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

[beachchica]

My work gives me a new one every year.... so I have no idea on this.

 

[Red Squirrel]

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

Remember everything in Canada is like twice the price and there's rarely deals here especially up north, then add a hundred bucks or so to ship the parts. And one thing I've noticed is hardware prices have actually been going UP. My motherboard cost me like $300, cpu was around $500 etc... ~5 years ago a motherboard for <$200 was fairly common and same with a cpu. My system was close to $2,000, built about a year ago. SSDs also cost much more than standard drives, and who builds a computer today without a SSD?

 

[Farang]

I expect at least 3 years out of them.. anything less than that I will not buy from the manufacturer again. HP is on that list, laptop lasted more than 3 years but the issue was pretty simple, common, and ignored by HP (the connecting wires to the LCD fray and break).

For me it is like clockwork they die at 3 years. If it were up to me I'd be using a 10 year old laptop because I only play music, videos, use internet and word processing.

 

[Farang]

Remember everything in Canada is like twice the price and there's rarely deals here especially up north, then add a hundred bucks or so to ship the parts. And one thing I've noticed is hardware prices have actually been going UP. My motherboard cost me like $300, cpu was around $500 etc... ~5 years ago a motherboard for <$200 was fairly common and same with a cpu. My system was close to $2,000, built about a year ago. SSDs also cost much more than standard drives, and who builds a computer today without a SSD?

I have a hard time buying this. You're in Canada, not Timbuktu. I recently bought a laptop in Malaysia and the prices were the same. Here in The Philippines the prices are the same. Sounds like you don't know where to shop.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a hard time buying this. You're in Canada, not Timbuktu. I recently bought a laptop in Malaysia and the prices were the same. Here in The Philippines the prices are the same. Sounds like you don't know where to shop.

Quick search of random items:

Processor: $336
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=68691&vpn=BX80619i73820&manufacture=Others

Motherboard: $379
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=65536&vpn=P9X79 DELUXE&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1360

Ram: $160
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56252&vpn=CMT12GX3M3A2000C9&manufacture=Corsair

I'm already at $875 and that's not even case, hard drive, video cards, power supply, heat sink etc... then tack on shipping and taxes. Those are not even the highest end.

There's not much choice here to shop, only a handful of online retailers, unless you're in one of the high density areas like Toronto.

 

[Farang]

Quick search of random items:

Processor: $336
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=68691&vpn=BX80619i73820&manufacture=Others

Motherboard: $379
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=65536&vpn=P9X79 DELUXE&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1360

I'm already at $715 and that's not even the ram, case, hard drive, video card, power supply, heat sink etc... then tack on shipping and taxes. Those are not even the highest end.

There's not much choice here to shop, only a handful of online retailers, unless you're in one of the high density areas like Toronto.

I stand corrected.. you don't know how to shop. Buying a laptop piecemeal is going to be more expensive. And obviously it comes down to what kind of horsepower you need.. the comment you responded to was referring to a decent laptop that can do everyday tasks for $500. Widely available in Canada I'm certain.

 

[nephilim2k]

I have had the same laptop for 4 years now, still going strong. If you look after the laptop, it will be fine for lots of years. The one previous to this I had for 9 years, and it was a big bulky thing. Worked until the day it died, and even then, the data was recoverable so nothing lost.

 

[Murloc]

I'd say 5 years of everyday use, after that the battery becomes crap and the laptop weak compared to what is available on the market.
I have a 10 years old laptop and it still works fine but it was too weak and the battery lasted 2.5 hours which was okay 10 years ago but the new one lasts 8 hours and has good performance.
So for me the problem is not that they break, but the new stuff is too much better.

 

[lxskllr]

I have no expectations from laptops. I buy bottom end machines, and assume they'll last as long as the warranty.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I get this question often. this is generally how I put it...

1. As long as the warranty, 1 year, typical laptop
2. 2 years, you're doing good
3. 3 years, you're gotten your money's worth x10

Anything past that, awesome...but don't count on that thing.

 

[Demo24]

3-5 I guess, tend not to use laptops much anymore so that's less important. Desktops I try to average around 3 years, but that's usually with upgrades in that life time and mostly I wait until there's a decent enough performance increase to bother upgrading.

At work everything needs to last at least 5 years.

 

[ch33zw1z]

3-5 I guess, tend not to use laptops much anymore so that's less important. Desktops I try to average around 3 years, but that's usually with upgrades in that life time and mostly I wait until there's a decent enough performance increase to bother upgrading.

At work everything needs to last at least 5 years.

Anything a user touches, don't plan for more than the warranty.

 

[yinan]

1 year

 

[Anubis]

ive only owned 2 of them and there was at least 10 years between them

2002 ish Dell Inspiron 8600?. ran the first centrino CPU i beleive had a 15.4in 1920x1200 screen which is why i kept it for so long as laptop displays went to the shitter

replaced it a few months ago with a Dell Inspiron 15R

 

[JEDI]

Just curious. Four years? Five? Six? Mainly interested about laptops since they kind of have to be replaced, though I guess it could apply to desktop users (though desktop users upgrade frequently) as well.

still using my 2005 15.6" pentium 4 2.4ghz laptop, only because it's 1920x1200 resolution.
cant find 1920x1200 nowadays.
it;s all 1920 x 1080

 

[mmntech]

Depends. I have a 2008 MacBook which still handles video editing, Photoshop CS4, and general stuff like web browsing and watching videos. I can stretch it out more if I ever get around to installing an SSD.

When the Core 2 came out, computers sort of reached a "good enough" point. Even my desktop mobo is a 2009 running DDR2. It's got a quad core and two 6850s in it now, and it'll handle most newer games on high. I'll probably upgrade it next year.

 

[Zeze]

Ugh, I remember AMD K6-2 with Windows ME back in college. Absolutely awful. It couldn't run Q3A, but my roommate's PC did.

Few years later, I distinctly remember 512mb RAM becoming the norm for many years (3+). Then it suddenly became 2-4 Gigs, wtf.

 

[boomhower]

I use mine for three years and replace them. That's a long enough time span that tech has advanced enough for me to be able to justify spending the money to replace it. Functioning wise I expect the one I'm using now to last 5+ years. (Macbook Pro)

 

[Vdubchaos]

Used to be 2-3 years, but now........AS LONG AS POSSIBLE

Games haven't improved enough for me to justify building a rig every 2 years or so.....and my gaming interest have been slowly dying with that.

 

[TXHokie]

My wife burns thru one every 3 yrs. Doesn't matter if they're $1.5k laptops or $300 laptops, when they die it's not worth the repair (usually some MB power issue or fatal error beep codes) so cheap laptop it is as long as it has a decent display. She fires it up everyday.
My work laptop get refreshed every two years. They get pretty beat up by that time due to the mobile work environment. My "new" laptop that's less than a year old already burn thru a cooling fan.

 

[crashtestdummy]

My current one is almost 5 years old now, but is really showing its age. I will probably get a new one when Haswell comes out (the 28W chips look especially interesting).

 

[SamQuint]

I expect 3 years. It usually comes down to the hard drive. If you proactively replace the drive it should last longer.

I am wondering about the longevity of SSD drives in laptops. Should help...

 

[mvbighead]

This firmly depends on how you use it. I have a laptop that I use sporadically that sits under my living room couch. I've had it for 5 years, and I expect it to last a while longer.

My work laptop travels from place to place, airports, etc. If it died within 4 years, I wouldn't be that surprised.

 

[Farang]

This firmly depends on how you use it. I have a laptop that I use sporadically that sits under my living room couch. I've had it for 5 years, and I expect it to last a while longer.

My work laptop travels from place to place, airports, etc. If it died within 4 years, I wouldn't be that surprised.

This has not been my experience. My last two (Compaq, HP) have lasted 3 years with delicate use but died due to display issues arising from design flaws.

My assumption 6 years later is that all laptops have a design flaw that will cause them to fail at same point.. 3 years being what I consider fair for the price paid.

In the case of my last one, although I got the 3 years I will not buy an HP again because the problem was widespread and obvious. Apparently I was lucky to have got 3 years.

 

[Mixolydian]

Expect? At least 5 years.

But I upgrade my computers frequently, ever year or two usually.