I bought some Corsair radiators, a Seasonic power supply unit (PSU), and a Noctua cooler about two years ago, but I've never actually used them. They've just been sitting in storage, untouched and still packaged. There's been no heat or any damage to them, but now that I want to set them up, I'm worried if they still work like they should—especially the PSU, since I'm not sure how to test that without using it. I'm hoping to get some insights into whether these components can go bad just from sitting unused for so long.
3 Answers
Generally, as long as they were kept dry and undamaged, you shouldn't have major issues. I've had Noctua fans sitting around for 8 years and they worked perfectly when I finally used them, so there's hope for your cooler too!
It's a common thought that some SSDs and flash memory can fail over time—even without being used. So, it's good to think about storage conditions! Although with your components, if they were sealed and undamaged, they should be okay.
For power supplies, they can sometimes degrade if stored for longer than five years, especially if they contain electrolytic capacitors. Still, a couple of years is usually okay. Just check for any signs of wear when you try them out, like if the PSU struggles to power up or seems unstable.
I just looked up my PSU that I got five years ago, and now I'm a bit worried about it... Guess I should test it soon!