How long should a LAPTOP last you?

[Pretty Boy32]

I say this because my laptop is starting to break on me, it’s slow AF, and now it’s lost it’s brightness, I can barely make out what’s on the screen and the brightness button isn’t working so it’s screwed me.

How long should a laptop last you?

Also which laptop makes are the best. HP?

It really depends on what you are using the laptop for. In some cases it’s like buying a roadster car and driving it off road and then wondering why it didn’t last too long.

In short, if you have been running the processor hard then it will eventually slow down. Their are many variables that effect the health of your laptop but in most cases it’s people over running processors

[Redd Foxx]

5 years. Unless you buy bleeding edge, then you're looking at just a little more. Reason is more due to the advancement of tech than physical age. They don't need to last more than 5 because they are dinosaurs after 5 years of age. Never buy a computer for longevity.

Apple used to be for working professionals but are now simply for people who are not tech savvy. They are terribly overpriced and have planned obsolescence but are very simple in design, which appeals to many. They're riding on their name now, which is why their market share still sucks. Your dollar goes a lot farther on windows based hardware.

Don't buy bleeding edge either. I've been building my own computers for 20 years and found the smart money is in last year's technology. You pay half as much for something that's relevant for almost as long.

[Redd Foxx]

By the way, an important thing you can to do preserve your laptop is blow out the dust. Dust restricts airflow and causes components to overheat. Heat diminishes performance.

Use canned air if you don't feel confident being able to put it back together but opening it up and cleaning it is really the best way to do. If you use it a lot, do it annually.

[jaded]

I say this because my laptop is starting to break on me, it’s slow AF, and now it’s lost it’s brightness, I can barely make out what’s on the screen and the brightness button isn’t working so it’s screwed me.

How long should a laptop last you?

Also which laptop makes are the best. HP?

Hard drives and power sources are usually the culprits. Although heat is an issue especially with laptops and will cause your CPU to throttle down. As Redd Foxx said cleaning blockages can have a major affect. Laptops can detect when the power supply is overloaded and switch to the battery as the power source. When they detect that, they often set the frequency of the CPU and GPU to the lowest possible value to preserve the power supply and prevent a fire or a power supply failure that leads to a power surge(killing the laptop). Usually when this happens the laptop signals the user either by blinking the charge indicator or by popping a message in windows.

A retailer should allow you to test your laptop with a new power supply to rule out a power source issue...or many allow you to return things same day without any issues should it not show any improvement.

But first test your hard drive with this...

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/

If your hard drive is beginning to fail it can slow down to a painful crawl before it actually dies and you want to change it while you still can transfer your files. I just changed mine last week and it's like I have a new computer...very fast now.

If you have questions after running it upload a screen shot of the test results.

One other thing...you can try resetting windows. Some malware like mining malware can steal all your resources. Sometimes things go bad and a reset fixes everything. The hard drive test will take a few seconds to complete. If that passes OK then try a reset. If that does not fix things then test another power source. Those are the first 3 easiest solutions...beyond that it gets a little more complicated.

**EDIT**

Having thought about what you said about the "brightness" or lack of it in your screen supports what I said about the power supply. I'd just go over to Best Buy with you laptop and try a new one out right in the store. That way you can return it if that is not the problem right away. Just call them up and make sure they have one for your model and explain that you're not sure but think you have a power supply problem and if not...can you return it? I don't think they will have a problem with that.

HOWEVER...

Try this first because it could be a corrupted graphics driver or the adaptive brightness feature is not working right...

https://windowsreport.com/computer-s...dimming-issue/

[Willy Wanker]

I've had my laptop over 8 years now. I only use it to download sht and watch p.orn nowadays. I do most of my online stuff on my phone or iPad.

Until my laptop starts running like sht, I'm keeping it.

[EdWins]

I've had my Chromebook for 4 years now, will never ever go back to a windows pc ever again.

[KEY LOW]

Had my laptop since 2016, still going strong.

[Zaroku]

I tend to get a new laptop, whenever my homies at the HBSN (home boy shopping network) hit a lick, and laptops are at fire sale prices.

I like buying like that.

[Beercules]

I've had my laptop over 8 years now. I only use it to download sht and watch p.orn nowadays. I do most of my online stuff on my phone or iPad.

Until my laptop starts running like sht, I'm keeping it.

I'm in the same boat.

My laptop is fried but I just use my iPad or phone.


Real OGs

[TonyGe]

It really depends on what you are using the laptop for. In some cases it’s like buying a roadster car and driving it off road and then wondering why it didn’t last too long.

In short, if you have been running the processor hard then it will eventually slow down. Their are many variables that effect the health of your laptop but in most cases it’s people over running processors

I was an Electronics Technologist before I retired and you're right. Heat is one of the major causes of electronics failure. Turn the laptop off when your not using it. Don't block the cooling ports and keep them clean.