Components wear out

[SteneDave]

Is it possible for components in computers to wear out after some years of use?

An example: I have a GPU/CPU in my computer that's being heavily used for let's say three years, would it still have the same power / would it score the same score in benchmarks after this period ?

I know, that by cars the engine's power gets lower with time. I just wonder if it is the same here.

Thx

 

[getz76]

Processors work or they do not work. There is no middle ground.

 

[Gav2k]

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Yes it would perform the same.

I should add tho... If the cooling is gummed up with dust then the CPU would throttle back and you would see a difference. Lol

 

[talmy]

One thing about digital electronics -- it either works or it doesn't. It won't get slower over time, but it might just stop working.

Computers seem to run slower over time because their disk drives get filled (more time spent seeking) and they run more tasks over time, but if you reinstall the initial software it will perform identically to new.

 

[old-wiz]

Car engines have moving parts; moving parts can wear out due to friction.

CPUs and GPUs have no moving parts, so there's nothing to wear out.
Heat is the enemy of electronics, and that contributes to wear, but they usually simply fail instead of slowing down.
Fans can die after years of use, ditto for HDDs.
However I just recently retired my wife's old white box windows machine, purchased in 2000, and still running fine after 10 years of being on 24/7.
Benchmarks could show a difference, but that would be due to the HDD becoming fragmented or simply being nearly full.