How long do laptops last?
Last year, well last summer I should say, I treated myself to my first laptop computer.
Lately I’ve been hearing people say that their laptop only lasted for about a year. I don’t know what models they purchased or how they used their computer, but that seems like an awfully short time doesn’t it?
Now I’m wondering how long I might expect this laptop to last? I use it for at least 8 hours a day. Sometimes it’s on for 48 hours at a time! Often it’s on for 12 to 18 hours.
I’ve actually thought of getting another laptop. Perhaps something else to add to the ol Christmas list? Chris likes to use the laptop too so it might be nice for us to have two of them. We have a desktop computer too, but I find it so much more convenient to use the laptop most of the time, although I think I’m more productive when I sit at the desktop as I’m not watching TV at the same time. That’s probably the key reason why I do better at the desktop.
So what do you think? How long should a laptop last and should I get a second one?
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I guess it depends on what you buy… I’ve always had good luck with Dells, both desktop and laptop. But I had a friend in Nashville who constantly bashed Dell, based entirely on his experience with the power cable failing and Dell’s customer service sucking (which is weird, because they’ve won awards for their service, and I’ve never had any trouble with them… of course, I haven’t called them in 4 or 5 years either).
At any rate, I have a Dell laptop I bought a couple of years ago that works fine, but that could be because I hardly use it. It’s pretty much a base model, but it’s enough to get the average user by, and has the usual CD burner, DVD player, built in wireless, etc. Anyway, I’ve had it for 2 or 3 years now and have had no problems, and I feel like I could keep it for another 2 or 3 and not have any either… but I barely ever use it.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:23 am
Laptops don’t necessarily die in a year, but they are technically “outdated” in one year. Sometimes even sooner! The actual lifespan of your laptop depends on how well you take care of it. Do you download junk full of spyware and viruses? Do you defrag your hard drive often? Do you make sure it doesn’t overheat (resting it on hard surfaces, not couches and beds)? My laptop (HP) is 2 years old and still going strong! I have had horrid luck with Dell laptops, but I use mine ALL THE TIME to blog, write papers, do research, etc. If you plan on a LOT of use, avoid the dells or anything “generic”. Go with the name-brand ones — I have always had a great experience with my HP laptops
September 29th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I think laptops should last at least three years…especially if they are expensive. I’m purchasing my first Mac laptop tonight and it’s costly! It better last three years, at least! I think you should get another so there will be no chance that one of you can’t use the laptop because of the other.
September 30th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I’ve had several laptops. The best so far is this Compaq Presario R3000 with an AMD64 processor and a gig of ram. The worst one was a Toshiba. The laptop itself wasn’t bad, but I’d say that Toshiba is the world’s worst when it comes to warranty. They wouldn’t be responsible for anything. Never will I ever buy another Toshiba, and as a consultant, I’ve directed more than $100,000 worth of sales in directions other than Toshiba, just on the strength of my own research, and my and other’s experiences.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:41 am
I’m using an X31 thinkpad that I got on ebay and it browses the web, does word processing, handles Windows XP, youtube.com, Hotmail, AIM and other common programs just fine. I expect to use it for some time to come. It’s true, it can’t run Crysis and Bioshock, but it can probably play Eye of the Beholder with Dosbox or the third Quake or something. I know it can run Soltaire. It can probably do Zork too.
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
It depends on the maintenance. There are a lot of things people don’t know about it. You need an anti-virus and a spy ware protection. The secret thing is that every once in a while you need to go to Start:All Programs:Accessories:System Tools
and then click on disk cleanup and disk defragmenter.
This keeps your computer at new performance.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I have been using my HP Pavilion dv 5000 for over four years. It works great. I am thinking about my next laptop but so far so good. I do keep backups and maintain it as suggested above.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:26 am
hi, it all depends on the way how you maintain the laptop. Because if the maintenance is good then it may last for more than four years. But if you are using for more than four years then moving to second one is the good choice.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
tablet laptops – well I’m hoping that my Laptop lasts for more than four years. I think I bought this one in 2007 so it’s just past 2 years old … but the longer it can last the better because we’re more than a little NSF right now and I don’t see that changing for a long while since I’m off work on medical leave! I need my laptop!
October 12th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I own a laptop that I’ve had for a couple of years. It is a Toshiba, but it was pretty beefed up when I bought it, so now, it would be considered an average laptop.
It would be nice to upgrade at this point, but I don’t really have the itch yet. When I get the itch, however, it will be hard to stop me!
June 1st, 2010 at 11:46 pm
My toshiba satellite laptop lasted four years then needed a
new lcd screen and now a new hard drive. My hard drive now
has a long warranty and more memory but I’m disappointed in
the need for repair so soon. I will say, in all this time, that
I only did disk cleanup and defrag. once. Did this shorten the
life of the drive?
October 24th, 2010 at 8:20 am