What factors contribute to the longevity of a laptop?

Question

ChatGPT · Answer

The longevity of a laptop can be influenced by several key factors:
1. Build Quality: Laptops with sturdy materials (like aluminum or magnesium alloy) tend to last longer than those made from plastic. High-quality components can withstand wear and tear better.
2. Cooling System: Effective thermal management helps prevent overheating, which can damage internal components over time. Laptops with good ventilation and cooling fans typically have longer lifespans.
3. Hardware Specifications: Laptops with higher quality components (e.g., SSDs instead of HDDs, sufficient RAM, and powerful CPUs) can handle software updates and demanding applications better over time.
4. Battery Health: A laptop's battery degrades over time, affecting portability and usability. Regularly cycling the battery and avoiding extreme temperatures can help prolong its life.
5. Software Maintenance: Keeping the operating system and applications updated, and regularly performing system maintenance (like disk cleanup and defragmentation) can enhance performance and longevity.
6. Usage Patterns: How a laptop is used matters. Heavy gaming or resource-intensive tasks can lead to faster wear and tear compared to lighter usage like web browsing or word processing.
7. Environmental Factors: Exposure to dust, humidity, and extreme temperatures can negatively impact a laptop’s lifespan. Using the laptop in a clean, controlled environment can help.
8. User Care: Proper handling (like avoiding drops and spills), regular cleaning, and using protective cases can significantly extend a laptop's life.
9. Warranty and Support: A good warranty and manufacturer support can also play a role in longevity, as they can provide repairs or replacements for defective components.
By considering these factors, users can make informed choices when purchasing a laptop and take steps to maximize its lifespan.

Avijit Bandyopadhyay · Answer

First, you need good quality hardware.

As an example, I bought an used Lenovo X61 last year. It is now 8 or 9 years old. Runs fine. Has only 2 GB of RAM so I use linux on it (Ubuntu Mate). It has gigabit ethernet, 5G wifi and bluetooth. It’s really old, but for most tasks it has plenty of power.

As another example, my main machine is a Lenovo T520 with a discrete video card, which I bought over 5 years ago. I’ve since upgraded components like RAM and hard drives to SSDs. It runs as well today as the day I got it. I still do my main photo processing on this machine. 2nd-gen Core i5 is still plenty for everything, including most games that I play.

Second, you have to take care of physically. Try not to bang it around too much. Be somewhat gentle and don’t throw it around. Then, make sure it is cleaned out on a regular basis, particularly the fan and any other ventilation areas. You can turn off your computer and use compressed air from a can to clean out the fan.

Third, you must make sure that you don’t obstruct heat dissipation from it. For example, don’t put it on the bed with sheets wrapped around it. The problems with most computer components start with thermal breakdown.

John Stampfel · Answer

In addition to other answers directed at physical component failure, I am currently noticing and very conscious of the evolution of standards. If the laptop does what you want and need, then the physical failures may be the thing. But if one wants to connect to a newer piece of external equipment such as smart TV, or monitor, or other device, there are other considerations.

Just as an example, in February, 2022, there are not many Windows laptops available which support Thunderbolt. One can find USB-C at 5 Gbps. Getting Thunderbolt/USB-C at 40Gbps supporting HDMI and DisplayPort is harder.

Microsoft can change the requirements for Windows at any time. Yes, they just required TPM2.0 for Windows 11. So a physically healthy laptop with a 4th generation Intel i7 CPU is now obsolete.

These are some additional factors contributing to the longevity of a laptop.

Answering: “What factors contribute to the longevity of a laptop?”

Victor Panlilio · Answer

A lot depends on the care the manufacturer put into designing the laptop (especially the cooling system) and how carefully you treat it. My mid-2014 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro is still usable, but the replacement battery has started to bulge slightly, and Apple no longer does battery replacement for laptops this old, so I’ll have to take it to a third-party service facility. As well, this year (2023) is probably the last year Apple will release free macOS security updates for a laptop of this vintage. So, that’s 9 years of usage with 2.5GHz Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD (upgraded from 500MB OEM).

Anonymous · Answer

Most reasons laptops fail are heat and dust build-up.

Buy a laptop that’s easily serviceable and replace thermal paste and pads for reducing temps. Make sure cpu,gpu and even m.2 ssd temps are below 85c for longer life. Use a stand or notebook cooler to elevate the back of the laptop for better airflow and reduce temps by at least 5–10C.

Use SSD as OS drive because HDD on W10 is bad news because of constant botched updates that slow down PCs and make it look like crap.

Anonymous · Answer

Keep it clean, keep it cool and avoid sudden movements when its running. It will last you a while.

Remember that the initial cost of the machine also makes a difference. Cheap laptops are meant to last about 3 years. The more expensive ones will last longer.

I have a 10 year old HP dv7 Core 2 Duo that's still running strong as a 24/7 seed box with no complaints.

Dhruv Debnath · Answer

A laptop’s lifespan depends on the components used inside it. The better the processor, graphics card (if you're gaming), more RAM and storage a laptop has, the longer it will remain relevant for modern tasks.
Mostly you should prefer a laptop with RAM above 8GB (16GB is great), a Core i5 CPU (also you can prefer M1 or AMD) or above, and a minimum of 256GB SSD.

If have a good budget then go for MacBook it gives your great performance and better battery life than the other laptops available in the market.

Neil · Answer

the owner of the laptop determines its lifespan, thebattry needs to be replaced after 2 to 3 years and the hrd drive lasts 3–4 years, after 3 years with your laptop you will want to get a better one anyway

Udayan Bhattacharyya · Answer

The following should help definitely.

1. Keep the heat vents clean. A lot of laptop problems arise due to heat not getting ventilated correctly and properly form the internal parts.
2. Never use the laptop while it is kept on any soft surface. When a laptop is kept on any soft surface the heat vents at the bottom of the laptop get closed and it reduces laptop longevity.
3. Never use your laptop with wet hands. The water seeps in through the gaps of the keyboard and causes the laptop to malfunction.
4. A laptop’s specifications decide its maximum working capability. Never unnecessarily push your laptop to its limits. Overtaxing reduces the lifetime of any electronic gadget and a laptop is no exception.
5. Avoid using pirated OS or softwares. Free wares if you use try to ensure the credibility before downloading so that malicious installations cannot harm your pc.
6. Defrag your system disc from time to time to ensure the data sanity and condition of the data drive. This is not applicable to ssd though. Defragmenting ssd reduces its longevity.
7. Always use the laptop with the original power adapter. In case the original one goes missing or out of order try to get a original one as replacement or a adapter of similar specs from a reputed manufacturer. A faulty power supply can damage a laptop greatly.
8. When lifting the laptop lid, ensure to use both hands so that the pressure is evenly applied. Using one hand can cause the hinges to be subjected to un even pressure leading to faults.
9. Keep all the laptop ports clean.
There might be more.

LAWRENCE · Answer

It depends on how you define "lifespan."

* 2 years: This is the golden age of a laptop. Within these first 2 years, your computer's battery life, performance, keyboard feel, and screen display are all at their peak.
 * 3 years: Some wear and tear starts to show, but overall it's still in good working condition and wouldn't be considered an old machine.
 * 5 years: This is basically the end of its lifespan. Most consumer-grade laptops will have reached the end of manufacturer support, while business laptops often have warranties that extend to 5 years, so they can still be viable.
 * 7+ years: At this point, how long it lasts depends mostly on luck. Even the longest warranties I've seen on laptops only go up to 7 years, which suggests that even manufacturers don't have much confidence in their products lasting beyond that point.
Overall, I think the comfortable lifespan of a laptop is around 4 years. This is also the typical warranty period for most business laptops. Laptops simply don't last as long as desktops because they have fewer redundant components and are more susceptible to bumps, accidents, drops, and other damage. Generally, the battery is the first thing to go, followed by the fan, then the storage drive (SSDs can suffer from controller failure or PCB issues, while the flash memory itself is usually the most reliable component). Next comes the screen, with OLEDs prone to burn-in, LCDs to yellowing, and pressure damage causing vertical lines. Eventually, you'll encounter performance degradation, overheating, and other issues. That's usually when it's time to say goodbye, as laptops used for 48 months or more generally aren't worth repairing, especially in the US where labor costs are high.

Macs and Windows laptops are similar in this regard. There's no guarantee that Apple products won't suffer wear and tear. While you can technically keep a laptop running indefinitely by replacing parts, eventually you run into the Ship of Theseus problem: if you replace every component, is it still the same laptop?

FYI: I've personally sold hundreds of business laptops, and people generally start thinking about replacing them in the third year and have usually done so by the fourth year. The tech world moves fast. Back in 2021, the mainstream configuration was an Intel i5-10210U or AMD R7-3700U, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 1920x1080 250-nit display. Macs were still on the M1 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Now it's all about Ultra7-155H, AMD R7-8845H, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSDs, and at least a 1920x1200 400-nit display. In Asia, where laptops are more affordable, even the cheapest mainstream models (around $600 after taxes) now come with 2880x1800 400-nit OLED screens or 2560x1600 400-nit IPS displays. The Asus Zenbook Ultra9-285H launched in Asia with an Ultra7-285H, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for under $1000. That thing is powerful enough to rival the i9-10980XE, a performance beast from 2020, while comparable AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX laptops can completely crush the 10980XE's performance. This year, PCIe 5.0 has debuted and will soon be widely available, while at the beginning of 2021, the Samsung 980 Pro had just been released and most people were still using PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs from 2015.

So you see, a laptop's lifespan is realistically only about 4 years. Don't be overly optimistic or pessimistic; just replace it when the time is right.

My laptop in 2021, just replaced it with another one cuz its time is up.

The passing of the torch from one generation of laptops to the next.

PS: Since there are some folks disagree with my opinion as they suppose even 4yrs is too short to consider, I must say you may not use laptop a lot. As for any coffee-shop resident or coding dudes, it is as important as our wallet, we carry it all the time and would notice it getting slow. I list a photo from my relic collection. A Fujitsu T21010, actually not very old one, P8700 based and 4GB Ram, 240GB SSD, almost maxed out by 2008/2009 standard. However, this machine will not even load a youtube to me as Windows XP no longer get support long time ago.

You will just have to let them go.

Sherzod Ruzmetov · Answer

I can only answer from my own experience. I have two laptops that I use daily.

The youngest laptop is celebrating its 6th year. I use it daily for work and I drag it with me everywhere. It has a dent at the bottom. And I am not planning to dump it in the next two years. And when I dump it it’s more likely due to battery capacity, which is not getting better! I am sorry I didnot get the one with replaceble battery.

It runs on Windows 10pro, it generates resource intensive pivot charts using excel and runs Quickbooks Enterprise. It came with 8gb ram, i7 processor and 250gb of SSD. It has not been repaired even once. Although its fingerprint reader failed in the 4th year or so, so i had to disable the device from the BIOS. FYI, it’s Thinkpad X1 Carbon (2012 model).

The 2nd one is on its 8th year now. It rns Fedora’s current operating system (fc27 as of this writing), it hosts an 18gb mysql database which gets queried daily. It has core i5, 8gb ram and 512gb SSD. It’s damn fast!!! It boots up in seconds!

It’s my favorit laptop. It does not look like i will be replacing it anytime soon.

It has seen a few repairs: i cracked the screen once. Bought a new screen for $60 (i think) and replaced it myself.

In the 2nd year i installed another 4gb ram.

it had come with an HDD. sometime in the 4th year i replaced it with SSD.

I also bought a spare battery.

Another repair is due these days. The screen/cover has become wobbly. I have received new hinges. When this laptop gets a day off i am planning to replace them. But when??? FYI, it’s thinkpad t420.

Update of August 6th, 2020: I finally replaced my Thinkpad X1 Carbon (2012 model) after 8 years of faithful service due to battery charge capacity! My 8 year old son is using it now. FYI I replaced it with a Thinkpad T480 (last Thinkpad model with power-bridge technology). But my Thinkpad T420 is still working fine.

Pushkar Marathe · Answer

There was a time when laptops used to weigh a lot more than they weigh now.

Here, Is the graph of Macbooks and the weight .

The main factor behind this are -

1. Removal Of CD Player.
2. Removal of multiple ports of the computer such as SD Card and LAN Port.
3. Usage of Lighter SSD than heavy HDD’s(As Hard Disks had a rotating mechanism).
4. Usage of small keyboard than Full Sized Keyboard ( Which had a separate Number Pad)
This has reduced the total size reduction.
5. Use of Processor which are small in size.
6. Use Of Lighter LED Screens instead of LCD Screens.
7. Reduction of Screen Size.
8. Use of lighter Batteries.(Now those are integrated in the Laptop Body rather than below Screen) .

Mrinal Kr. Dey · Answer

Well... You asked a very good question.

In this era, 60 % people have one laptop per family according to a research done on 2018

So obviously, we should know how to care our laptop well.

I will answer this question in my personal perspective.

I've now 4 laptops in total. The first one was bought in December, 2011 and the last one was in 2018. The first laptop that I've bought is Acer aspire one that comes with intel atome N2600 which is still good with Lubuntu, not a single problem except the damaged battery. Battery was gone mad at late 2016 but can be run on AC power.

I can see, my friends are using laptops that bought in 2015 and still in good condition. A few more years can be expected.

So we can easily come to conclusion that, in a good hand a Laptop can be lasted for 8 years except battery damage, usually battery get damaged after 400–450 charging cycles even a good company's Battery.

Now we move to maintaining about the Laptop. Here are some tips-

1. Use it by clean hands. Never use touchpad with dirty, oili, moisture hand.
2. Put it in a clean place that free from dust while not in use. 60 % of laptop faulty are occurring for dust. Your keyboard may also damage for this reason.
3. Never run the laptop under charging level 30–40%
4. Don't plug directly generator current.
5. Always use company provided charger, in case faulty of charger, buy a genuine one.
6. Don't install too many software in any circumstances.
7. Don't use pirated software in any circumstances.
8. Run disk-clean-up utility once a Month.
9. Defragment you HDD
10. Do a clean install once a year. (important)
11. If you willing to use it for decades, change tharmel past after 2 years regularly, do a cleaning every year.
12. Never lend your Laptop.
Hope these dozen tips will help you to take care of your Laptop

Derek Goodnow · Answer

When I was 13 my parents got me my first laptop, an acer aspire. That laptop lasted me 4 years and would of lasted longer if I hadn't tampered with it. Now, looking for a laptop for light gaming, and powerful desktop capabilities, I have came up with a few things that I would look for when buying a laptop.

1.) Build quality

Build quality can determine how fast the laptop will deteriorate. Metal laptops are usually better, but plastic is always a bit cheaper and a personal preference.

2.) Processer

I would recommend getting an i5 6300hq or i7 6700hq if you want it to stay modern for as long as possible. If you are on a budget you could go with an older one.

3.) keyboard & trackpad

Nearing the end of my list of things to look out for, the keyboard and trackpad are extremely important. You want something tough but you also want to like the feel of it.

Before you buy a specific laptop, I would recommend going to a Walmart, Best Buy, or some other store that has laptops to try and try out any potential laptops you are interested in.

Good luck, and I hope you find what you're looking for.

Anonymous · Answer

I’ve had my gaming laptop for 6 years. The things I do to maintain it are as follows.

NEVER overclock it.

NEVER use it without a laptop cooler that has a large fan.

Filter the intake of the laptop so it never gets hairs or any large particles of dust inside.

Always let it cool down completely before shutting it down or putting it in sleep mode.

(if you haven’t guessed by now, the best thing you can do for a laptop is keep it from overheating)

Always run script blocking on browser to prevent malware.

Do a 100% backup of the hard drive every couple of months.

Vacuum the keyboard with attachments designed for a keyboard.

Keep it out of the sun and don’t expose it to steam, kitchen prep areas, etc.

Turn it off when not in use.

Generally speaking, that’s it. Modern computers defragment the drives themselves. Besides periodically uninstalling what I no longer use, I don’t do anything for file maintenance. It is all about preserving the integrity of the hardware.

D K · Answer

The type and speed of the processor.
If you'd like a laptop to keep up with modern computing standards and still be perfectly usable in the next 5 years, opt for at least an i3 processor that clocks in at 2.00GHz (GigaHertz).

For simple tasks like web browsing and responding to e-mails, this would give you a great usage experience.

The amount of Random Access Memory - RAM.
Generally 2.00GB of RAM does the job, a machine with 4GBs would incur extra cost but would be worth it.

The amount of storage space.
This varies largely with all laptops and devices on the market,  settle for something that will suit your needs. If you expect to store a lot of media on you laptop, movies, images, music, upwards of 500GB would do you good, otherwise anything above 100-200GBs of space will do the trick.

You can always, easily expand your RAM and storage capacity by making the relevant upgrades when your needs change.

The weight and size of the laptop and it's monitor.
I would recommend a laptop with a screen of size 13" at the least for optimal usage. Durability is not relative to the size of the laptop but more the build quality of the particular model and generally the brand. Pick pne that's convenient to your daily usage.

For Windows laptops, I would recommend a Surface Book by Windows, or any Lenova Series laptop.

Apple Macs are always a great option, a MacBook Air opposed to a Pro for a general user does the trick more than well.Consider the price-points too

Charles Tollardo · Answer

The  material  it  is  made  off would  be  the  first  thing  to  look at.  How  it  has  been  assembled  is  another. Some  laptops  are  not  that  rugged  and  if  dropped  can  break  easily  and  repair  can be  expensive  or  not  worth  the  effort.

Take  the  hinges  for  example.  The  nut  of  the  hinge  is  fused  into  the  plastic  of  the  back  of  some  laptops. If  that  breaks  away  then the  laptop  needs  to  be  completely  pulled  apart  and  a  new  backplate  installed.

Aside  from  build  quality  an  i5  or  better  processor  with  8 GB  of  RAM  with  an  SSD  are  key  parameters.  Build  quality  also  includes  the  motherboard. So  build  quality  of  basically  all  components  is  key.

Anonymous · Answer

On average, a laptop has a lifespan of about four years. The hardware begins to age after 2-3 years and they’re usually more expensive to upgrade than a desktop PC. Get every ounce of life from your laptop by following a few simple tips.

* Laptops are compact, and having all the parts contained in a relatively tight space can lead to Overheat. [ http://overheating.As ] As much as the name implies otherwise, your lap is actually one of the worst places to use a laptop. Soft, uneven surfaces (especially blankets and pillows) can block vents and restrict airflow, leading to the laptop overheating. It’s best to use your laptop on a hard surface, or with a laptop support stand. There are soft risers that fit comfortably on your lap and some are even designed with built-in cooling fans.
 * Many laptop manufacturers offer diagnostics software that can tell you if your system is staying adequately cool and confirm that fans are working properly. Check your system’s support site for more information. Consider investing in a laptop cooling pad if you find your laptop overheating often or running particularly hot.
 * Excessive dust clogging the vent fans can exacerbate a laptop’s tendency to overheat, and the use of improper chemicals (like Windex) to clean grime from the screen can lead to degradation of the screen’s protective coating. Blow away dust and debris with canned air, aiming to blow air out of the vents, not into your machine. Use a microfiber cloth dampened with plain water on the screen and cotton swabs to clear out the crevices.
 * Before storing it in your laptop bag, put your laptop in sleep or hibernate mode, or better yet let it fully shut down. Just closing the lid can leave the hard drive spinning for a few moments. Your system can be damaged by jostling it around while the internal parts are still working.
 * If your laptop tends to remain constantly plugged-in on your desk, you can extend your battery’s lifespan by using it every once in awhile. Ideally, unplug it about two to three times per week to let the battery “stretch its legs.” Then plug it in when it gets low (not completely dead) and let it recharge fully. Keep in mind that batteries are meant to have a certain number of “charge cycles” (how many times they can run down and recharge) which is typically somewhere between 400 to 500 times. When your battery no longer holds a charge, get more life from your system by replacing it for $50 to $150 depending on whether you buy generic or from the manufacturer.
 * Just like desktop PCs, get in the habit of completely shutting down your laptop at least every few days. A lot of your system’s maintenance is linked to shut down process. From installing software updates to clearing cache and short term memory, a full system restart can even fix weird bugs that may have cropped up.
 * Finally, if you are able to upgrade your laptop’s hardware consider investing in a solid-state hard drive. Because SSDs have no moving parts, they don’t produce heat like a typical spinning disk.
Hope this helps.

Robert Meservy · Answer

My experience with Windows based laptops in the %3C$1000 category was 2–3 years before they became so buggy that I had to reformat or downgrade to a simpler OS. I would eventually be forced back up as software compatibility deprecated and at the 4 year mark I would be forced to buy a new one.

I was recently forced to retire an 11 year old MacBook which I purchased second-hand, not because it was slow or misbehaving but because Zoom wouldn’t allow virtual backgrounds on it. I was happy with it and it was still responsive though Apple had locked it to MacOSX 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard).

Some of its longevity can be attributed to upgrades I made after purchase (SSD + 4x more RAM than officially supported), the other is that Apple makes high end machines in the %3E$1000 regime.

I’ve never purchased a Windows %3E$1000 laptop so can’t speak to how well they perform. An 11 year old laptop was unthinkable to me before this little MacBook 7,1.

TLDR: You get what you pay for. Premium hardware will command a premium price but will likely last longer than you think. I highly recommend used MacBook products if you’re not looking for gaming experiences beyond the simple Steam-type.

Formatting:

Formatting is very light on computer hardware. Full formats will erase every piece but you’re usually not doing that, simply clearing out address tables and reallocating (Quick Format).

I would couple any reformats with a sector scan and recovery or its SSD equivalent. You’ll be writing 32GB+ at once (OS) but that’s really not going to have an impact beyond what a normal 32GB write would.

If you’re using an older OS on an SSD make sure you enable TRIM and disable defragmentation.

TLDR: Format away. With Windows it’s practically required on a regular cadence. If you’re doing it a lot consider doing a registry + OS backup once everything is installed, it’s much faster to restore to a custom backup and only overwrites a portion of the OS files saving you a lot of time and ~26GB of writes.

Brett Bergan · Answer

The biggest single omission (IMO) is getting rid of the DVD drives and hard drives.

The modern laptop is basically a circuit board with battery, screen, keyboard, and a cooling system. I think the cooling systems on modern (RTX) gaming laptops has replaced the hard drive as the heaviest internal component.

Obviously size matters. A svelte 13″ ultrabook with integrated GPU can get in the neighborhood of 1kg (2.2 lbs)—due largely to the eradication of hard drives. In these systems, the battery can often become the heaviest component.

By contrast, the Alienware X17 V2 with its massive girth, solid build quality, and four cooling fans tips the scales at well over 3.2kg (7 lbs)—despite being the thinnest 17″ laptop Alienware has ever produced.