It’s not that they don’t work. It’s how businesses handle hardware.

I worked at a few data centers on and off in my career. I got lots of hardware for free or on the cheap simply because the hardware was considered “EOL” after about 3 years, often when support contracts with the vendor ends.

There are a few things to consider.

Hardware that ages produce more errors, and those errors cost, one way or another.

Rack space is limited. A perfectly fine machine that consumes 2x the power for half the output cost. It’s cheaper to upgrade a perfectly fine working system simply because it performs better per watt in the same space.

Lastly. There are tax implications in buying new hardware that can often favor replacement.