PC failures in decline, research claims

PC hardware failure rates have dropped 25 per cent in the past two years, according to a study done by research firm Gartner.

But the analyst says there is still room for improvement.

Gartner analyst Leslie Fiering says users need to track their PC failure rates to spot problems and hold their suppliers accountable.

'Once chief financial officers (CFOs) become aware of PC failure rates, especially in enterprises that purchase thousands of computers each year, there will be extra pressure placed on chief information officers (CIOs) to spot problems,' she said.

'Then they need to hold their PC supplier responsible. CFOs will want assurances that the equipment they finance is not going to result in downtime for their employees.'

The Gartner survey shows motherboards and hard disks are the most unreliable components with failure rates said to be highest among new PCs in the first 60 days of use.

'The number of motherboard replacements has been rising over time as more components get integrated onboard,' Fiering says.

'Parts such as network interface cards or modems can no longer be swapped out as separate parts. If either of these fails, an entire motherboard swap is required.'

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