Do cables go bad?

I'm about to embark on building my frist system since basically the turn of the century. I have a huge storage bin full of cables (Power wire, speaker wire, and RCA cables - including some RF RCAs that I spent a small fortune on.  I think I even have some distribution blocks in there). Some are used, some are not. It seems like as long as they're in good shape and not damaged or corroded then they should be usable. But, I don't know if they'd degrade over time. I'd appreciate any insight y'all can provide. If I do need to replace them all, what are some good brands that won't break the proverbial bank?  I've been out of the game so long, I don't know what's what anymore.