Desktops forum: What is the Average life of an Average Desktop computer?

My experience would tend to suggest that 2-3 years would be typical for a PC.
Even if the machine is still working at the end of 3 years, the software and OS upgrades? will have slowed it down to a crawl.

In a networked environment, you could consider VDI or Terminal Services/Citrix etc and using thin clients. The thin clients will outlast the PCs and your hardware refresh will be limited to the server.

Some of our thin clients use as little as 7 watts, so you could be helping your fuel bills and the environment too.

The lifespan of a computer is going to vary. Depending on how often you use the computer and what you use it for is going to factor in the equation. Also, the original equipment of the computer is going to play a big factor. If you buy a low-end computer, you are typically getting dated hardware. Not used per se, but you'll typically be sold hardware that is 2 or 3 generations behind the newest hardware. And these lower end machines will obviously have cheaper hardware. The cheaper hardware won't last as long as the more expensive hardware.

The best way to make sure you get a machine that was have lots of longevity is consult with a local system builder. They will be able to outfit your machine with quality components with execellent life cycles. With a good foundation of hardware components, you'll be able to keep your investment going strong for many years to come. The last desktop that I bought was in 2000. I also bought multifunction printer at the same time. I still use both of them to this day.

Consult with a local IT profesional when you make your next purchase and you'll get the guidance you need to make a sound technology investment.

Mine's 6 years old too and running strong, although a little slower that new, but still very usable. I did just replace it, but because of want, not need. It will be going to my MIL soon for her use.

If you want to keep up with the current games, you are probably looking at replacing or upgrading the machine every 1-2 years, as the games producers take advantage of the developments in graphics cards and processors. In these machines, the hardware is unlikely to break in its short life.

If you have a machine that you use for web surfing, email, Office type applications, you'll probably need to replace or upgrade in 4-5 years. During that time, you'll be replacing some components, HDDs, adding RAM, maybe adding a new optical drive and often this puts a strain on the power supply, which will run hotter and shorten its life. Most commercial machines won't be over generous with their power supplies, so keep an eye on anything you add to the system.

A self build will run for very much longer, I have a mini-tower that acts as my internet gateway and just a general web/email/smartsuite machine for anyone who needs it. I built it in 1997! Since then, it's had a new power supply, a couple of additional HDDS and more RAM but essentially, its the same machine.

If you go down this route, though, remember the story of the lumberjack who still has his original axe - of course, it's has 4 new handles and six new heads but it's the same axe!

Agree. 4 to 5 years

If you want a computer that will last, you really should build it yourself. Otherwise, you don't know what kind of low quality components might be in use.

Some tips for you:

1. For longer working life and more tolerance to heat, buy motherboards with 100% solid capacitors. (you can recognise them easily - they are squat, not tall).
2. Buy RAM from a well-known manufacturer, and run Memtest 86+ overnight to make sure it's good.
3. Buy a brand-name power supply. If you buy a cheap and nasty one and it gives out on you, it can damage the motherboard. This includes power supplies that come with no-name brand cases!

Okay, so a solid capacitor motherboard will cost twice as much (or more) than one without. Brand-name RAM will cost about 30% more, and a brand-name power supply will also cost twice as much as cheap crud (no need to go overboard with the watts). But in the end, you'll have a computer that will last and last and last; and you'll be safe in the knowledge that everything that's in your computer is The Good Stuff!

Every one of my Apple Computers have lasted until I replaced them due to being outdated sufficiently to warrant a replacement. They never had a hardware fault other than my first which had an immediate calved hard drive. Failing power supplies mean cheapo components. There is nothing inherent about a power supply that should say...good for three years. Using undersized or poorly designed power capacitors is usually the issue here. There is a secret to the chemical coatings used in caps that some manufacturers did not know about after the electrolytic coatings formulae required were "obtained" from the inventors and patent holders but I understand that it was not the correct formula and so thousands of premature failures were the result of this. Corporate espionage sometimes results in the perfect pay off...Unfortunately that means that many people end with with junk PCs. Buy a name brand and this is unlikely or they will repair it if it is their fault. This is of course internet rumour but it seems to be the case. If your computer is a reputable brand, it ought to last ten years. All of mine have but they are so out of date by five years, it is likely time to upgrade due to slow response with modern software written for faster machines and graphics cards. The power supplies in name brand computers are built to deliver double their rated use. Cheap computers give you just enough so that in time the overheating of the components result in premature failure that might very well take out the motherboard. Buy the best..it is cheaper in the end. The best by the way is an Apple Mac Pro but I know on this site I am talking to a different crew. In case you are unaware of this the Mac machines, one and all can run Windows Vista perfectly but you will have to buy a copy to do this. It is a no brainer to install it and then you will have BMW quality hardware for a change.

A lot of HP's machines use noname power supplies. I have met a lot of people who have found that the PSU will die after 1-2 years. They seem just good enough to survive beyond the standard warranty and not much more. Meanwhile, I have found anecdotally a lot of white box machines with name brand PSUs seem to last 5+ years. I don't have enough data points to speak authoritatively, but I don't think the name on the outside of the computer is as important as the names of the components inside.

In that respect a BYO or a white box build by a knowledgeable local vendor may be a much better choice for reliability. Another slightly more expensive option is to buy a business model PC. They tend to cost slightly more expensive(10-25%) than their consumer edition versions for the same hardware, but they tend to use slightly higher quality components and their confidence in the quality of the hardware typically extends to the point that they have better warranties on the business models as well.

Consumer hardware tends to focus on value rather than reliability. Business users on the other hand aren't as concerned about performance or gee whiz features as they are in reliability. Business users still obviously want performance, but they aren't as willing to compromise reliability in order to get it.

I am still running daily on the system I built in 2001. I first tried a white box package from a dealer. My apartment building (at the time) had aluminum wiring. This made the computer very unstable. I upgraded the power supply to an Enermax 350 watt with no effect.

I went back to the dealer and had them swap to a ASUS A7V266-E motherboard. All the errors stopped. I think it has lasted so long because it has an onboard filtered power supply. It was consistently among the best performing boards on ARS Technica at the time. The only changes I have made were to replace the memory stick when it expired with one from Mushkin, and the video card when it expired recently. It has a 40Gb hard disk from Samsung. I have no idea why that that has lasted for so long. I have used Win2K ever since and have avoided most of the issues other have reported, first with WinXP and since then with Vista. I would love a new system but they are really not much faster than the one I have.

The desktop itself can last much longer but like an exotic foreign car, once something goes wrong it is difficult and/or expensive to fix if you don't have a supply of matching parts. But with proper care, which includes keeping it clean, cool and protecting it from power spikes a PC will last 10 years. Seriously if you dont vacuum out your tower you PC will be wearing a sweater inside its case and a single power spike (unless it is from lightning) shouldn't wreck you stuff but the constant fluctuations which are common (especially if you are on the same circuit as anything with a compressor) will eventually render your hardware useless (assuming your software is not outdated by then).
The problem is that unless you bought a top end machine right after the latest OS came out your system will be slow and your software will become outdated and incompatible after 3-4 years add an extra year for the new OS top-end machine.
My advice is to always buy a middle of the road machine, unless you are a serious gamer (and then you don't need my advice), about a year after the new OS comes out. Let someone else pay for being the early adopter and you can get 90% of the performance for 50% of the price (or 75% of the performance for 20% of the price). As long as you upgrade to a new machine about every 5 years you will always be happy with your new machine, even if it is not super fast, it will be much faster than what you are used to.
Of course once they figure out how to put real power into a tablet the landscape will change.