GameCube Memory Card, how long will it last?

Question

Just out of curiosity

I have the Nintendo 1019 block card.

I've done countless saving and deleting of files for over a year now. How much longer do you think the card will last before becoming unusable?

Answer 1

If it's still in good condition, you could end up getting a couple of years out of it to come. If you put it in the freezer or damaged it in some other way, then maybe a few months until it becomes unusable.

Answer 2

I don't see why the card would ever become unusable if you don't damage it. Loading and deleting does nothing to the physical condition of the card. I've been using the same memory cards for five years without any problems.

Answer 3

The card just uses flash memory chips. While it has no moving parts, the memory cells wear out after tens of thousands of writing cycles. I'd give it decades, assuming it's not submersed in water. Eventually, it will get marginal from plain age, but that's years off.

Answer 4

So long as you keep it out of extreme temperature, it should last a long time. Flash memory is normally guaranteed to at least 100k read/write operations.