I have a bunch (15+) of gpus folding 24/7, shaders overclocked to the limit of folding stability, fans running at 85%. I can only think of one that died, an ATI X1950 folding GPU. Most are G92s and have been running quite some time. I would have a very hard time agreeing that folding significantly shortens the life of a gpu. Every one has lasted until it was obsolete.