In statistics and probability, he calls a normal or Gaussian distribution to be one of the continuous variable probability distributions that appear most frequently in statistics and probability theory. When it comes to hardware failures, this Gaussian distribution (represented by the famous Gaussian bell) perfectly explains device failure statistics, but why does new hardware tend to fail more?
Statistics explain why new hardware can fail
When you buy new hardware, whether it’s a graphics card, processor, or a peripheral like a mouse, the failing device when new is just as likely to fail when it is new. ‘it is old, while it is quite rare as once. the component is already installed and it has been working for a few days, fail.
Obviously, it’s not to anyone’s liking that a new component causes problems, but there are several factors that explain this, starting with failures in the manufacturing process. Imagine, for example, that a graphics card had a manufacturing problem and some GPU pins were not soldered correctly: when you connect it to your PC it will not work, or it will fail shortly. after its operation. However, if you buy a GPU, install it on your PC, and have already been running it for a month without a problem, it is unlikely to fail until it reaches the end of its life. useful, and this is explained by the Gaussian bell graphic that we have already told you about.
According to this statistical function, when the equipment is new or when it has already reached the end of its life cycle, this is the time when it is most likely to fail, in the first case almost always due to manufacturing problems or because it has suffered external damage. damage, and in the second case, because the components have already reached the end of their useful life.
However, in the middle of its life cycle, the probability of failure is extremely low, and the proof is that it is quite rare, for example, for a graphics card that has already been working for a year to fail (except factors external) until it is already quite old and used a lot. This is the reason why new hardware is much more likely to fail than a component that has already been running for a few months without problems, no more and no less, and the funny thing is that this statistic tells us that the probability that it will fail being new is the same as when it has reached the end of its life cycle.
The warranty policy and planned obsolescence
Manufacturers are keenly aware of the life cycle of their products, and although new hardware is more likely to fail than hardware that has been in use for some time, they are required by law to provide their products with a warranty period for s. ‘they are wrong from the factory. Usually, the warranty period for your products rises to the top of the Gaussian bell curve, and therefore when the probability of failure begins to increase.
Obviously, manufacturers aren’t stupid and know exactly how long their product’s useful life reaches, so it’s only normal for devices to start breaking down right at the end of the warranty period. . Luck? Planned obsolescence? None of this: if a manufacturer gives his power supply a warranty period of, for example, 5 years, it is because he knows that its life cycle is 10, but from the 5th year it is is when the bell curve starts to go down. therefore, the odds of failure start to increase.