Your RAM is an extremely important component whose main purpose is meant to communicate with the processor by sending and receiving instructions. In a way, the RAM is a crucial part of the build of your computer as computers cannot run without them, so it’s important to have RAM of decent quality that’ll last a long time.
The last thing you want is a dying component, this usually means your computer will be ineffective or possibly unusable. This can be extremely annoying if you use your computer frequently, or you have important work to complete. Technically, nothing lasts forever, so we’re going to find out how long RAM actually lasts, and what the failure rate is.
Answer: With many components, you will be able to tell when it’s exhibiting failure, these symptoms are a sign that you should replace those components. The lifespan of the RAM can be extremely long, it can last up to 100 years. This is because the RAM has no moving parts, and is technically made to last forever. You shouldn’t worry about failing RAM.
How Long Does The RAM Last?
Your RAM will indeed fail, but you’ll be glad to find out that it’s typically the last component to fail. As components are constantly becoming faster, more advanced, and more durable, the chances of you having a RAM fail on you is extremely low. The best answer for how long RAM lasts is a very long time, because you can have RAM modules that last up to 100 years, and they will become obsolete before they die.
Is it worth worrying about your RAM dying? Well in our opinion it definitely isn’t worth it for two reasons, they last extremely long, and you will upgrade them way before they even exhibit signs of failure. It’s recommended to upgrade RAM every 5 years, and we know RAM lasts significantly longer than 5 years therefore worrying about RAM is pointless.
Components such as hard drives, graphics cards, and fans have lower life spans because they have mechanical components, but RAM on the other hand does not. Because of this, the RAM’s lifespan is undefined, likely centuries long. Your RAM will exhibit atomic degradation which is usually a long process. If you’re wondering what the failure rate of RAM is, it’s around 0.41% or 1 in every 244 RAM modules.
How To Tell If The RAM Is Dying?
Since the RAM works closely to the CPU, dying RAM or faulty RAM will cause diminished performance and instability issues. If your computer frequently crashes, freezes or exhibits blue screens of deaths, then that means your RAM is potentially faulty. You’ll also notice that memory-intensive applications won’t run effectively, this is due to the RAMs inability to communicate to the CPU properly.
You’ll often notice that your PC fails to post when the RAM isn’t inserted correctly, this is due to the motherboard not detecting any memory. Well, dying or dead RAM will not be picked up by the motherboard, therefore your computers will not post. To check if this is actually a RAM issue, simply use a working module, and if the system works, then your RAM modules are faulty.
Frequent crashes such as blue screens of deaths are due to failing RAM. BSODs are extremely vague, and it can be caused by software and hardware issues, but if you do happen to have BSODs, there’s a small chance that your RAM is responsible. But don’t assume it’s your RAM automatically because BSODs can be caused by so many hardware components, trial and error is the only way to find the true culprit.
What Causes RAM To Fail?
The biggest enemy to computer components is heat, and heat is responsible for causing components to perform slowly and even causing their failure. If your RAM is receiving too much heat, then it’ll perform slowly, and they’re more susceptible to failure if they receive too much heat. To ensure that your RAM does not overheat, we recommend applying a ventilation strategy for your PC case.
Power surges can damage any component in its path, and this includes RAM. If your PC receives a surge in power, then not only is your RAM at risk of failure, but many other components. If you’re prone to power surges, you should invest in a surge protector to protect any important components you may have. Surge protectors will save your PC from voltage spikes which can fry many components.
When building a PC case, it’s recommended to be properly grounded, this is because static electricity can damage PC components. It’s possible that the cause of your RAM failing was an electrostatic discharge that damaged it when you were building it. It is known to take around 10 volts of electricity to fry your RAM sticks, so ensure that you’ve got an electrostatic wristband so you’re on the safe side.
Conclusion
The verdict is that it’s not worth worrying about the lifespan of your RAM because your RAM is the longest lasting component in your PC, it can last way past their date of viability. You’ll replace your RAM long before it’s even close to dying, this is because RAM has no moving parts, their failure rate is 0.41%.
If you’re worried about damaging PC components, before building your PC, we recommend that you ensure you’re properly grounded, this is because electrostatic discharge can kill your RAM sticks. To prevent failure to components after you’ve built your PC, we recommend a surge protector to protect from any voltage spikes, high voltages can be fatal to many components in your build.
A failing RAM module will exhibit many problems, and you can find out if your RAM is failing by using trial and error. If you suspect that your RAM is failing, replace it with a working RAM module to examine how your PC behaves after. Failing RAM usually causes a series of problems such as frequent crashes, the inability to run RAM intensive applications, and frequent blue screen deaths. Also dead RAM modules will cause your PC not to post.
