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Are retrocomputers best left on or off?

I have a machine from 1998. I believe its hard drive and RAM are all original. It powers on and loads the OS, so I have reason to believe that nothing major is corrupted. However, is it best to lea...

One of the most common components to break over time are aluminum electrolyte capacitors, which you will find in any PSU old or new, and probably in the voltage regulator parts of other circuit boards around the computer. You can avoid this if make it a habit to inspect aluminium electrolytes on a regular basis - if they start to bulge, they need to be replaced and you shouldn't power up the device until they are fixed. Data retention is for sure a ticking bomb for all of these parts, why hobbies like collecting old video games are doomed - the only thing you know for sure is that the item will eventually fail.

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