Intel486dx33 wrote on 2025-04-11, 16:56:Move Forward NOT Backwards
Rate of Decay […]
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Move Forward NOT Backwards
Rate of Decay
People want to revisit computers from 80’s and 90’s
But Capacitors and Electronics don’t last forever.
They go bad over time and solder joints break too.
Don’t invest your MONEY in used old electronics unless you know what you are doing and are
Willing to accept allot of bad components.
You don’t know the history of these components and if they have been hacked, abused, misused, etc.
Better to buy NEW good components with a Warranty.
I have allot of old electronics from before 2010 and allot of them are starting to go bad now.
IMHO, as with many things in life, YMMV and there are few absolutes.
Newer is not universally better. A lot of the newer stuff is built to a (low) cost, designed to run too close to thermal limits (reduced longevity) and harder to open, repair (multi layer boards, BGA components, custom chips, cryptographical locks, etc) and have a short design life because they are considered disposable once the warranty expires. Manufacturers likely hope a product will fail after the warranty ends, but not immediately after as not to generate ill will about the brand , but not too long after in order to have a chance at another sale.
I buy both new and old stuff, but I am selective.
I will take chances on older stuff that either is within my abilities to upkeep/repair OR cheap enough that I can take a chance and take a calculated risk. I gauge risk based on reputation, avoid thermally compromised designs (very high end CPUs and GPU have been very power hungry in recent years) and take chance on something that may have been ridden hard and put away wet (but hopefully hasn't).
Heat and high power draw arealso the enemy when choosing new stuff, so I choose accordingly. I try to overspec things like cooling, power delivery, write endurance and performance requirements (to a reasonable point).
I have found, so far, that modernish stuff (bought new), can be quite reliable too. I have drives, PSUs, motherboards, etc that have been running non stop for 6 years or more.
Whether one's hardware is old/retro or new(ish), heat and thermally induced mechanical stress are the enemy. Home gateway routers, external drives, TVs, all-in-one/mini/laptop PCs, settop cable boxes, for example, are some iyf the devices most prone to have been designed with little regards for heat management. Choosing better designed and/or less energy hungry ones (or modifying the cooling) can go a long way in having electronics last well beyond the warranty timeframe.
I haven been trying to apply this approach for about 20 odd years, and my electronics rarely die or need repairs before I choose to upgrade them.
