The motherboard is one of the most critical components of any computer. As the name implies, it’s the starting point of your PC because everything, like the CPU, GPU, and RAM, is installed on it.
And it’s not like a casing where you slap things on – your motherboard needs to support everything, and it will then control the flow of connecting them.
When buying something, it’s essential to know how long it will last. After all, you’re spending hard-earned money, and it shouldn’t be something that only works temporarily. And since motherboards are such a crucial part of building a PC, it’s essential to know how long you can expect them to last.
So, how long do motherboards last? Will you need to purchase a motherboard every once few year? Do motherboards come with a warranty? Let’s answer these essential questions before you buy a motherboard.
How long do Motherboards last?
The life of a motherboard lasts around 10 to 20 years. For an average motherboard, we can hope for 15 years of life as a sweet spot between the two numbers.
Interestingly, a motherboard can last for even longer, in theory. And, of course, how much it’s used and whether you have stable electricity make a difference too. And one other thing is that old motherboards stop supporting newer hardware – so you might want to upgrade it much sooner than that anyway.
The life of a motherboard is based on two factors. The first factor is the manufacturer you’re buying them from, as some companies develop weaker motherboards. So, much like anything else, you must make sure you’re buying from a reputable brand.
The second factor is the price that you’re buying the motherboard for. Naturally, something produced as a budget option will have less durability and less of a warranty than something that costs more. Thus, it’s not essential to spend too much money but usually, buying a mid-range option is a good idea.
We’ve answered this question by keeping a good mid-range motherboard in mind, which is supposedly from a reputable brand. If you buy a cheaper option, the average life might be lower.
What is the warranty for a motherboard?
Motherboards come with warranties that can be from 12 months to 5 years long. It depends on the brand and how costly the motherboard you’re purchasing is. If everything goes well, even a 12-month warranty is good enough because you most likely won’t run into any problems later on either.
However, it’s always great to have an extended warranty that goes up to 5 years – which is almost like a lifetime guarantee since that’s usually when people upgrade their PC.
When should I upgrade my motherboard?
The perfect timing for upgrading your motherboard is between 5 to 6 years, which is based on whether you need an upgrade or not.
There will always be a time when you have to upgrade your motherboard. They will stop supporting newer hardware, such as the latest processors and graphics cards. And you might have a motherboard without an NVMe slot – which is essential for lightning-fast SSDs.
And lastly, Intel processors cannot work on motherboards created for AMD processors – and vice versa. So, if you’re changing your brand of processors, that will require an upgrade too.
In any case, a 5-year window is a good idea because that’s usually when you need to change graphics cards if they were mid-range – to run the latest games on High settings.
What are the best motherboards to buy?
Buying the best motherboard is based on your preferences and budget. You need to ensure that you can afford the motherboard that is right for you and that it supports all the hardware you will use on your computer.
The brand and generation of your processor, the graphics card you’ll buy, whether you need an NVMe slot, and even extra things like default WIFI support – all of these things matter.
You can check out our guides for the best motherboards for the latest AMD and Nvidia GPUs to find the perfect option for your preferences and needs:
