How reliable is an old, but barely-used server motherboard?

Question

I'm building a home NAS and have an old motherboard, CPU, and memory that I can use for it. The components are server-grade (Supermicro motherboard, Xeon CPU, and Samsung ECC memory) and ~9 years old, but have only been powered-on for about 1 year. They've been in storage since 2013. I will be adding brand new HDDs, PSU, and case fans.Am I going to have a bad time if I use these components for a box that will most likely be in operation for 5+ years?Thanks!

Nokinside · Accepted Answer

Look for a small battery in the motherboard. If it has one, you may want to change that.
Apart from that, some electrolytic capacitors may degrade over time in storage. If you use them they should self heal a little. Tantalum electrolytic capacitors are stable.
If you switch the battery, it boots, passes memtest, and works fine it should be almost like new. Run tests in BIOS to make sure.
Storage affects lifetime but not as much as use. It should be fine for next 5 years.

detaro · Answer

If it runs for a while without issues, it'll probably be good long term. But I would do an economics check: At that age, the power efficiency is likely terrible compared to modern parts, and replacing it could pay off quite quickly.

rolph · Answer

components can "rot" over time, you should check out the capacitors because :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plagueits possible there are some capacitors that are old and dry.