How long do your laptops usually last? Do you take good care of your gear?

[Mrcricket]

I am currently on my second laptop in six years.

I got the first Lenovo G50 in October 2014 and used it until April 2018. The hinge was eventually broken and the charging port as well. I sold it for R600. Probably stupid now but I needed to get rid of it as I was travelling.

I have had my current one HP I3 since April 2018. I have probably spent over R2000 on repairs for it. It had a few mechanical issues last year and the original charger became faulty eventually which caused my original battery to stop functioning (I had to replace both with generics). The laptop also has some body damage (I dropped it once and also took a fall last year when I was robbed, fortunately the thieves did not take my back-pack). I covered the cracks with power glue to prevent them from spreading.

Overall, the laptop has been working fine since January. I got an SSD which made it faster than it was when it was bought.

But it's safe to say that I'm not the best at taking care of laptops. I'm much better with phones.

 

[Neuk_]

My work laptop I have had since December 2015 and my MacBook Pro since January 2012, both could use an SSD and my MacBook Pro could use more RAM.

 

[Craig_]

Bought my laptop in 2006, used it until around 2015, then bought a new one for the family, we still use it with no issues. Only use it for streaming though so it should last as a long time still.

Got a new laptop at work last year, still looks like the day it was unboxed.

 

[Kung Fu Porkchop]

Had an HP Envy laptop for around 5 years. Replaced the HDD with an SSD and added more RAM. Only sold it after I got a laptop from Work

 

[Lupus]

Got one in 2012, still got it. Sure it's not a daily driver anymore.

 

[Prish]

I bought my first laptop in 2013 it was still working, but I decided to upgrade to a thinner laptop in 2017 which is my current laptop, so it's around 4 years old and still going strong. Both my laptops were Dell laptops from the Inspiron 15 line. I think they are durable laptops and don't require much tender loving care because I've never really gone out of my way to put them in a sleeve or protective covering. I've just thrown them in a backpack with books (uni life before COVID-19), and they never broke.

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Still have laptops from 10yrs ago ... Currently have a Wootware WootBook.... very happy with it.

 

[Mrcricket]

Had an HP Envy laptop for around 5 years. Replaced the HDD with an SSD and added more RAM. Only sold it after I got a laptop from Work

Does your work not have a return policy?

I know some companies also limit what the staff can do with the PC to try and limit them from using it for personal stuff.

 

[justplain]

I'd think 5 -10 years these days.
If you can max out/upgrade the RAM and install an SSD, then they are good to go.
For general use though, browsing/streaming etc.
If you're into video editing/gaming then you'll be upgrading to more horsepower more regularly.

 

[chrisc]

My Dell Latitude is a 2011 model, and an i7. Fitted a 256GB SSD 3 years back and upgraded the RAM to 16Gb.

Boots up in Windows 10 in 40 seconds. A result of Window 10 is that the on-board sound does not work, so I use a USB device instead

Its my music computer now. I did have a MacBook Air from 2017, wonderful machine. Last year while stationary at a traffic light, a bakkie rear-ended me. As well as the car, the MacBook was written off. The bakkie's owner was insured with Outsurance and they messed about for over a year and refused point blank to pay for the computer. My own insurers, Alexander Forbes said dealing with Outsurance was the most frustrating thing ever. I was awarded R9000 by the Small Claims court from the bakkie driver but he never paid.

One strange aspect of the Dell was some kind of furry plastic around the keyboard. This gradually got sticky and horrible. I found alcohol dissolved it so scraped it off. To give the plastic a textured finish, I rubbed it with a coarse plastic cleaner, similar to that you use in the kitchen. It looks really good and is completely smooth

 

[Mrcricket]

I bought my first laptop in 2013 it was still working, but I decided to upgrade to a thinner laptop in 2017 which is my current laptop, so it's around 4 years old and still going strong. Both my laptops were Dell laptops from the Inspiron 15 line. I think they are durable laptops and don't require much tender loving care because I've never really gone out of my way to put them in a sleeve or protective covering. I've just thrown them in a backpack with books (uni life before COVID-19), and they never broke.

Dell seems pretty good. I had one from work for a short period as well and had to return it when I left that job.

I've had HP and Lenovo. Both were not the best bodies which is not ideal (especially considering I don't take the most care). I guess I'll go with Dell next time (when this HP becomes too expensive to repair).

 

[Mrcricket]

My Dell Latitude is a 2011 model, and an i7. Fitted a 256GB SSD 3 years back and upgraded the RAM to 16Gb.

Boots up in Windows 10 in 40 seconds. A result of Window 10 is that the on-board sound does not work, so I use a USB device instead

Its my music computer now. I did have a MacBook Air from 2017, wonderful machine. Last year while stationary at a traffic light, a bakkie rear-ended me. As well as the car, the MacBook was written off. The bakkie's owner was insured with Outsurance and they messed about for over a year and refused point blank to pay for the computer. My own insurers, Alexander Forbes said dealing with Outsurance was the most frustrating thing ever. I was awarded R9000 by the Small Claims court from the bakkie driver but he never paid.

Sorry about that. I know people in similar positions who just took the loss to avoid negotiating (which is a mentally straining process).

 

[Kung Fu Porkchop]

Does your work not have a return policy?

I know some companies also limit what the staff can do with the PC to try and limit them from using it for personal stuff.

They didn't back then, but they do now. They refused to give me a laptop, so I bought my own

 

[UrBaN963]

I bought my Toshiba in 2013 and it's still going along just fine. Could do with an SSD I suppose but I hardly use it so I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[mr_norris]

My first laptop was an HP. Bought in 2009, retired last year. It did the job, but old tech was old, and it wasn't aging gracefully. I abused it though, so its not entirely its fault.

Second and current Gigabyte laptop bought in 2016, and I am still using it. Had planned on upgrading but the disappointing AMD gaming laptops killed that dream. Also, Gigabyte build quality is ****, avoid at all costs. I was stung hard, and am still quite bitter about the whole thing and all the school fees that came with it.

 

[JohnStarr]

My work Lenovo was complete rubbish. a 13" screen with a Core i5 and 8GB RAM that was SLOWER than the HP laptop (4 years old when replaced) leading to an immediate upgrade in memory. And then it was adequate.
I then got a Dell with a Core i7 and 16GB RAM and that laptop was brilliant. Currently got an HP.
I'd only use HP/Dell for work, and swear by Asus for a gaming laptop.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

My 2013 MacAir has been on since the day I bought it 7 years ago, I don't think it has ever been switched off.
Still as fast and reliable as the day I bought it.
Only use it for surfing the net, email, YouTube, VLC, downloads and Kodi

 

[B-1]

Have a dell vostro from 2008? I think. Added a ssd but its 6core i7 CPU is still decent for home use. I tend to not use work devices at home so still use it a few times a week I'd say. Only real issue has been a battery replacement and the screen hinge is a bit wobbly.

 

[Willie Trombone]

3-5 years probably, though I've found the Dell Latitudes are pretty decent quality wise so this one may last longer.

 

[Smugs]

I got a cheap-ass Acer something in 2013. Good enough for what I do. I did manage to burn it with my gas braai...