How Long Should a Laptop Last? Factors that Influence its Lifespan

A laptop is a valuable investment that should last for years. But how long will it actually last? And what factors influence its lifespan? In this blog post, we'll take a look at the different factors that can affect your laptop's lifespan and offer some tips on how to make your laptop last as long as possible. So, whether you're wondering how to make your current laptop last longer or are in the market for a new one, read on for information on how to get the most out of your laptop.

How Long Can a Laptop Last?

The laptop has the most outstanding form factor and is embedded with the most advanced technological advantages, but it is still highly susceptible to wear-and-tear and potential damages due to prolong usage.

In general, the average lifespan of a regular laptop is between 4 to 5 years and could go over the estimated usefulness if the device is properly taken care of or it is secured in regards to software updates.

The Factors that Influence the Lifespan of Laptops

There are three primary factors that influence the aging process of your laptop which includes the following—

1. The Hardware Inside the Laptop

First and foremost, you have to remember that new software updates or brandnew hardware is being released to the general public around the globe almost every month. With this being said—it is expected that your laptop’s value will greatly depreciate over the period as more hardware updates become available.

Some of the hardware that quickly becomes outdated are graphic cards, microchip processors, storage, RAM, etc. If you bought a cheap laptop or old-brandnew stock, then it’s likely to depreciate in value faster, and it may even render it out-of-date in just a few months or so.

A good indicator of the quality of the hardware is the price. Therefore, the estimated lifespan on how long laptop last in regard to the cost of the hardware is as follows—

• Approximately 2 to 4 years if it’s less than $700
• Approximately 3 to 5 years if it’s between $700 to $1,000
• Approximately 4 to 7 years if it’s more than $1,000

2. The Types of Tasks that the Laptop Will be Used for

The average usefulness of the laptop is also affected by the purpose you intend for the devices and the weight of usage per day. If you are planning to buy a laptop for gaming, then a regular laptop may not be a good idea for this specific purpose. Thus, you can expect the hardware to quickly wear down in a few short periods.

For laptops that are meant to be used for office and productivity tasks, you can anticipate the device to have a longer lifespan because of the less demand in operating system usage and performance.

Let’s use a mid-range laptop as a good example of a measuring stick because they can be used for both heavy and mild usage. Thus, a rough estimate of a mid-range laptop lifespan is between 4 to 5 years under mild to heavy usage.

3. How the Laptop is Treated

No matter how quality or the integrated software and hardware are, the laptops are deemed to have a lower average lifespan if you are constantly using the device non-stop under heavy usage or abusing it, so to speak. In addition, if you are unable to maintain the laptop properly, then it’s likely to break down easily, which may lead to irreparable damages and cause you to buy a new laptop instead.

How to Extend the Life of Your Laptop?

There are several simple ways how you can extend the average lifespan of your laptop and make them useful for many years to come—

• You need to plug out the charging brick once the laptop has fully charged
• Install and update your anti-virus software to keep the malware at bay and prevent them from wreaking havoc
• Maintain your laptop and clean them regularly. And you can do so by opening the case once in a while to remove the dust inside the device
• In addition, you need to check the cooling pad of the laptop and keep it free from dust. You also have to ensure that the fan is working properly and giving sufficient insulation whenever the laptop heats up
• Upgrade your laptop’s software and hardware whenever you see an appropriate
• Last but not least, deter yourself from having foods and drinks very your laptop to keep them from spilling on the device, which will potentially lead to irreparable damages

The Sign that You Need a New Laptop

You might be unaware that you already need to avail a new laptop. However, if your laptop is slowing down and you are suspicious that you might already need to buy a brandnew one, then the following are signs that would justify buying a new device—

• Your laptop is no longer compatible with new hardware or software that you have installed, and it’s causing the device to slow down and malfunction
• The laptop takes time to process or load when you are turning on the device or every time you are opening applications
• Another sign that your laptop is aging is by referring to the cooling fans. When it becomes louder than usual, it only means that the device is exerting too much effort in performing a task that makes the fan operate more aggressively
• In events of accidents like breakage or dropping may cause irreparable damages. You can bring them to a support center in order to fix the issue, but if they assessed that it could hardly be fixed, then that’s a good time to buy a new one
• Malfunctions like the infamous “blue screen of death,” app crashes, reset, and sudden shut-offs are all good signs that your hardware may no longer be reliable

Conclusion

I hope today’s article has provided you with the essential information you need about the lifespan of the laptop and when it’s the best time to buy a new one. But before you consider purchasing a brandnew laptop, it’s advisable to bring them to your nearby service center to properly assess the condition of your laptop.

If you are looking for the best laptop around that, you can rely on it for both productivity and entertainment, and then you have to put into consideration HONOR MagicBook X 14, which is suited for office tasks and decent gaming.

FAQ about How Long Should a Laptop Last?

Now, the following are the common queries about how long should a laptop last—

Is 3 Years a Long Time for a Laptop?

In general, a mid-range laptop can last at least 3 years. But it also depends on a number of factors. For example, if you take good care of your laptop and don't use it for heavy-duty tasks, it could last much longer than three years. On the other hand, if you're constantly running demanding programs or playing graphics-intensive games, your laptop is likely to show its age much sooner.

When Should I Replace My Laptop?

A laptop has an average useful life of 3 to 5 years, but once you observe that it’s already slowing down or malfunctioning when performing specific tasks, then it may be a good time to replace them even if the expected lifespan was not reached.

How Much is a Good Laptop?

The best laptop that you have to opt for that last longer is those in the price range of $300 to $1,300. So basically, laptops that are within this range are mid-range devices. Laptops that are lower than $300 are considered sub-standard because of the low-quality hardware embedded in the device.

Source: HONOR Club