如果您收到了计算机作为礼物，或者想购买二手或打折的型号，那么您可能想知道如何判断您的计算机的使用年限。
虽然它并不总是一个精确或直接的过程，但可以通过应用一些技巧
来很好地了解您的Windows计算机的使用年限。(Windows)
为什么计算机的年龄很重要
您想知道计算机是哪一年制造的或属于哪一代计算机技术的原因有很多：
- 确定计算机是否仍在保修期内。
- 检查卖家关于计算机使用年限的说法是否属实。
- 确定计算机是否仍可升级(upgradeable)。
计算机(Computer)技术发展如此之快，以至于尽管计算机可能仍处于良好的工作状态，但其功能和性能可能不再适用于当今的典型工作。
什么时候电脑太旧了？
这是我们从想要为家庭成员购买旧计算机或想知道是否应该更换现有计算机的读者那里得到的很多问题。
答案是“视情况而定”，因为计算机的用途决定了它是否具有足够的性能。如果计算机仍然满足或超过您需要运行的应用程序的最低要求，则没有理由更换它。考虑到十年前的计算机仍然如此强大，如果您只需要进行基本的网络浏览和生产力，它们可能仍然没问题。
更大的问题是软件支持。Microsoft Windows是世界上最流行的操作系统，但Windows 11仅支持（在撰写本文时）最新一代的CPU 。Windows 10 的生命周期结束日期是2025 年 10 月(October 2025)14 日，如果您在此日期之后需要 Windows，则需要一台可以运行Windows 11或更高版本的计算机。您不能继续使用Windows Vista或 7 等旧版本，因为它们没有更新，尤其是安全更新。
假设(Suppose)您不需要Windows 操作系统(Windows OS)。特别是，您始终可以安装众多出色的 Linux 发行版之一(install one of the many wonderful distributions of Linux)，它完全可以成为任何人的日常驱动操作系统。
1.检查计算机(Computer Came)进来的框(Box)
如果计算机的原始包装或随附的文档仍然存在，则很有可能在包装或手册的某处印有制造日期。这通常只是适用于笔记本电脑的一个技巧，因为即使是预构建的桌面系统也通常由现成的组件组装而成，每个组件都有各自的日期。
2.检查序列号贴纸
即使你早就扔掉了电脑的盒子，你可能还没有去掉序列号贴纸。在许多情况下，这些贴纸上会清楚地注明制造日期。即使不明显，制造日期有时也会编码在序列号中。如果是这种情况，您可能需要使用网络搜索进行查找，以便您知道如何解释序列号中编码的任何额外信息。
3. 检查电脑机箱(Computer Case)内部(Inside)
如果您有一台带有易于拆卸侧面板的台式计算机，您实际上可能会在系统内部的标签上找到计算机的制造日期。您还可以检查主板本身的制造日期，当然这只会告诉您主板本身的年龄。尽管如此，除非计算机已经进行了广泛升级，否则主板的生产日期应该接近计算机本身的平均年龄。
几乎所有组件都是如此，因此如果您觉得需要，您也可以检查每个其他组件上的日期戳。尽管在CPU的情况下，不值得卸下散热器（和散热膏）来查看日期，因为您可以简单地从CPU的型号中推断出来。
如果您有一台带可拆卸底板的笔记本电脑，在许多情况下，您可能还会在主板上看到此信息，但通常没有必要，因为日期应该在其他地方注明。
4.使用Sysinfo检查(Sysinfo)BIOS 日期(BIOS Date)
另一个衡量计算机使用年限的好指标是主板固件的使用年限。这在旧计算机上被称为BIOS（基本输入输出系统(Basic Input Output System)），但在现代计算机上，它已被UEFI（统一可扩展固件接口(Extensible Firmware Interface)）取代。
通常在计算机启动时必须按下一个特殊键才能访问它，但如果您运行的是Windows ，则使用(Windows)系统信息(System Information)应用程序会更容易。
按(Press)开始按钮(Start Button)打开开始菜单(Start Menu)并在Windows 搜索(Windows Search)中键入系统信息(System Information)(systeminfo.exe) ，然后在结果中出现时选择它。
(Select System Summary)在左侧窗格中选择 System Summary ，然后查找BIOS Version/Date，您将看到那里列出的日期。
但是，这是一个不完美的解决方案，因为它显示的是最新固件更新的日期，而不是计算机的制造日期。因此，如果它收到了最近的更新，这可能会有点误导。
5. 使用命令提示符(Command Prompt)检查Microsoft Windows 原始安装日期(Microsoft Windows Original Install Date)
您可以使用命令提示符(Command Prompt)( CMD.exe ) 或Windows PowerShell检查您的Windows系统的安装日期。只需(Simply)从任务栏(Taskbar)打开“开始”菜单(Start Menu)并键入“命令提示符(Command Prompt)”，然后运行该程序。或者，Press Win + R，键入“cmd”，然后按Enter。
在命令提示符(Command Prompt)中，键入 systeminfo | 找到 /i “安装日期”，将显示安装日期。
与BIOS日期方法一样，所有这些都告诉您当前Windows副本的安装时间。如果有人重新安装Windows或升级到更新版本，日期将反映这一点，而不是计算机本身的年龄。尽管如此，很多人从不升级到更新版本的Windows或重新安装他们的操作系统，所以它仍然是一个有用的技巧。
6.检查Windows文件夹(Windows Folder)的“修改日期”或“创建”属性
如果您不习惯在命令提示符中乱搞，您可以通过检查(Command Prompt)Windows安装文件夹
的属性来获得类似的信息。
打开文件资源管理器(Open File Explorer)（Win + E是一个方便的快捷方式）并导航到 C 驱动器，您将在其中找到Windows文件夹。如果Windows文件夹不存在，则意味着安装该Windows副本的人使用了自定义位置，因此您必须搜索它。
右键单击(Right-click)Windows文件(Windows)夹并选择属性。
在“常规(General)”选项卡下，您将找到“修改日期”部分或“创建”部分，具体取决于Windows的版本。
这将告诉您文件夹的创建时间。假设当时计算机的时钟是准确的，这会告诉您安装Windows的时间。
7.检查CPU型号
计算机的 CPU（中央处理器(Central Processing Unit)）是确定计算机使用年限的关键。CPU是计算机其余部分通常构建的主要组件。因此，它可以很好地指示计算机的使用年限。即使其他组件规格较新，CPU也会限制核心计算机进程的最大性能。
查看CPU的最简单方法是在Windows中打开任务管理器(Task Manager)，然后在性能(Performance)选项卡下查看CPU部分。您将看到此处列出的CPU型号。
然后，您可以获取该型号，将其放入Google等网站的搜索框或制造商的网站上，并找出它的首次生产时间，这将使您对计算机的技术世代有一个很好的了解。
8. 检查单个组件(Individual Components)的年龄(Age)
如果您面对的桌面系统不是工厂预装的机器，则很难判断您的计算机的使用年限。毕竟，有些组件可能比其他组件要新得多。像戴尔(Dell)这样的公司也销售翻新电脑，只有没有通过质量测试的组件才能进入构建。所以可能会有新旧东西的混合。
这可能是一个问题，因为电源和机械硬盘驱动器等组件越旧越容易发生故障，因为它们的运动部件会磨损。
在这种情况下，您需要检查每个单独组件的序列号或发布日期信息。
Mac 呢？
您可能想知道如何判断运行 macOS的Apple Mac的使用年限。(Apple Mac)好消息是我们可以用一两句话告诉你。只需单击左上角的Apple按钮，然后选择 About This (Apple)Mac。您的计算机的型号年份将直接写在顶部，简单！
8 Ways to Tell the Age of Your Windows Computer
If you’ve received a computer as a gift or are lookіng to buy a used or disсounted model, then you mау be wondering how to tell how оld your computer is.
While it’s not always a precise or straightforward process, it’s possible to get a good idea of how old your Windows computer is by applying a few tricks.
Why Your Computer’s Age Matters
There are more than a few reasons why you’d want to know what year a computer was made or what generation of computer technology it belongs to:
- Determining if a computer is still within warranty.
- Checking whether what a seller says about a computer’s age is true.
- Working out whether a computer is still upgradeable.
Computer technology moves so quickly that, although a computer might still be in good working order, its features and performance may no longer be any good for typical jobs today.
When Is a Computer Too Old?
This is a question we get a lot from readers who either want to buy an older computer for a family member or want to know if they should replace an existing computer.
The answer is “it depends’, since what the computer is used for determines if it has enough performance on offer. If the computer still meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the applications you need to run, then there’s no reason to replace it. Given how powerful computers from even ten years ago still are, if you only need to do basic web browsing and productivity, they’re probably still fine.
A much bigger issue is software support. Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world, but Windows 11 does not support all but (at the time of writing) the most recent CPU generations. Windows 10’s end-of-life date is 14 October 2025, and if you need Windows past this date, you’ll need a computer that can run Windows 11 or later. You can’t hang on to old versions like Windows Vista or 7 since those don’t get updates, especially security updates.
Suppose you don’t need the Windows OS. In particular, you can always install one of the many wonderful distributions of Linux, which is perfectly capable of being a daily-driver operating system for anyone.
1. Check the Box the Computer Came In
If the computer’s original packaging is still around or the documentation that came with it, there’s a good chance the manufacturing date is stamped somewhere on the packaging or in the manual. This is usually only a trick that applies to laptops, since even prebuilt desktop systems are typically assembled from off-the-shelf components, each with their individual date.
2. Check the Serial Number Sticker
Even if you’ve long thrown away the computer’s box, you probably haven’t removed the serial number sticker. In many cases, the manufacturing date will be plainly stated on these stickers. Even if it isn’t apparent, the manufacturing date is sometimes encoded in the serial number. You may have to look up if this is the case using a web search so that you know how to interpret any extra information encoded in the serial number.
3. Check the Inside of the Computer Case
If you have a desktop computer with an easily-removable side panel, you may actually find the computer’s manufacturing date printed on a label inside the system. You can also check the motherboard itself for a manufacturing date, although of course this only tells you the age of the motherboard itself. Still, unless the computer has been upgraded extensively, the motherboard’s date of manufacture should be close to the average age of the computer itself.
The same goes for almost any component, so if you feel you need to you can check for date stamps on every other component too. Although in the case of the CPU, it’s not worth removing the heatsink (and heat paste) to see a date, because you can simply infer it from the model of CPU.
If you have a laptop with a removable bottom panel, you may also see this information printed on the mainboard in many cases, but it’s usually not necessary since the date should be indicated elsewhere.
4. Check the BIOS Date With Sysinfo
Another good indicator of how old a computer is is the age of the motherboard’s firmware. This was referred to as the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) on older computers, but on modern computers, this has been replaced with UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).
There’s usually a special key that you must press when the computer boots up to access this, but if you’re running Windows, it’s easier to use the System Information app instead.
Press the Start Button to open the Start Menu and type System Information (systeminfo.exe) into Windows Search, then select it when it comes up in the results.
Select System Summary in the left-hand pane, then look for BIOS Version/Date, and you’ll see a date listed there.
However, this is an imperfect solution because it shows the date of the latest firmware update, not the date the computer was made. So if it’s received a recent update, this could be a little misleading.
5. Use the Command Prompt to Check the Microsoft Windows Original Install Date
You can use the Command Prompt (CMD.exe) or Windows PowerShell to check the date your Windows system was installed. Simply open the Start Menu from the Taskbar and type “Command Prompt,” and run the program. Alternatively, Press Win + R, type “cmd” and press Enter.
In Command Prompt, type systeminfo | find /i “install date” and the installation date will be displayed.
As with the BIOS date method, all this tells you is when the current copy of Windows was installed. If anyone reinstalled Windows or upgraded to a newer version, the date will reflect that rather than the age of the computer itself. Still, plenty of people never upgrade to a newer version of Windows or reinstall their operating systems, so it’s still a useful trick to have.
6. Check the “Date Modified” or “Created” Attribute of the Windows Folder
If you aren’t comfortable messing around in the Command Prompt, you can get similar information by inspecting the attributes of the Windows installation folder.
Open File Explorer (Win + E is a handy shortcut for this) and navigate to the C drive where you’ll find the Windows folder. If the Windows folder isn’t there, it means that whoever installed that copy of Windows used a custom location, so you’ll have to search for it.
Right-click on the Windows folder and choose Properties.
Under the General tab, you’ll either find a “Date Modified” section or a “Created” section, depending on the version of Windows.
This will tell you when the folder was made. Assuming the computer’s clock was accurate at that time, this tells you when Windows was installed.
7. Check the CPU Model
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a computer is key to figuring out how old a computer is. The CPU is the main component that the rest of the computer is usually built around. So it’s a good indicator of how old a computer is. Even if the other component specs are newer, the CPU limits the maximum performance of core computer processes.
The easiest way to see your CPU is to open the Task Manager in Windows and check under the Performance tab for the CPU section. You’ll see your CPU model as listed here.
Then you can take that model number, put it into a search box of a site like Google or on the manufacturer’s website and find out when it was first produced, which will give you a good idea of the computer’s technological generation.
8. Checking the Age of Individual Components
If you’re faced with a desktop system that’s not a factory pre-built machine, it can be hard to tell the age of your computer. After all, some components may be much newer than others. Companies like Dell also sell refurbished computers where only components that haven’t passed a quality test make it into the build. So there could be a mix of old and new stuff.
This can be a problem because components like power supplies and mechanical hard drives are far more likely to fail the older they get since they have moving parts that wear out.
In this case, you need to inspect each individual component for its serial number or release date information.
What About Macs?
You may be wondering how to tell the age of an Apple Mac running macOS. The good news is that we can say it to you in just a sentence or two. Simply click the Apple button at the top-left corner and select About This Mac. The model year of your computer will be written right at the top, easy!
