Thanks to voracious demand from AI hyperscalers, PC part prices are on a steep rise – not just RAM, but also SSDs and hard drives, as well as GPUs. And at the same time, availability seems to be waning on multiple components, with seemingly no end in sight — unless you can somehow see into 2027 or beyond. So you probably don't want to replace your key components any time soon, as long as they are good enough to get you by.
I'm certainly hoping nothing happens to the RTX 4090, 64GB of RAM, and the Ryzen 9 7950X in my main system in the next year or two. Or at least until we know a lot more about what comes after Intel's Nova Lake, and AMD's Zen 6 on the consumer side, which also might be around the time that we'll be seeing new gaming GPUs from Nvidia.
But you also should consider replacing the older supporting hardware that hasn't also gone up in price, like ageing or sub-par power supplies, or older coolers that may no longer be working at their peak capabilities. It isn't exactly exciting to invest $100-$200 in often-neglected parts that won't give you a higher frame rate or faster computing. But doing so now might save you from having to replace something much more expensive down the line – or something that may even be hard to buy at short notice.
Check the temps of your CPU and GPU during a stress test
Use something like HWinfo during a stress test to check the max and sustained temperatures of both your CPU and GPU, and compare those to the published or generally accepted TJ Max (thermal junction max) temperatures for your chip. If you have a recent-gen high-end CPU, it will likely quickly hit its TJ Max temperature and throttle on a taxing test. This is normal, and generally shouldn't be a concern if most of what you are doing with your PC is gaming, as gaming doesn't generally tax the CPU as heavily as highly threaded applications.
That said, if your CPU or GPU is often hovering at high temperatures during, say, a gaming benchmark, you should probably consider upgrading your cooler and / or case fans. The CPU cooler, logically, will have more of an impact on your CPU temperature, but if your GPU is often warm, make sure your intake and exhaust fans are oriented correctly, and then consider adding more airflow (more fans — or more and better fans) aimed at your graphics card. CPUs and GPUs are designed to handle a fair amount of heat, but generally, keeping their temperatures lower should lead to greater longevity.
You can also consider getting some of the best thermal paste, and re-pasting your CPU for lower temperatures and better sustained performance, which should cost between $5 and $20. You could also consider disassembling and re-applying pads or paste to your graphics card. But if you don't have experience on that front, it's a much more involved job that involves disassembling your card. And unless your card is several years old or your model is prone to cooling issues, the pre-installed thermal paste on most graphics cards should be fine.
Did you carry over your AIO cooler from a previous build? Replace it with a new model or a simpler air cooler.
Even if your CPU isn't getting noticeably warm, if you carried an AIO cooler over from a previous build or it's been in your existing system for five or more years, you might want to consider replacing it – or at least keeping a close eye on your CPU temps. Because even in these closed-loop coolers, coolant tends to evaporate, leaving you with sub-optimal coolant levels. And mixed metals and other issues can lead to coolant gunking.
So if you want to make sure your system and its CPU keep running as expected for the next few years, consider buying one of the best CPU coolers we've tested. AIOs are more affordable than they used to be. But if you want an affordable cooler without any of the coolant or pump issues involved with AIOs, a great air cooler like the Thermalright Royal Praetor 130 should serve you well through multiple builds and costs less than $50.
Are you using an old or poor-quality power supply? Get a new one before it takes out other hardware.
A good ATX power supply can last through multiple builds, but those internal components do wear out over years of regular use. And older or poor-quality power supplies can and occasionally do fail catastrophically, taking other expensive components out with them. So if you're keeping your existing system longer than expected and your power supply is getting on in years or isn't from the most reputable brand, it's a good idea to consider replacing it. The good news is that, at least for the moment, prices haven't risen dramatically on the best power supplies we've tested.
Cooler Master's MWE Gold V3 is one of our current top picks up to 850W, and sells for about $100 at that capacity. If you need more power for your GPU or other high-draw components, the Be Quiet Dark Power 13 is excellent, but it costs significantly more and is longer, so it won't fit in as many cases.
Make sure your SSD isn't about to wear out
If available, check your boot drive's toolbox software to find out how many terabytes written (TBW) the drive has listed, versus how much it is rated for. This can also be checked via HWinfo, though it lists your drive's "Drive Remainging Life" as a percentage. While the drive isn't likely to suddenly die once you're past its rating, that is one of the typical stipulations for the warranty ending (the other being years since purchase). If you have a drive that's getting close to its rated write endurance and you have other drives available, you might want to move your commonly used programs – or even the OS – off of that drive and onto another disk if you have one.
It's not exactly easy to move your OS from one drive to another, but an SSD cloner makes that task a lot easier (as I discovered last year when helping out a family member with their cramped boot drive). And these days, spending less than $50 for a tool to move your OS could be a lot cheaper than having to buy a brand-new 2TB or 4TB SSD. Also, if you don't have your irreplaceable data backed up somewhere, getting it off an SSD that may be on its last legs may be more important than any component price increases. WD's My Passport external hard drive might not be fast, but the 4TB model is still surprisingly affordable at $125 (and the max-capacity 6TB model is $185). I personally swore off hard drives years ago as much-faster SSDs became more affordable, but it's hard to argue against a $125 4TB hard drive for backing up essential data when most speedy 4TB SSDs cost close to four times that much.
Clean the fan filters and fans on your PC
Of course, one of the most basic PC maintenance tasks is making sure your case fans and the dust filters on your case aren't clogged up with crud. You can do that a number of ways, including old-school canned air. But you could also pick up a USB-rechargeable duster, which I've found extremely useful for blowing out fans, as well as cleaning keyboards and electronics. Just be aware that these devices can be very strong, and can damage the fragile components on parts like motherboards, as well as creating static discharge that could kill anything from your GPU, to RAM, or anything else. So make sure your system is powered off (preferably unplugged), and you're grounded, particularly if you live in a low-moisture environment.
Cautious users may also want to stick to just blowing out case fans. So long as your case has filters on the intake area, the interior shouldn't get that dusty anyway. But if your GPU is grimy, you might just want to physically remove it from your case and lightly wipe the fans and shroud down with a lightly damp cloth. But for most users, the intake and exhaust fans should be the primary concern in terms of airflow. And so long as you don't slam the nozzle of your blower up against the blades of fast-spinning fans (again, make sure your PC is powered off before blowing it out), blowing the dust from your fans shouldn't cause much concern.
Consider a cheap GPU support bracket to take the load off your x16 slot
If you've been getting by for years without any kind of GPU support, you might be fine continuing as is. But if you have a large card and you even have to occasionally move your system from one room to another, some basic sort of GPU support is worth investing in. If you have a 3D printer, you can make your own, but I bought this $6 GPU support screw in 2023 and it's been holding up my 1080 Ti nicely in its old age. Just check to see if you might need a longer support, as this one is adjustable between 72 and 117mm.
