How Long Should A Laptop Last
With so many people required to work from home, laptop sales this year have skyrocketed. Sure, you can just buy a webcam for your PC, but a laptop is way more convenient to use and seems to be the preferred choice of most people.
However, it is a piece of technology, and as we know, nothing lasts forever. People upgrade their mobile phones, on average, every 2 years. So, today, in this article, we are going to answer the question “how long should a laptop last”.
As with most things, the answer isn’t a simple “yes or no”. Bummer, I know. There are simply too many variables that we need to take into consideration.
1. Hardware, Software, And Price
Price has nothing to do with how long a laptop should last; it has everything to do with it. Contradictory statements but here me out. The thing is, the higher a laptop costs, the hardware and components used instead are expected to be of a higher grade. It is a very simple concept that you see all around.
Cheap clothes are made of thinner, lighter material that cannot withstand damage. An expensive laptop will be made using high-quality materials and thus will be much more resilient.
Laptops that are priced higher are also equipped with better performance due to top-grade parts and software, future-proofing them to some extent. More RAM means smoother performance, more storage means, well, self-explanatory, and the better your graphic card, the better gaming and editing experience you will enjoy.
Technology advances faster and faster each year, but if you spend a decent chunk of money, for example, 1000+ dollars, you can surely expect your laptop to last at least 6-7 years. The top-grade of today will become the mid-tier during those 6-7 years, which is quite a good trade, IMO.
2. What You Do On Your Laptop
The tasks that you use for your laptop will determine how long it will last. If your laptop is used primarily for highly demanding tasks like video editing, gaming, graphic designing, etc., then it will suffer from being not-so-relevant in a few years.
This is because gaming, designing, and editing are fields that require constant up-gradation of components, which isn’t the easiest on a laptop or even possible in some laptops.
If you use your laptop for fairly simple tasks like web browsing, watching TVs, entry-level gaming, etc., then it can potentially last over 10 years. I still use my Sony Vaio from 2009 because all I do is write articles and play the Age of Empires 2. So, how long should a laptop last?
Well, again, it depends. The work that you do on your laptop and the quality of materials used to make it, along with how well you maintain it, determine how long it will last. As for how long should a laptop last? A mid-tier laptop should last at least 4-6 years, whilst an expensive, top-tier laptop should last a minimum of 6 years and ranging up to even 9 years.
How can you better maintain a laptop?
Maintenance plays a crucial role here. If you do not take care of your laptop, it might start causing you trouble within a year of purchase, whilst taking care of it can make it potentially last for years and years. So, what can you do?
1. Keep it clean: We are all guilty of not being very vigilant whilst eating around our laptops. Those ramen soup stains can cause some damage. Make sure you do not drop or spill anything on your laptop. Make sure to get the fans cleaned out and keep the screen as clean as possible using the recommended cleaners now and then.
2. Drop it!: DO NOT DROP IT! Get a well-padded bag. It is far cheaper than a replacement screen or, worse, a new laptop. Most companies give a bag, but it is recommended that you upgrade to a better one.
3. Ventilation: The biggest reason why laptops degrade in terms of performance is the lack of ventilation. Multi-tasking on your laptop can cause the fans to go into overdrive to maintain a cool temperature inside. So, if you must do demanding tasks to prevent your laptop from overheating, keep it in a well-ventilated by using a cooling pad. Preferably on a table or a flat surface. Keeping your laptop on your legs is bad for you and the laptop so let us try to avoid it as much as we can.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “how long should a laptop last,” and the answer is: it depends. Underwhelming, but it is what it is. Take care of them, and even a mid-tier will last 10 years, be reckless and expensive ones will break in a month. Take care of your equipment!
