The Lifespan of a Laptop in 2020 – Laptops bring many benefits to users: not only are they convenient, they’re portable, easy to lug around, light and very handy. You can use them for work, school or play, whatever you need. However, just like any other electronic, laptops don’t last forever. Your laptop’s lifespan will vary by the type and model you have, as well as usage level. On average, the lifespan of a typical laptop is between three and five years.

Operational Laptop Lifespan vs. Useful Laptop Lifespan

In talking about lifespan, there are two types of life expectancies for laptops: operational life expectancy and useful life expectancy.

• The operational life expectancy (lifespan) measures how long the laptop will be able to function properly.
• The useful lifespan determines how long the laptop can run advanced programs and meet system specifications.

Sure, you may own a laptop that’s still working 10 years after you bought it. But, that doesn’t mean it’s still useful when it comes to contemporary applications.

Most programs put high demands on your RAM, CPU and graphics card so they can function the right way. But just like humans, as laptops age, they just can’t keep up with the younger models. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you aren’t expecting much and don’t need a high-performance laptop. In this case, your old one will last well past the five-year average for those purposes.

Battery Life

Usually, it’s the battery that’s to blame. While your laptop itself could last a pretty long time, it’s your battery that will give the whole system a relatively short life. As the battery gets on in years, it won’t hold a charge as well. This will happen progressively. The average laptop battery lasts between 18 and 24 months, depending on how much you use it. When it approaches its lifespan, it holds a charge for shorter periods of time.

What’s Planned Obsolescence?

As you know, laptops, phones and other electronics become obsolete much sooner than they should. This is because of planned obsolescence, perpetuated by manufacturers in the computer industry to bring finite lifespans to laptops and ensure they won’t be able to run the software of the future. Particularly when it comes to video games, software designers design software that uses your computer’s resources quickly.

You’ll always be in need of a bigger and better CPU or graphics card in order to run the latest software version of the laptop you picked up just a few short years ago. In a desktop, you could upgrade the RAM and hard drive, but you can’t do the same for a laptop. Beyond a few simple repairs, the only remedy is to invest in a new laptop. Do you run heavy applications? Well, you can expect your laptop life cycle to be very short, and may face having to buy a new one after just a couple years of use.

Tips to Make Your Laptop Last Longer

So, what can you do? Well, overall, give your laptop some TLC over the years. Get it repaired when it needs it, don’t let it overheat, and keep it protected.

• All laptops are susceptible to internal overheating; try to dust out of air vents with canned air to allow more cool air to flow through them.
• Don’t put your laptop on a soft surface.
• Never put it too close to external sources of heat.
• Buy a laptop cooling stand, which provides additional fans on a firm surface to boost air circulation.

Contact Monmouth Cyber

If your laptop is in need of backup, maintenance or repair, just call us for an appointment today at 732-681-2360