How long should a laptop last? + Recommend me a new one!

[Sara_H]

Just one month shy of its 2nd birthday my laptop has given up the ghost. Something to do with the electric/charging that's not worth the cost of repairing.
Is this standard laptop lifespan? I think my first lasted 5 years, then the next two both lasted 2 years.
What laptop should I get next? I mostly use laptop for surfing the internet - facebook, cyclechat etc but also need a disc drive for watching DVD, downloading CD´s, usb needed for connecting cameras etc. Memory card reader would also be nice.
Going to be starting a Masters next year, so will be needing something half decent for studying.
Also, I am a cheapskate - would like good value for money.

 

[I like Skol]

I asked a similar question a couple of years ago after a couple of Dell's that lasted about 5yrs each. Following advice from the CC group I plumped for a Samsung. Unfortunately I never really liked it and the battery is now at a point where it is unusable unless plugged in to the mains so can't say I am very impressed .
I expect I will return to Dell after having my fingers burnt with the alternative (Buy cheap, buy twice!).

 

[marknotgeorge]

I take it it's not just the battery or the power supply that's given up the ghost?
I would say that these days, pretty much anything with a DVD drive is going to be fine for your kind of use. You don't need absolute performance unless you're playing big games or editing video and the like.

As @I like Skol says, Dell are a good choice. They're very repairable - you can get the service manuals online, and parts are readily available. On my old laptop, which the girls now use, I've replaced the lid, DVD drive (with a Blu-Ray) and charging board, and fitted the optional camera and Bluetooth module. I only replaced it because I needed Hyper-V for programming.

 

[buggi]

Of all my work laptops, Dell was my favourite. It lasted more than 5 years and now they've changed it coz it was windows XP so no longer supported. I've now got a Lenovo and its ok but I prefer the Dell, if for no other reason than it had a reasonable amount of usb ports. If I was gonna buy my own, it would be a dell

 

[Sara_H]

I take it it's not just the battery or the power supply that's given up the ghost?
I would say that these days, pretty much anything with a DVD drive is going to be fine for your kind of use. You don't need absolute performance unless you're playing big games or editing video and the like.

As @I like Skol says, Dell are a good choice. They're very repairable - you can get the service manuals online, and parts are readily available. On my old laptop, which the girls now use, I've replaced the lid, DVD drive (with a Blu-Ray) and charging board, and fitted the optional camera and Bluetooth module. I only replaced it because I needed Hyper-V for programming.

Something to do with the charging point and motherboard. Same thing that went wrong on the last one.
Will look at Dell.

 

[I like Skol]

Just something I stumbled across in the last few weeks, apparently some laptops have a battery saver mode hidden away in the power settings. This extends the life of the battery by reducing the overall charge level to something like 80% capacity. By reducing the stress on the battery it can double or triple the life expectancy of the battery but at the cost of reduced run-time (not an issue if you are only working at home and leave it plugged in most of the time anyway).

 

[Cycleops]

Sales of PCs and laptops are on the slide, most people are using tablets now. Most laptop batteries give up the ghost after two or three years. I'd be tempted to buy a convertible tablet/ laptop like the Microsoft Surfaces machines http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-rt-1085839/review

 

[Turbo Rider]

Got A HP notebook in 2010 & it's still going, though I'd say it's being nursed through. One of the keys has come off and I can't get it back on, the battery decided to pack in about a year ago, so I have to plug in to use it (I don't mind this as I only use it around the house, but I like a bit of freedom) and the screen has gone patchy to say the least. Just about fit for purpose, but I only use it for word processing, so I can't justify spending more on another one just yet. Probably started taking a downturn last year though and it's done some travelling, so I reckon 2-3 years and maybe more if you're kind to it.

As for recommendations, I don't know. I just take the highest numbers within my budget, but if you know anyone who knows about computer builds, you'll get far more with your money by going to one of those computer fairs.

 

[byegad]

My wife and I had Dells. Mine was bought about 10 months before hers and got a lot more use than hers. Mine was switched on several times a day and run overnight sometimes. Hers, a couple of times a week at most.

Mine, running XP started to show a blue screen every now again complaining about hard drive corruption at 40 months old or so. Hers, running Vista did the same thing at the same age. Both kept this up for 3 or 4 months before promptly refusing to switch on. Coincidence? Maybe, but we both have Samsungs now.

 

[welsh dragon]

I have a Toshiba. It's 6 years old and still works although it is slow compared to todays laptops. I also have a sony vaio that I love. 3 years old and still as good as new.

 

[aferris2]

Have a look at https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/. I bought a laptop from them about 18 months ago. Were great value then, and you can choose which bits you want, including the OS. I already had a Win7 disc so didn't want a pre-installed version with all the bloat. They aren't box shifters, so you can get spares if anything does go wrong.

 

[cyberknight]

Is it worth using the sale of goods act ?
http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-laptop-rights/#axzz3LDyTxTOj
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8253915.stm

 

[drummerbod]

A higher spec laptop should last 5 years.

Tell us what make and model your laptop is.

I have repaired many and some manufacturers use a smaller dedicated board for the charging point which can be had for as little as £20.

What you have described is very common and is generally caused by abuse (not saying it is in your case).

 

[Drago]

My 7 year old Toshiba is still going strong. I was going to donate it to the local playgroup, but can't bring myself to part with something in such robust health.

 

[Sara_H]

It's

A higher spec laptop should last 5 years.

Tell us what make and model your laptop is.

I have repaired many and some manufacturers use a smaller dedicated board for the charging point which can be had for as little as £20.

What you have described is very common and is generally caused by abuse (not saying it is in your case).

Its an Asus, which I was warned against by the OH, but it did have good reviews.