I dump chains at around 0.75% wear, which here in Yorkshire on a mountain bike means around 1000-1500km or thereabouts. Cassettes and chainrings last a goodly amount of time when I stick to this, although obviously they do wear eventually.
Personally, I use a cheap roller gauge for quick checking and a steel ruler for accurate pin-to-pin measurements. Someone in the thread above mentioned that measuring pin to pin doesn’t work, but I’m afraid that I must disagree here and when I replace a chain it has physically stretched (i.e. when laid alongside the new one, is physically longer) rather than just containing worn rollers, but not so worn that the new chain doesn’t key in ok.
My biggest gripe at the moment is with Shimano XTR jockey wheels which appear to be made of a carefully formulated alloy of window putty and soft, French cheese. I’m sure it’s very carefully designed, but they wear down to spikes in no time at all! Not a fan of alloy ones though, because they are just too chattery on the bike.
For the OP, 4500km between chain replacements would, for me at least, certainly require a cassette and probably chainring(s) too.