Laptop lifespan?

I didn't really know where to put this and seeing as it kind of relates to upgrades, I figured here was as good as anywhere.

My question is, how long do your laptops last you before decide to get rid and upgrade? Do you like to use them until they no longer function? Or until a new bit of tech grabs your fancy?

I've had my laptop just over a year and whilst it suits my needs down to the ground (mostly, I hate my 1280x800 screen, too cramped) I can't help but look at what else is available and ponder a full upgrade.

 

My previous laptop lasted five and a half years. I want this one to last about that much as well.

 

Typically, I use my computers for 4-5 years before looking for a replacement. I'm generally pretty careful with my computers, so reliable, well-engineered machines usually survive for the period that I use it for.

 

I'm on a 3-year replacement cycle as a business expense.

 

I bought my Gateway P-6831FX almost a year ago with hopes of it lasting through high school. I am just past halfway in my freshman year of high school and this laptop is going fine. I do believe I will be wanting a new one on my junior year, if my gaming does get any more intense.

 

I have dells which are 12 years old, some northgates which have lasted 16 yrs, and some clevos which died before 1.5 yrs.
It really depends on the make and model. Some are good, others are terrible.

A cool running system will last much longer than one which gets hot.

K-TRON

 

about 4 to 5 years here.

same as new car model, lol.

 

I have yet to buy a laptop that needs replacement due to age; they have all broken down due to defective GPUs, design flaws, or faulty fan controllers.

Models:
- Toshiba Satellite A70-KL1
- HP dv6424ca
- Dell 1535 (current)

Only my trusty IBM T42 is still functioning properly.

 

The Lifespan depends on the components you get with the notebook. If when you order your notebook, you get all the top stuff, itll last a year or two longer than a lower spec'ed laptop.

For the most part, id consider it to be 2-3, maybe 4 years before it becomes outdated.

It also depends on your personal usage to determine your laptop's lifespan.

 

You all make me feel so inadequate :cry:

 

Usualy when i get a new laptop it's in my possesion for about a year or two depending on which upgrades i can do to it. Then i get a new one and start all over again

If it wasn't for my current 1280x800 screen i'd keep this for atleast two more years if not more. I'd love to have atleast 1680x1050 or higher on a 15.4". I love workspace as i always have many things going on at the same time. And the reasons i don't have that atm is that this laptop didn't come with any higher resolution and the overall design caught me instead.

 

My first laptop was a Dell Latitude XPi P133SD. It came out in either 1995 or 1996 and was still running strong in 2004. The only reason I don't have it anymore is because I forgot it at my dad's apartment and he sold it.

It's specs were:
Dell Latitude XPi P133SD | Intel Pentium Processor 133MHz | 40MB RAM | 1.2GB HDD | Windows 3.11 with Calmira II Desktop Shell

 

Demonhotrod. You have the same notebook i do.

I plan on keeping my 1520 for a while. I would honestly wait till the new mobile processors come out in the last half of this year.

I put in another 2 gigs on my 1520 for 4gigs and put on vista 64bit. Unless you are playing high end games this laptop should last for the next year till the new processors come out.

Heck the 8600gt can do decoding on the gpu for a lot of file formats.

Worse comes to worse order a higher resolution lcd panel from dell for your 1520.

 

My old HP N3110 from 1999 still works, it is just too old to do much anymore. It doesn't have a fan running, it has a passive heatsink which is cool, so when the HDD turns off you don't hear anything. The 800x600 screen is so blurry and the 433mhz Celeron just didn't cut it anymore.

 

5 years with a Pentium 4 Dell Inspiron 9100, and it will last me until next year. My 32nm I hope to last me until 11nm or whatever is out in 2015.

 

Most corporations upgrade to new laptops on a two or three year cycle. At home, I usually keep laptops for four to five years.

As more applications go to the web, I find it is less necessary to have the latest and greatest processing and graphics. The only exception would be if one wanted to play cutting-edge games, but these are better done on a dedicated system like Playstation or Xbox.

 

Dell Latitude CpT C, Dell Latitude C600, Dell Inspiron 500M, Dell Latitude D600. 10, 9, 5, and 5 years old, respectively, and they all still work. From my experience, I generally believe that as long as you take proper care of a machine, it will last a long time. While it's not a laptop, my dad has a 1998 Dell Dimension that's been seeing daily use for 11 years.

Except for hard drives. Hard drives tend to crap out left and right, especially older ones. Maybe I was just unlucky, but the CpT C went through two drives under warranty, and the 500M went through one.

Honestly, I don't think I would have stopped using the 500M if it could play back 720p properly. It was a bit dated and slow, but faster than most netbooks these days. An SSD and a new battery couldn't done wonders XD

 

I am not very much experienced in this but I used my first laptop (ASUS Z70V) between Aug 2005-Aug 2008 (mostly 7/24). It was still running perfectly when I sold it.

When I look at craiglist I see some laptop posts with Pentium 100-133 processors. This means that the life span can be as long as 8-10 years...


--

 

Yeah i've been putting off changing my 1520 because I heard that the i7 processors are supposed to be "going mobile" come q3/4 of this year (whether that's true or not, i don't know), besides the 8600M GT plays all the games I need it to at reasonable settings. I didn't know I could order a higher resolution panel from Dell however, don't suppose you'd know how?

 

Going OT here, but just call Dell up and tell them you want a display with a higher resolution... they'll gladly sell it to you. The problem is it'll cost a fortune if you buy it from Dell; you're better off trolling eBay for one. The 1520 has been out for a while so parts should be relatively widely available.

 

I have yet to have a laptop last more then 30 months.

HP ZD7280US Dead, GPU cooked, and unit scraped by Circuit City Extended warranty. 08/06 (18 Months old)

Replaced with a HP DV8339US (RIP) 02/07/09

Replaced with Gateway P7805U

However I do business consulting and I live on the road. My laptops go through airport security and airport overheads 2 or 3 times a week. Then they go from hotel to client site every day. Then ad the fact I use it about 60 - 70 hours a week.

Lets see how this on does.

 

I think for me, the cycle is around 4 years.

My first laptop (386SX, Dual-Scan LCD) lasted for roughly 4 years, that was 3yr undergrad, 1yr master.
Second was a Centrino 1.5G, another 4yrs, still running strong now.
Bought the current Asus one for just two months, hope that it can last for another 3-4years.

 

I've been through a number of machines in the past few years looking for something that best meets my needs. That has worked out at about once per year.

My current Dell E6400 has the right credentials in terms of performance, display size and battery life. If only it were a little lighter.

John

 

I also have a 1520; my plan is to keep it four or five years. I bought it shortly after it came out, so that means 2.4 - 3.4 years from now. And while technology and performance interests me, for the most part my proclivity to not spend money wins out over the desire to get newer, faster technology. Without tons of money to spend, it's rather hard to justify spending it on technology when the 1520 already does everything I want it to do pretty well. Especially considering that in some regards, such as processor, a costly upgrade wouldn't help that much at this point.

I also rather like having a very noticeable speed jump when I get a new computer, and upgrading too often would prevent that. So a somewhat long upgrade cycle is nice in that regard.

 

Apollo, it sure is nice to feel a noticeable speedjump, so there you gave me something to think about, i'm one of those who upgrades to often, so you have a very good point there. But imho, todays core 2 duo's feels like they will last for a very very long time though as they are capable of doing many many things without feeling slow in any way..

 

Well this is my first laptop

Before this I had a P4/1Gb/7600 desktop

I am very happy with this after 6 moths, and it should last me at least two years easily
I use it for quite a few hours daily, but I do maintain it.

I didn't really notice a speed jump, because I don't do many CPU inteisve tasks, but when I do, say encoding a movie it is very obvious

And of course when gaming, one of the main reason I bought it

 

4 years , unless there is a giant leap in technology

 

My Asus lasted me about 2.5 years. I needed a new notebook now because the Asus wasn't quick enough for my needs anymore and lots of stuff is either broken or damaged. The thing that bothered me the most with it was the slow hard drive. It beeing a IDE-drive I really didn't have much choice in getting a faster and bigger one.


I hope that my current MacBook Pro will last longer than 2.5 years. At least I have the choice of getting a bigger and faster hard drive and more memory on this one.