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Solved Laptop lifespan

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Data838

PCHF Member
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Nov 23, 2021
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#1
Hi,

I have a question about the lifespan of a laptop. I have a 4 year old laptop which has some problems and has to be repaired and a new one which is more expensive and more powerful because I bought it specifically for making videos. I'm using the first one for 15-20 hours a day, whereas the new one for about 20 hours per week.

If I'm using the new one significantly less than the old one, will it last me longer than usual or will it have approx. the same lifespan and there's really no need to preserve it, therefore it isn't really worth repairing the old one?

Thank you in advance.
 
#2
no sarcasm intended, but you may as well of asked "how long is a piece of string?" :)
way too many variables to consider - usage habits, environment, location, mobility, etc.

but to give you my thoughts, I reckon somewhere around two years, something goes wrong and the unit is either still under warranty, or it's a small issue (like needs more memory or more space) and is easily and cheaply fixed. or the unit is still in the 'honeymoon' period and you are happy to spend the money.

then around the five year mark something happens again, like failed hardware or cracked screen, and it's at this point where you start asking 'is this unit worth it?', and are you better off spending the money on a replacement?

sadly, only you can answer that as it's too subjective.

does the old unit still serve your needs, are you happy with the battery life, speed and space capacities, is the repair cost affordable, will a new unit make me more productive, and so forth.

personally, at 4 years old, the unit is on the borderline and you could lean either way! :unsure:
 
#3
Why not? It will last longer:
1) If you don't forget to disconnect charger from 2nd laptop and store it with 70-90% of battery it will leave much more then on 1st laptop
2) Your cooling system not so dirty, because work less
3) Your SSD has much less TBW then on first.
 
#5
As well as what Bruce and Veeg say.
Laptops were/and are made for part time work - not 24/7 type work.
Any part can break down - welcome to electronics
I have had branded ssd drives fail after 6 months.
Data838 said:
I have a 4 year old laptop
Click to expand...
I have a laptop still working and it came out with windows 98 - around 1998
The main thing besides the quality of parts is also software.
You now need certian hardware to run the latest software . E.G Widows 11 wants TPM to run
Will not run on older working laptops that work with older/other operating systems( yes I know it can be by passed for us who know how)
A good chance you will run out of software that will work with the laptop.
I had to throw an old mac laptop out because I could not access the internet properly due to web browsers not allowing updates.
Data838 said:
If I'm using the new one significantly less than the old one, will it last me longer than usual or will it have approx
Click to expand...
Luck of the draw
If the parts are going to fail it could be 6 months or 10 years NO ONE can say .
You have paid for a new laptop USE IT and get the benefit of what you paid for.
It breaks, you look at how much to repair or replace. Swear a bit then move on.
What you need to do is plan for the laptop to fail - Not if or when. It will fail
So rather then trying to make a new peice of equipment last longer USE IT and get the benefits of what it can do for you.
Data838 said:
therefore it isn't really worth repairing the old one?
Click to expand...
Depending on what is wrong with it, learning to repair something that you don't care about is a great way to learn.
If you fix it great it works and you have learnt something.
If you work on it and it does not get reparied then great you have still learnt something about computers.

As Bruce and others here think. PREPARE for equipment failure.
BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP.
And do not use the windows built in backup systems or it will be tears before bedtime.
And have more then 1 backup and TEST the backups.
 
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