What is the oldest component still in your system?

[Craig71]

Curiosity thread. Most builds are rolling replacements rather than clean starts. What is the oldest piece of hardware still earning its place in something you actively use? And what keeps it relevant when everything around it is newer?

[WWFGareth98]

A mechanical hard drive from 2013 that has been in every build I have made since. Still working, still used purely for cold storage backup. I keep waiting for it to fail and it refuses.

[John_62]

Sound card from 2016. Every motherboard audio solution I have tried since has been worse for my specific use case. The dedicated card does things the integrated solution cannot and I keep moving it to new builds.

[GlassKnight89]

A monitor from 2018 that I have never found a reason to replace. 1440p IPS panel, no HDR, no high refresh rate. Everything I have tried to replace it with has been sideways not forward for my use.

[RogueAI32]

UPS from 2015. The batteries have been replaced twice but the unit itself keeps working and I have not found a better solution at the price point. Unglamorous but important infrastructure.

[CodyRhodes99]

A case from 2014. I have replaced everything inside it multiple times. Good airflow design, solid build quality, 5.25 inch bays I no longer use but retain sentimental attachment to.

[EntangledOne]

My keyboard from 2017. Mechanical, specific switch type that I am not willing to change, slightly tatty but functioning perfectly. The number of keyboards I have tried and returned since buying this one is embarrassing.

[Diane82]

Honestly the oldest thing is me having built systems for 20 years. The institutional knowledge about what matters and what does not is worth more than any component upgrade.

[Quarry18]

RAM from 2019 that I am still running because the speed is sufficient for everything I do and the upgrade cost does not justify the performance difference. Storage and GPU get the upgrade budget.