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How long do you expect a laptop/computer to last before you replace it?

3. I've had some last me 8, some last me 5, but I give them 3 years. I usually resell my tech in the first two years and buy the latest, if something has come up to make it worth upgrading. It all depends on what I need it for.
 
I still use my old Dell 6000 from 2005... not every day, anymore, but I still fire it up once a week to keep it current.

Since I got my idiotPhone I don't really need it when I travel any longer.... so I just use it as a back up.
 
4-5 years max.

My ancient Dell 700m still works but the keyboard is cramped, the LCD is dull compared to modern laptops but it was one sweet laptop in it's prime.
 
My current computer, Dell Studio laptop and is still running fine, will be 3 years old next month and I am planning to use it until it breaks.
 
A minimum of 5 years. I've still got a secondary backup rig running with an Opteron 165 (S939).

It's like 8 years old and still works fine. I've also got a 6-year old Vostro 1500 that I still use for tertiary web browsing. it's used less than my x220 but I do still use it
 
I bought laptops for my wife and I in early 2005. Mine gave up the ghost a few months ago. Hers has been great and still running fine. My parents are still using the Dell I bought in 2002. No issues there either.
 
At least 5. A computer/laptop is usually a multi thousand dollar investment, which may take several months to save up for. It better last! Idealy it would be nice if they'd last even longer but usually they are obsolete and not actually broke. Though I do find today's hardware is sub par quality and tends to have high fail rate. It's rare that I build a computer without spending months trying to troubleshoot some stupid issue and replacing one piece at a time and end up spending another thousand or two.
 
Believe it or not, I still have a Compaq Presario 1235 from around 1999 that I use occasionally. The CD drive still works great. Certain colors on the screen are getting a little washed out, but it still looks fine. One arrow key is broken, but that's not a big deal to me.

I bet that thing could run another 15 years if I needed it to. Evidently they made those things pretty solidly back then.
 
Red Squirrel said:
At least 5. A computer/laptop is usually a multi thousand dollar investment, which may take several months to save up for. It better last! Idealy it would be nice if they'd last even longer but usually they are obsolete and not actually broke. Though I do find today's hardware is sub par quality and tends to have high fail rate. It's rare that I build a computer without spending months trying to troubleshoot some stupid issue and replacing one piece at a time and end up spending another thousand or two.
Click to expand...

Thousands? This is 2013, not 1993. The laptop I mentioned above was about $550 when I paid almost 3 years ago. You can get a decent laptop/desktop for less than $500 when they are on sale.

Here is one from Dell, about $416 after 20% off coupon:

System ID ZB2KYAR7
Inspiron 15 - 3521
Dell Outlet New - PC
System Price: $479.00

Processor Processor: Intel Core 3rd Generation i3-3227U Processor (3M Cache, 1.9 GHz)
Operating System Windows 8
Base Dell Outlet Inspiron 15 - 3521 Laptop
Hard Disk Drive 500 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Memory 6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
Media Bay 8X DVD +/- RW Drive
System Color Black Matte with textured finish
Laptop Screen 15.6 HD (720p) WLED with Truelife (1366x768)
Laptop Battery 4 Cell Battery
Network Interface Card Dell Wireless 1703 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0
Web Camera 1.0 MP HD Camera with MIC
Keyboard Dell Chiclet Keyboard with Multi-touch Touchpad
Hardware Upgrade 125V Power Cord
65W AC Adapter
Software Upgrade Windows 64 Bit
Office Software Microsoft Office 2010 Trial Version
Security Software McAfee Security Center, 30 Day
 
Last edited:
Via said:
Believe it or not, I still have a Compaq Presario 1235 from around 1999 that I use occasionally. The CD drive still works great. Certain colors on the screen are getting a little washed out, but it still looks fine. One arrow key is broken, but that's not a big deal to me.

I bet that thing could run another 15 years if I needed it to. Evidently they made those things pretty solidly back then.
Click to expand...

My 12 year old Compaq still works but it's so damn slow.

Celeron
Not sure how much RAM
20GB Hard Drive
CD-ROM
No built-in WiFi. had to add it with PCMCIA 802.11b card
Windows 98?

It was a hot deal and had a nice keyboard at least.

Takes about 5 minutes to boot up, feels like that at least.
 
Wifey is using a Toshiba as a desktop that we bought in the fall of 2009. I know, I know. She wasn't pleased with the SFF machine I built her. "This is too big..." :sneaky:
 
RossMAN said:
My 12 year old Compaq still works but it's so damn slow.

Celeron
Not sure how much RAM
20GB Hard Drive
CD-ROM
No built-in WiFi. had to add it with PCMCIA 802.11b card
Windows 98?

It was a hot deal and had a nice keyboard at least.

Takes about 5 minutes to boot up, feels like that at least.
Click to expand...
lol - your machine rules mine. What I remember (it's at my parent's house):

AMD K6 (?) 266
3d Now! (love the exclamation mark)
4 entire GB of space
had 32 mb ram, upgraded to 96 for a cup of coffee from crucial.
CD rom and floppy

3d now! did play motoracer pretty well. I still use it as a late 90's gamer (Civ,AC,BG etc) and simple word processing when I need it.
 
Via said:
lol - your machine rules mine. What I remember (it's at my parent's house):

AMD K6 (?) 266
3d Now! (love the exclamation mark)
4 entire GB of space
had 32 mb ram, upgraded to 96 for a cup of coffee from crucial.
CD rom and floppy

3d now! did play motoracer pretty well. I still use it as a late 90's gamer (Civ,AC,BG etc) and simple word processing when I need it.
Click to expand...

You win although I have a feeling someone will trump our specs with something even more old tech, waiting for under 1GB Hard Drive and 3.5" floppy built-in!
 
5 years. I rarely play games now which was my main motivation to upgrade in the past. The few games I do play on PC nowadays could run on a toaster.
 
RossMAN said:
You win although I have a feeling someone will trump our specs with something even more old tech, waiting for under 1GB Hard Drive and 3.5" floppy built-in!
Click to expand...
Zenmervolt recently found his box of floppies from college and we were debating whether he could assemble a computer capable of reading them using nothing but spare parts found around the house.
 
AreaCode707 said:
Zenmervolt recently found his box of floppies from college and we were debating whether he could assemble a computer capable of reading them using nothing but spare parts found around the house.
Click to expand...

Did he find a spare Porsche in that box? 😱
 
AreaCode707 said:
Zenmervolt recently found his box of floppies from college and we were debating whether he could assemble a computer capable of reading them using nothing but spare parts found around the house.
Click to expand...

I could do that!

I've got it all right now(somewhere):

several old mobo/cpu combos
enough old ram to roof a house
enough old cd roms and floppy drives to build the walls for the house
several old HDs ranging from 10 to 100 GB
at least 3 good old PSUs
a full copy of both Windows 98 and Windows XP
some classic GPUs (including a 9800 PRO, brand new in the box that I really should put on ebay, and my first - a Voodoo 3 3000)
plenty of old cases, keyboards, and CRTs


I've been debating taking them to recycling, but maybe I should have some fun with trying to put a puzzle together.
 
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