped working. Turns out the fan wasn't working on the graphics card GT230, which made it heat and get damaged, and the harddrive also was damaged.

They repaired it and replaced the GT230 with a GT430 and a new harddrive. It's working fine for now but I can sort of hear a bit of noise and when I feel the computer it is slightly trembling. Not as bad as before but it is.

So it has me worried: what if it does that again? What can I do to help prolong the life of my PC? I put it to sleep when it's not in use by my sister uses it almost all day for casual stuff like microsoft word, though I use it maybe an hour or so a day for gaming.

If you want to keep an eye on temperatures, this is a good one to download.
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting I keep mine open most of the time and you can check everytime you are at your pc on temperatures.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

What can I do to help prolong the life of my PC?

Not a whole lot.

Some parts are higher quality than others, but you are stuck with whatever parts you have.

There is some correlation between total power on hours and failure. Like your car and your heart.

There may be a vague correlation between the number of times the PC is powered on and failure, but I've never seen studies on it. So the debate about whether to shut down or hibernate/sleep continues.

There is a correlation between heat and component failure generally, so you might reduce failures by operating in a walk-in cooler.

But maybe not to all of that. Chance accounts for a lot, just like with humans. You could puke in your keyboard or accidentally drop a laptop.

I'd just take reasonable precautions to run reasonably cool. I shut down daily, but that's more to save power than to prolong life.

If you are building from scratch, of course take some time to get high quality parts. BUT....none of them are as reliable as a pocket knife or even a refrigerator in my experience.

 

[GeneO]

Heat is your enemy. Monitor the temperatures and fan speeds. Make sure your processor temperature is kept in spec and that your hard drives run between 30c and 45c. Keep the inside of the case clean - dust will defeat cooling hardware.

 

[OvenMaster]

I blow dust out of my PC regularly. Even with a filter, a fine coating still manages to cling to many interior parts.
I keep my cables dressed for the best possible free flow of air.
I take out my fans - all of them - to be cleaned with an old toothbrush and oiled once a year. I've got fans that are ten years old that still spin freely and quietly. I have never had a fan failure... since my PC runs 24/7, I can't afford to have one die on me.

Heat is the enemy of all electronic devices. Removing that heat will help your computer last for years to come.

 

[Jaypaul97]

Okay thanks

 

[chrysalis]

trembling probably due to poor case, high end cases have parts that resist vibrations and as such are silent of these noises. possible source of noise if wasnt replaced could be psu, trembling could be from hdd or psu vibrating case, or even a standalone fan.

 

[GeneO]

I blow dust out of my PC regularly. Even with a filter, a fine coating still manages to cling to many interior parts.
I keep my cables dressed for the best possible free flow of air.
I take out my fans - all of them - to be cleaned with an old toothbrush and oiled once a year. I've got fans that are ten years old that still spin freely and quietly. I have never had a fan failure... since my PC runs 24/7, I can't afford to have one die on me.

Heat is the enemy of all electronic devices. Removing that heat will help your computer last for years to come.

I guess the ovenmaster would know about heat! LOL.