High temps reduce component life, but by how much?

[The Visitor]

First of all, hello OC community .

So, it's said that running components at high temperatures for extended periods of time shortens the life of the component, but does anyone know by how much exactly? I know that sometimes it just seems like it's based on luck and some components will last for years without failing while others will fail in a few months. But is there any general consensus on an average length of time for which the life span of a component is shortened?

I ask because I am in college right now so I game on my laptop, which means I have to deal with the heat that a laptop produces. On most games my components are at relatively safe temperatures (anywhere from 75 to 90 degrees C which is still pretty high), but a few games push them to 105C or above even, at which point they throttle. My cpu likes to play it safe and underclocks until its temp stablizes at 75-80C or so, but my gpu tends to ride the line of just under 105C. Is this overly bad for my laptop? I plan on keeping it for 4 years, so will it last that long or am I doing lots of harm by playing at those temperatures?

I have an i7 3610m and an nvidia 650m if it matters. Thanks!

 

[Knufire]

Manufacturers usually specify a max operating temperature on components they release. I know for Intel products, this value is known as TJ Max.

I don't know if it's the same for the mobile, but desktop Ivy Bridge CPUs have a TJMax of 105C.

 

[The Visitor]

Thanks knufire, but that wasn't what I was asking. I was asking how bad it is to run components at or near their max temperatures and how much shorter the component life will get. Very quick reply though!

 

[Knufire]

Usually, as long as temperatures are within that max range, it'll last a long time, more than you care to keep it around for.

However, there are other nuances. Some lines of CPUs, even though they're able to run without risk of physical overheat damage at a certain temperature, start experiencing heat related stability problems below TJ Max.

This might not be applicable to your scenario, but there's also voltage degradation while overclocking. Excessive voltage can cause the chip to degrade and/or die even if you have the temperatures under control.

When your CPU throttles, that's warning you're going too high. If you're frequently pushing it above 105C and making it throttle, the risk of damage and shortening the life span is much higher, but no telling how much or when it will die. Constant low 90s though probably won't harm the chip life span anything noticeable.

 

[EarthDog]

This. Spot on!

Usually, as long as temperatures are within that max range, it'll last a long time, more than you care to keep it around for.

However, there are other nuances. Some lines of CPUs, even though they're able to run without risk of physical overheat damage at a certain temperature, start experiencing heat related stability problems below TJ Max.

This might not be applicable to your scenario, but there's also voltage degradation while overclocking. Excessive voltage can cause the chip to degrade and/or die even if you have the temperatures under control.

When your CPU throttles, that's warning you're going too high. If you're frequently pushing it above 105C and making it throttle, the risk of damage and shortening the life span is much higher, but no telling how much or when it will die. Constant low 90s though probably won't harm the chip life span anything noticeable.

 

[NiHaoMike]

Rule of thumb is that 10 degrees hotter cuts component life in half. Also note that thermal cycling has its own harmful effects (good reason to Fold@Home, for a more constant load!) and it's a lot more likely that high temperatures cause a capacitor to fail as opposed to damaging a chip.

 

[The Visitor]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I definitely try to keep my laptop as cool as possible, but sometimes it just doesn't seem possible. Vents are clean and I use a laptop cooler as well. Hopefully it doesn't die on me anytime soon.

Also, is the 10 degree thing true? So if my cpu runs at 45C normally, running it at 105C will reduce it to 0.5^6 = 0.015% of its life? That seems like a lot .

 

[Bobnova]

As with all rules of thumb, it's only vaguely accurate and only in certain circumstances.
The difference between 30c and 40c isn't likely to be half the lifespan. Even if it does, the initial lifespan was measured in centuries.
The difference between 90c and 100c? More important.

Capacitors are generally what fail, and arguably the single most important factor in their lifespan is time. They don't age overly well, regardless of the conditions.

As to your laptop, has it been cleaned recently? Is it being used on a flat surface? Do the fans ramp up? It shouldn't be hitting >100c.

 

[EarthDog]

Rule of thumb is that 10 degrees hotter cuts component life in half. Also note that thermal cycling has its own harmful effects (good reason to Fold@Home, for a more constant load!) and it's a lot more likely that high temperatures cause a capacitor to fail as opposed to damaging a chip.

so, with that thinking, if a CPU is supposed to last for 10 years, if I ran it at 60c and you ran it at 90c with the same voltage, that chip would last 15 months?

Saying that out loud it just doesn't make sense to me.... I'm more than certain you can find tankers full of contrary examples in the F@H section, ya know?

 

[Boulard83]

Rule of thumb is that 10 degrees hotter cuts component life in half. Also note that thermal cycling has its own harmful effects (good reason to Fold@Home, for a more constant load!) and it's a lot more likely that high temperatures cause a capacitor to fail as opposed to damaging a chip.

so, with that thinking, if a CPU is supposed to last for 10 years, if I ran it at 60c and you ran it at 90c with the same voltage, that chip would last 15 months?

Saying that out loud it just doesn't make sense to me.... I'm more than certain you can find tankers full of contrary examples in the F@H section, ya know?

+1

In the end, it's all up to you and the "risk" you are willing to throw at your hardware. I'm the kind of user that really like to know that my hardware is running well below the "max temp" stated by manufacturer. I prefer to pay a few more bucks on good cooling and/or addon heatsink on VRM's and other component. Take my H77m-H3D that i just buyed for a home server, the board came withotu any VRM's heatsink so i added a few heatsink i had laying around from past upgrade. This way, i'm sure my little board that run 24/7 wont have overheatink VRM's. Well at least, i'm putting all chance on my side

Same thing with my GPU, if it came stock without VRM's heatsink, i ALWAIS add heatsink on these.