3 ms·

If the device has a mean time to failure of say 5 years when running close to thermal limits, then running it at 20 degree C lower operating temperature turns t

If the device has a mean time to failure of say 5 years when running close to thermal limits, then running it at 20 degree C lower operating temperature turns that into 20 years as mentioned in the sibling comment[1]. Thus expected lifetime quickly becomes long enough that it's effectively not an issue for CPUs and GPUs if you provide sufficient cooling. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39697289 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39697289

bayindirh 3y ago
> Thus expected lifetime quickly becomes long enough that it's effectively not an issue for CPUs and GPUs if you provide sufficient cooling. Both yes and no. I still have an old AMD Athlon XP system, which works at 2200MHz (200x11), which is completely out of spec for that generation of AMD systems (2200MHz parts had 166MHz bus), and it still performs as on day one since it's not overclocked and cooled well. On the other hand, we change parts which fry because they feel like it even they are not even close to their thermal limits, because they're kept in well cooled data center. Sometimes, things go bzzt even without extreme heat. It's really interesting. Something is working at full throttle with no problems, you update a couple of things, reboot, and the device is gone for good.