Imagine buying a used car without knowing the odometer reading.
You'd never do that, unless you're a fan of unexpected breakdowns in the middle of nowhere.
It can make life more spicy. But we buy used computer parts all the time without knowing what the previous owner put them through,
physically or emotionally. So why the heck don't computer parts have odometers?
Would it really be that hard to put a counter on something telling us how many times that case fan has turned,
how many liters that AIO cooler is pumped, or how much current has coursed through that power supply?
To answer that question, we talked to our friends Aaron Neal and Justin Okbina at Corsair,
and we'd like to thank them for their contributions. We love both of you.
So much. So our question actually has several different answers, depending on what component we're talking about.
For example, hard drives and SSDs have the ability to estimate how much life they have left using SMART,
which stands for self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology.
But for other parts, the answer is a little bit murkier.
From a technical standpoint, putting an odometer on most parts wouldn't be complicated.
Most parts in your PC already have a logic-enabled control unit,
and adding a couple of sensors to track usage wouldn't cost very much.
In fact, there was at least one CPU cooler that had this kind of functionality.
Corsair used to produce a refillable loop called the HydroCool
that had a fluid-level indicator and an audible alarm
for when enough liquid had evaporated that the user needed to refill it.
Not the best thing to hear when you're in the middle of diffusing the bomb on C,
but you can't ignore a thirsty loop.
And thermoelectric coolers for PCs also exist.
These can actually go below ambient temperatures,
so having a humidity sensor inside is critical,
because they were capable of getting cold enough to form condensation.
The perfect relief for a thirsty gamer.
And of course, simple thermometers inside our computers are common,
so that your CPU and GPU can throttle down if they're getting dangerously hot.
So although computer parts can obviously die after you use them for a long time,
it's far more likely for most parts that you'll be ready to upgrade
before the component actually kicks the bucket. It's exceedingly rare for the core parts like CPUs, GPUs, and RAM
to die within the first few years of your system's life.
This is even more true for the parts that enthusiasts buy,
which are typically higher quality than what you'd find in the average Walmart pre-built.
And we all know that members of the PCMR tend to upgrade parts more frequently
than the general public, who probably don't even know they're still using USB 2.0.
Those unfortunate souls.
This is also reflected in the warranties that component manufacturers offer.
Overall, they're getting longer, and the manufacturers wouldn't be making those guarantees unless they felt very confident
that their parts would last at least that long without any major problems.
And with a significant number of users looking to upgrade during or not long after the warranty period,
there isn't much incentive to add some kind of odometer function to components.
It might not cost much, but the cost is still more than zero.
And just like with a car, any odometer reading would only be one aspect of the whole purchase.
Even if a car has relatively low mileage,
it might have been driven in demanding environments, have a busted air conditioner,
or come with a nice backseat vomit stain that was never fully cleaned up.
Likewise, a used system could have a rusted out case, bent USB ports, or bad soldering,
none of which would show up on monitoring software that would run an odometer.
Maybe you prefer your cars with a little character,
but when it comes to PCs, usually the less personality, the better.
So it's a combination of factors that have led to an absence of little tickers on our computer parts,
but the bottom line is that if you're looking to buy used, be very careful,
and preferably purchase from a place that offers you some kind of return policy.
You don't want to spend even more on a buggy graphics card than you would have on a lemon down at the used car lot,
even if it is rich in personality.
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