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How long Does a Motherboard Last [2024]

Undoubtedly, the motherboard is the most significant part of any computer. A motherboard is the...

How long Does a Motherboard Last [2024]

Undoubtedly, the motherboard is the most significant part of any computer. A motherboard is the core of your computer, even though it may not be the most significant factor in terms of performance. A question that might come into mind before purchasing a MOBO is How long do a motherboard last. Similar to a toy, how you care for your motherboard will determine how long it lasts. You can typically anticipate serving on your board for 15 to 20 years. You might get less when you don’t properly care for it. Your motherboard can live longer if you don’t put too much strain on it and don’t have high expectations. 

Some motherboards that are more than 30 years old still function because they were treated gently. They are, after all, the most crucial part of a computer. Your computer will not function if your motherboard suddenly fails. So, it makes sense that a motherboard’s lifespan would be constrained. The ongoing physical, electrical, and thermal stresses further reduce the object’s longevity.

Key Takeaways

  • The lifespan of a motherboard depends on various factors such as the quality of the components, the usage conditions, the maintenance and the upgrades.
  • The average lifespan of a motherboard is between 3 and 10 years, with most models lasting around 5 years under normal usage.
  • The most common causes of motherboard failure are physical damage, electrical surges, overheating, dust accumulation and component degradation.
  • The best ways to extend the lifespan of a motherboard are to use a surge protector, install adequate cooling and ventilation, clean the dust regularly and replace faulty or outdated components.
  • The signs of a failing motherboard include frequent crashes, blue screens, boot failures, performance issues, error messages and strange noises.

Factors that impact the life of a motherboard

Over time, we have found some factors that impact how long a motherboard can work efficiently

  • How frequently do you maintain
  • Regardless of whether you turn off  your computer,
  • the level of the motherboard’s componentry
  • What level of performance your motherboard would have to provide
  • How frequently do you use a computer?
  • The motherboard’s quality from the beginning

On average how long does a motherboard last?

In the majority of use scenarios, most motherboards, if properly maintained, will survive at least 10-15 years. Many motherboards can, however, live a lot longer. Mainframe motherboards older than 30 years old frequently still work. How many hours a day the motherboard is operating is another factor you must consider when estimating how long it can last. 

Your motherboard will probably survive a lot longer if you only use it for a few hours per day as opposed to one that is left on all day. Laptop temperatures can quickly reach 101 °C, which is substantially higher than desktop temperatures. Consequently, a laptop board is not as sturdy as a desktop motherboard, even if it can easily survive 5-8 years.

What are the causes of short life span of motherboards?

There are some factors that cause a decrease in the life of a motherboard. If you overcome these problems then you might increase motherboard’s life by several years

Heat

The most common cause of motherboard failure is heat. Huge amounts of heat are produced by your computer. In a computer with a 600 W power supply, the parts will convert more than half of that power into heat energy. if the computer’s energy isn’t dissipated.

It may gradually overpower motherboard components, causing motherboard damage. Companies offer a variety of cooling methods, including fans, thermal paste, and heat sinks. However, over time, the cooling and warming cycle is certain to impair regular operation.

Physical damage

The most obvious reason for your motherboard’s life to be lessened or extinguished is physical damage. It can become useless if the solder even slightly loosens. If you are not an aggressive user, it is rare for a motherboard to sustain physical damage.

Physical injury from a typical user is unlikely because it is fixed inside a case. Similarly, your motherboard may not survive as long if you frequently move around or disassemble and reassemble your PC. In order to avoid physical harm to your equipment, we always advise against moving it unless absolutely necessary.

Power supply unit

The purpose of a PSU is to supply the computer with reliable power. Most power supply units are good at this. However, we frequently employ a less expensive PSU to lower the system’s entire cost. And occasionally, this can deal us a severe blow. Through the motherboard, the power supply unit is connected to all the gear.

It’s possible that a cheap power supply unit won’t recognize the correct requirements for your high-quality motherboard. Most high-end gamers use a demanding motherboard. Cheaper motherboards will have worse capacitors that will deteriorate much more quickly. You should therefore be very cautious of your power source.

Humidity and moisture 

Moisture and humidity are issues that we don’t take into account while installing a system. The motherboard will become utterly unusable if it comes into contact with water in any way. Even worse, it might short-circuit other electrical components. Not only when you throw water or coffee over it does it happen. Only dampness can reduce a motherboard’s lifespan.

How to increase the lifespan of a motherboard?

Your motherboard will inevitably suffer various circumstances that shorten its longevity as time goes on. By avoiding the above-mentioned causes, you can increase the lifetime of your motherboard. But some important detail of those factors are given below

Avoid overheating

The motherboard’s temperature will increase as a result of the processor overheating or being overclocked. As we previously explained, a motherboard’s endurance will undoubtedly suffer from high heating. In order to prevent the motherboard from overheating,

However, if you must overclock, we advise doing so only during very demanding tasks and not constantly. This can reduce heating and improve the efficiency of the air conditioning system and heat sinks. Your motherboard will ultimately last longer

Keeping airflow steady

Maintaining a computer’s cooling system, and the motherboard, as a result, depends on good airflow. Remember that hot air rises and that hotter components are toward the back of your case. Fans that draw in fresh, cool air should be positioned near the front and bottom of your PC’s chassis. Likewise, position the back and top of the case for fans that draw air out of the device. 

Using a better power supply unit

Electrical surges caused by poor power supplies can harm your motherboard. Therefore, always choose a higher-quality power supply unit. A surge protector multi-plug should also be used to keep your computer turned on at all times. These safeguard your PC from power spikes. Your motherboard may occasionally become damaged by a defective component.

Conclusion

How long a motherboard lasts is a complex subject without a clear solution. It depends on whether you handle it gently or abusively when using it. Accidents that are inevitable might also shorten a motherboard’s lifespan. A normal PC motherboard typically has a lifespan of several years or even generations. If not forever, an average motherboard should serve you for at least 12 years.

In this post, we’ve examined some of the causes of motherboard failure as well as how a motherboard is most likely to function before failing. Furthermore, we looked at several activities you should abstain from in order to prolong the life of a motherboard. No matter what type of motherboard you choose, if you keep it cool and avoid using it during severe weather, it should survive at least ten years. Particularly when it comes to gaming, most motherboards are well beyond their prime.

Abdullah Sarfraz

Motherboards & Graphics Cards Writer