When you look at your office, warehouse, or other work facility, you probably see a mix of older and newer hardware. Shiny, state-of-the-art laptops may sit next to trusty old workstations or servers that just keep on going, year after year. But before you can make any long-term IT budget plans, you have to have some notion of how long you can expect your various devices to last. Let’s take a look at this question and how it might be affect your future hardware purchases.

Various parts of a computer will wear out at different intervals. For example, hard-disc drives (HDDs) may succumb to mechanical failures after 3 to 5 years, while solid-state drives (SSDs) typically last up to 5-10 years depending on how many read/write cycles they perform. A good-quality CPU chip can last for 7 years, while motherboards generally last from 3 to 4 years.

A good business rule of thumb is to plan on replacing all desktops and laptops every three to four years on a maintenance cycle.  Your GS rep can help assist with a planning / maintenance cycle for replacement.  Replaing the machines routinely helps keep emplyee productivty up and reduces costly downtime. 

How you treat your hardware will also make a difference in its total lifespan. An office computer maintained in a clean, temperature-controlled space might provide good service for 4-5 years with no issues. By contrast, a relatively delicate laptop that receives heavy field use and abuse may only last about 2-3 years.

Our Austin IT support team at Gravity Systems can help you make the right decisions about when to upgrade or replace your hardware. Contact us today!