Need tips for PC longevity

[Darkness_Val]

I was hoping to get advice on choosing a power supply and maybe some more tips so that my pc new tune ups dont crap out on me like my previous build. I want to know what can I do to keep my pc running for a long while until I get to the point to where I'll NEED to build a new pc again atleast.

[tkitch]

Define "A long while" based on your use case.

 

For some people that's 2-3 years, for others it's 6+.  What's yours?

[Guest]

 

Buy the best parts you can with the money you have.

 

If you have an intended purpose for the PC people can help you pick parts as you can likely skimp out on certain parts a little.

[GhostRoadieBL]

check out the power supply tier list 

 

 

other than having a decent PSU;

- keeping the PC clean and dusted will always increase longevity, once a year or every 6 months pull the side off and blow out all the dust 

- use a UPS to smooth the power coming in and prevent damage from brown outs and blackouts

- cooling is key for most components to last a long time so changing out the thermal pads under the motherboard and graphics card heatsinks should be done every 5 or so years same with thermal paste for the CPU/GPU

there isn't much else physically needed really, I tend to do an OS nuke and refresh every 3 years to keep windows from getting too bloated with updates. 

 

 

 

[Moonzy]

make suree you have psu is a good start

 

then maybe a surge protector or even some line active filter to smoothen out the power coming into your PC

 

component side wise, undervolting responsibly can often yield better temps and theoretically should prolong the component's lifespan by quite a lot (though people may argue at stock volt it'll last long enough to warrant an upgrade anyways)

 

make sure nothing is overheating and stay at a cool temp (i like to keep mine below 70c)

[warmongerp]

Never turn off your PC, never, ever. Only turn it off when you  need too (like going out of town).

 

I owned by now 7 deskpots pcs, only one failed me, I turned it off everyday when I went to bed, in lkess than 3 years he started dying on me. The other 6 were always on 24/7 and never had any problems with any of them.

 

Your components are designed to be working always, when you turn on and off your computer you are stressing the components in ways they are not really designed to sustain.

 

Any person who handles hardware will tell you the same, if you want a pc to last 10 years just never turn it off.

[warmongerp]

Just to add to my point. most computer failures come from powering it on or powering it off. Just never turn if off and your PC will always be happy.

 

 

[W-L]

-Moved to Case and Power Supplies-

[Darkness_Val]

27 minutes ago, tkitch said:

Define "A long while" based on your use case.

 

For some people that's 2-3 years, for others it's 6+.  What's yours?

- To tkitch

2 to 3 years too I guess. I keep forgetting technology is constantly evolving and in 2 to 3 years there might be Ray Tracing becoming a staple than a gimmick, extinction of Hard Disks, 4k becoming the new 1440p, etc etc...

26 minutes ago, fpo said:

 

Buy the best parts you can with the money you have.

 

If you have an intended purpose for the PC people can help you pick parts as you can likely skimp out on certain parts a little.

- To fpo

That's the plan. My first built I let my vanity get the best of me and ended up spending money on really extravagant parts for my skill level, let alone taste, only for it to shit on me 4 months in its life. My biggest changes are the motherboard, PSU and RAM (possibly). If you are interested I'll give you the full specs of my setup along with the changes I will be making

23 minutes ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

check out the power supply tier list 

 

 

other than having a decent PSU;

- keeping the PC clean and dusted will always increase longevity, once a year or every 6 months pull the side off and blow out all the dust 

- use a UPS to smooth the power coming in and prevent damage from brown outs and blackouts

- cooling is key for most components to last a long time so changing out the thermal pads under the motherboard and graphics card heatsinks should be done every 5 or so years same with thermal paste for the CPU/GPU

there isn't much else physically needed really, I tend to do an OS nuke and refresh every 3 years to keep windows from getting too bloated with updates. 

 

 

 

- to GhostRoadieBL

Believe me, my pc build caused me alot of stress just trying to put it together. Imagine what I felt when it went down only just 4 months into its life. I vowed on my life to take great care of this one

20 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

Never turn off your PC, never, ever. Only turn it off when you  need too (like going out of town).

 

I owned by now 7 deskpots pcs, only one failed me, I turned it off everyday when I went to bed, in lkess than 3 years he started dying on me. The other 6 were always on 24/7 and never had any problems with any of them.

 

Your components are designed to be working always, when you turn on and off your computer you are stressing the components in ways they are not really designed to sustain.

 

Any person who handles hardware will tell you the same, if you want a pc to last 10 years just never turn it off.

- To warmongerp

No offense but that sounds really sketchy that PC would obtain problems just by powering them off but what do I know? I'm new to this PC building stuff

22 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

make suree you have psu is a good start

 

then maybe a surge protector or even some line active filter to smoothen out the power coming into your PC

 

component side wise, undervolting responsibly can often yield better temps and theoretically should prolong the component's lifespan by quite a lot (though people may argue at stock volt it'll last long enough to warrant an upgrade anyways)

 

make sure nothing is overheating and stay at a cool temp (i like to keep mine below 70c)

- To Moonzy

The Power Supply is one of the components I will be changing but I watched some videos on YouTube saying that having too much watts is almost as bad as having too little watts. My set up barely uses 500w (509w to be exact, according to PCPartPicker). I wanted to know what the max overclocks that my set up would need if and when I get into overclocking or buying a 3900x or RTX 3000 card

[Darkness_Val]

- To Moonzy

I forgot I use a 850w 80+ Gold from EVGA.

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Darkness_Val said:

I watched some videos on YouTube saying that having too much watts is almost as bad as having too little watts.

to some extent, yes, high wattage psu have harder time regulating idle wattages, and efficiency can drop a lot

but good PSU dont have this issue for the most part.

get a unit with the wattage you need with some headroom, and you should be good

 

but wattage and/or 80+ certification =/= quality

 

4 minutes ago, Darkness_Val said:

I wanted to know what the max overclocks that my set up would need if and when I get into overclocking or buying a 3900x or RTX 3000 card

the 3900x when OC-ed can draw up to 200W alone if you push insane voltages. stock is ~140W

mine draws 180W on 1.375v OC. (i run it at 1.1v daily which is 105W)

 

the rest of the computer draws around 50-100W depending on activity, so it's about 250W from cpu and rest of the system (excl GPU), the 30 series GPU looks to be around 300W for 3070/3080, and 400W for 3090, so you can do the math and get a GOOD QUALITY PSU with some headroom and you should be good.

[warmongerp]

Just now, Darkness_Val said:

 

- To warmongerp

No offense but that sounds really sketchy that PC would obtain problems just by powering them off but what do I know? I'm new to this PC building stuff

 

Whaaat? This is literally the only tip on this thread that will help you, of course good components help but this is the ultimate tip to keep a desktop healthy, never turn the damn thing off.

 

Most desktop failures come from powering it on or off, dont take my word for it, talk to any person who handles hardware and any person who minimally understand how pc components works will tell you the same, a pc that is on 24/7 will last longer than the same pc that is turned on and off everyday, this is a fact, take it as you will.

 

 

 

 

[JayBe]

9 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

o some extent, yes, high wattage psu have harder time regulating idle wattages, and efficiency can drop a lot

but good PSU dont have this issue for the most part.

get a unit with the wattage you need with some headroom, and you should be good

so, if i understood that right, going for a 1000w PSU, even tho you might only need like 600, will be a problem if its a cheap one, but when i grap a 80+ platinum or even titanium its gonna be alright?
Just curious, since i have to get a new psu soon, especially when i want to use that 3080 And thought of getting a 1000W unit so i wont have to upgrade again sooner or later. 

[Darkness_Val]

3 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

Whaaat? This is literally the only tip on this thread that will help you, of course good components help but this is the ultimate tip to keep a desktop healthy, never turn the damn thing off.

 

Most desktop failures come from powering it on or off, dont take my word for it, talk to any person who handles hardware and any person who minimally understand how pc components works will tell you the same, a pc that is on 24/7 will last longer than the same pc that is turned on and off everyday, this is a fact, take it as you will.

 

 

 

 

Okay I get it. Thank you. I understand. 

10 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

to some extent, yes, high wattage psu have harder time regulating idle wattages, and efficiency can drop a lot

but good PSU dont have this issue for the most part.

get a unit with the wattage you need with some headroom, and you should be good

 

but wattage and/or 80+ certification =/= quality

 

the 3900x when OC-ed can draw up to 200W alone if you push insane voltages. stock is ~140W

mine draws 180W on 1.375v OC. (i run it at 1.1v daily which is 105W)

 

the rest of the computer draws around 50-100W depending on activity, so it's about 250W from cpu and rest of the system (excl GPU), the 30 series GPU looks to be around 300W for 3070/3080, and 400W for 3090, so you can do the math and get a GOOD QUALITY PSU with some headroom and you should be good.

Anything you'd like to reccomend?

[JayBe]

4 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

Whaaat? This is literally the only tip on this thread that will help you, of course good components help but this is the ultimate tip to keep a desktop healthy, never turn the damn thing off.

 

Most desktop failures come from powering it on or off, dont take my word for it, talk to any person who handles hardware and any person who minimally understand how pc components works will tell you the same, a pc that is on 24/7 will last longer than the same pc that is turned on and off everyday, this is a fact, take it as you will.

 

 

 

 

if this is a fact that everyone who handles hardware knows about, as you state, why is this the first time i am ever hearing this?
But hey, that could be a nice topic and maybe a new vid from ltt.. a long term performance comparison about the exact same setups while one is running 24/7 and the other one gets turned off every day. 

[warmongerp]

Just now, JayBe said:

if this is a fact that everyone who handles hardware knows about, as you state, why is this the first time i am ever hearing this?
But hey, that could be a nice topic and maybe a new vid from ltt.. a long term performance comparison about the exact same setups while one is running 24/7 and the other one gets turned off every day. 

It's not my fault you never heard it lol

 

This is not really discussion worthy, its a well know fact for the last 2 decades. Go research it.

 

Components are tested for 24/7 usage. About Powering it on and off, they are not tested or built for that.

 

Why do you think servers last so much time with little failure rate compared to home desktops? BECAUSE THEY ARE NEVER TURNED OFF.

 

The best practice the keep your components healthy is never turning them off, that is a fact and not up for debate son.

 

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, JayBe said:

if i understood that right, going for a 1000w PSU, even tho you might only need like 600, will be a problem if its a cheap one, but when i grap a 80+ platinum or even titanium its gonna be alright?

im not a pro at PSU, but i read somewhere that when regulating wattages that are below 10% of their capacity, they may drop in efficiency. i know higher 80+ rating includes lower % usage rating so i would think they're fine. this is mainly idle wattages like 50-80W, which is 10% of a 500W unit, but only 3% of a 1500W unit.

 

as for your question, if you need 600W, grabbing a 1000W unit is fine.

 

problem is not with cheap/expensive/wattage, it's with build quality (voltage ripple control and safety for the most part)

 

6 minutes ago, Darkness_Val said:

Anything you'd like to reccomend?

im not a PSU expert so i refer to PSU tier list when making my purchases/recommendations, so give that a look

it's under Case/Power supply subforum, pinned at top

 

10 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

never turn the damn thing off.

while this may be true, but i'm not too sure which is worse

wear and tear of a component or the act of powering it up (which i don't know the cause of, but definitely know it's a thing)

 

[speculation, not fact]

hypothesis is the VRM's overshoot the voltage when starting up, causing some damage to the chips and ICs

thermal stress causing the bumps under flip chip dies to shift microscopically to lose contact

???

[warmongerp]

Just now, Moonzy said:

 

 

while this may  is be true, but i'm not too sure which is worse

wear and tear of a component or the act of powering it up (which i don't know the cause of, but definitely know it's a thing)

 

Fixed it for you. 

 

What wear and tear? CPU doesn't move, GPU doesn't move, motherboard doesn't move.

All that moves on a pc nowadays are the fans, wear and tear is not a thing on desktops unless you're talking about HDDs.

 

The act of powering on or off a PC is harmful in unpredictable ways on modern hardware, leaving it running 24/7 is not harmful at all on modern hardware.

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, warmongerp said:

CPU doesn't move, GPU doesn't move

 

1 minute ago, warmongerp said:

motherboard doesn't move.

capacitor have a lifespan in spec sheets, not sure what's the cause behind the degradation but it's definitely a thing

 

think it's to do with the breaking down of the electrolyte? idk

[warmongerp]

Just now, Moonzy said:

 

capacitor have a lifespan in spec sheets, not sure what's the cause behind the degradation but it's definitely a thing

 

think it's to do with the breaking down of the electrolyte? idk

The act of powering on or off a PC will stress all capacitors ten fold more than constant current from 24/7 ever will (now imagine you power on and off your pc everyday, that poor motherboard..), that's my point.

 

Again this is not up for debate, pc hardware likes to be on, the more you turn on and off a PC  there is a higher probability you will run into problems as opposed to just leaving in on always.

[Moonzy]

Just now, warmongerp said:

The act of powering on or off a PC will stress all capacitors ten fold more than constant current from 24/7 ever will

sauce? im interesting to read about this

 

regarding pc dying when powering on, i heard about it as a myth, but not really proven, would be interested in the sauce

[warmongerp]

Just now, Moonzy said:

sauce? im interesting to read about this

 

regarding pc dying when powering on, i heard about it as a myth, but not really proven, would be interested in the sauce

My source is decades working on hardware, pc hardware likes to be working, they are not designed to be powered off and on, they are designed to run 24/7.

 

A good video for linus (1 year experiment or even more if necessary), build the exact same pc, one one pc your turn it off and on everyday, the other you leave it running 24/7.

 

I can bet you my kidney and lung that the pc that is turned off and on will fail first, ppl who work around computer hardware know this.

 

Maybe this knowledge is not mainstream because of electric bills (?) or even maybe brands (if hardware fail you need to buy new one) but I'm shocked ppl dont know this juding by some replies.

 

 

GUYS IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT, TO KEEP YOUR PC HEALTHY NEVER TURN THE DAMN THING OFF. HELL BUY A UPS TO EVEN KEEP IT ON DURING BLACKOUTS!!!

[Moonzy]

5 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

My source is decades working on hardware, pc hardware likes to be working, they are not designed to be powered off and on, they are designed to run 24/7.

im mostly interested in the source for this statement because it seemed specific

15 minutes ago, warmongerp said:

The act of powering on or off a PC will stress all capacitors ten fold more than constant current from 24/7 ever will

 

I know it's a myth (i'll call it a myth since it's not proven) that people tend to find their PC not turning on suddenly after one day

I'm interested to know the mechanic behind it.

[warmongerp]

Just now, Moonzy said:

im mostly interested in the source for this statement because it seemed specific

 

I know it's a myth (i'll call it a myth since it's not proven) that people tend to find their PC not turning on suddenly after one day

I'm interested to know the mechanic behind it.

Myths often are funded on some truth.

 

There even a bitwit video where is warns about the dangers of powering a pc off and on, jayz also has some video (or he tackles the subject randomly I dont remember)

[Ankerson]

1 hour ago, warmongerp said:

Myths often are funded on some truth.

 

There even a bitwit video where is warns about the dangers of powering a pc off and on, jayz also has some video (or he tackles the subject randomly I dont remember)

 

Ideally one would never shut off their PC unless they had to like going away, upgrading it or say a power outage happened...

 

I have known about it now for over 3 decades.. Used to be in the PC tech field...

 

Yes, it was based on the facts so it's not a myth.

 

It was the idea of if something is going to fail it would do it when it was turned on with the inrush of current and stress on the components starting up. 

 

TV's were the same way back when they actually had tubes in them, yes I am getting old..... I can remember going to the store and testing the TV Tubes in the tester.

 

I am not sure however with the improvements of electronics and the PSUs if that still holds as true as it once did. Less moving parts normally other than fans for the most part unless they are still using mechanical HDs... I still think the inrush of current would still have an effect on the electronics....

 

However Jonny Guru did say something about draining all the power out of the PSU then starting it back up wasn't exactly good to do very often.

 

Those worried about power consumption or whatever can let their PC go to sleep when they aren't using it so that argument never really held water. Especially once the newer CPUs came out that would lower their power draw, downclock etc.

 

Even less so today with the better efficiency of the PCs... 

 

Like worrying about leaving an LED light bulb on these days compared to the older Incandescent bulbs.

 

The typical life expectancy is normally around 100,000 hours for modern electronics so that's 8700 hours in a year divided into 100,000 hours is almost 12 years running 24/7/365 .... I would doubt many people would keep their PC's for 12 years before upgrading etc.. A lot of people would build 2 or 3 PCs in that 12 year span.