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Imagine buying a used car without knowing the odometer reading.

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You'd never do that, unless you're a fan of unexpected breakdowns in the middle of nowhere.

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It can make life more spicy. But we buy used computer parts all the time without knowing what the previous owner put them through,

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physically or emotionally. So why the heck don't computer parts have odometers?

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Would it really be that hard to put a counter on something telling us how many times that case fan has turned,

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how many liters that AIO cooler is pumped, or how much current has coursed through that power supply?

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To answer that question, we talked to our friends Aaron Neal and Justin Okbina at Corsair,

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and we'd like to thank them for their contributions. We love both of you.

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So much. So our question actually has several different answers, depending on what component we're talking about.

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For example, hard drives and SSDs have the ability to estimate how much life they have left using SMART,

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which stands for self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology.

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But for other parts, the answer is a little bit murkier.

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From a technical standpoint, putting an odometer on most parts wouldn't be complicated.

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Most parts in your PC already have a logic-enabled control unit,

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and adding a couple of sensors to track usage wouldn't cost very much.

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In fact, there was at least one CPU cooler that had this kind of functionality.

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Corsair used to produce a refillable loop called the HydroCool

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that had a fluid-level indicator and an audible alarm

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for when enough liquid had evaporated that the user needed to refill it.

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Not the best thing to hear when you're in the middle of diffusing the bomb on C,

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but you can't ignore a thirsty loop.

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And thermoelectric coolers for PCs also exist.

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These can actually go below ambient temperatures,

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so having a humidity sensor inside is critical,

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because they were capable of getting cold enough to form condensation.

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The perfect relief for a thirsty gamer.

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And of course, simple thermometers inside our computers are common,

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so that your CPU and GPU can throttle down if they're getting dangerously hot.

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So although computer parts can obviously die after you use them for a long time,

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it's far more likely for most parts that you'll be ready to upgrade

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before the component actually kicks the bucket. It's exceedingly rare for the core parts like CPUs, GPUs, and RAM

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to die within the first few years of your system's life.

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This is even more true for the parts that enthusiasts buy,

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which are typically higher quality than what you'd find in the average Walmart pre-built.

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And we all know that members of the PCMR tend to upgrade parts more frequently

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than the general public, who probably don't even know they're still using USB 2.0.

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Those unfortunate souls.

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This is also reflected in the warranties that component manufacturers offer.

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Overall, they're getting longer, and the manufacturers wouldn't be making those guarantees unless they felt very confident

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that their parts would last at least that long without any major problems.

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And with a significant number of users looking to upgrade during or not long after the warranty period,

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there isn't much incentive to add some kind of odometer function to components.

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It might not cost much, but the cost is still more than zero.

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And just like with a car, any odometer reading would only be one aspect of the whole purchase.

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Even if a car has relatively low mileage,

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it might have been driven in demanding environments, have a busted air conditioner,

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or come with a nice backseat vomit stain that was never fully cleaned up.

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Likewise, a used system could have a rusted out case, bent USB ports, or bad soldering,

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none of which would show up on monitoring software that would run an odometer.

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Maybe you prefer your cars with a little character,

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but when it comes to PCs, usually the less personality, the better.

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So it's a combination of factors that have led to an absence of little tickers on our computer parts,

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but the bottom line is that if you're looking to buy used, be very careful,

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and preferably purchase from a place that offers you some kind of return policy.

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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,

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even if it is rich in personality.

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That's the end of this video. Thanks for watching. Like the video if you liked it. Dislike it if you disliked it.

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where people talk normally.