Is it true that laptops last only slightly longer than their warranties last?

Discussion in Computers, Electronics & Gadgets started by Denis Hard • Apr 9, 2014.

  1. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    Whether its true or not I certainly haven't found it to be so - in fact quite the opposite.

    As both of my laptops - one of which was bought in 2003 and the other in 2007 - even though they have been used on a daily basis for long hours at time from the very first day I got them - are functioning just as well as they were when they were new - they look much the same too - well apart from a couple of keys on the slightly younger model where the letters are now starting to fade.
     
  2. Briannagodess

    BriannagodessActive Member

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    I have had a laptop that worked until last year, so that makes it about 5 years of life, lol. I think proper care, maintenance and making sure you do not load it with so many things, can make a huge difference. It also has to be a quality laptop like Asus, Lenovo and such brands. They offer services and change of parts if the laptop do need some repair. So yeah, my laptop had lived beyond the one year warranty but of course, it has died now. But 5 years I think is such a long time already.
     
  3. thenextGeek

    thenextGeekActive Member

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    This is definitely not true. The life of your laptop has a lot to do with how well you take care of it. If you are using it nonstop, and you didn't buy any fan that will cool it, or you are using it in a very hot environment then it is only normal that the life of your laptop is going to be shorter compared to others. On the other hand, if you are using your laptop with utmost care then it will stand the test of time.
     
  4. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I had my laptop fixed just recently and the technician revealed to me that the motherboards in modern laptops are made to last around 3 years. I don't know how I would confirm this but I am inclined to believe it so if it were me looking to get a new laptop I'd probably just stick with buying an Apple laptop or maybe just get a mini desktop PC instead. I think it's still okay to buy laptops though as long as you know what you are getting into.
     
  5. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    I have had my laptop since January of 2013, and given that the warranty was 1 year I would say it's been lasting over the warranty period just fine. The only issue I've had with it was the power cable, which stopped working around 1.5 year after I purchased it and since I had to buy 2 new ones.
     
  6. LilyRaven

    LilyRavenNew Member

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    I have always wondered this myself, especially now that my HP laptop has suddenly stopped working. It was working fine while the warranty was active, but as soon as the warranty expired, it started having one problem after the other. It has me thinking that the rumor is true. I am a very advanced user and know how to keep my hardware, software, and other computer peripherals in working order so I know it wasn't anything I did. I have no choice but to either buy a new laptop altogether or try to repair my older one. I have researched online and it seems HP is having more and more problems as the years go by, which makes me wonder if this is a trick to get consumers to purchase new pcs. I guess I am a bit biased given my specific situation, but it would be nice to know if the tech industries have purposely made it so the computers only last up until the warranty expires. It would help consumers decide on new purchases and take their time instead of just picking one they like and going with it.
     
  7. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

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    In my experience I would have to unfortunately say yes, but maybe I am on the unlucky side of things. I have also only ever had Dell laptops, so maybe it is that too. I have heard from many people that Apple laptops do last a lot longer, but I have never been interested in spending that much money so I have not tried one. I will say, though, that I am going on a little over three years on this one and it is still up to speed so knock on wood.
     
  8. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    A brand new laptop shouldn't be running it's fan full blast like that within days of owning it. If it's already getting overheated easily, then there is likely a fundamental design flaw with the laptop itself. It's only a matter of time before the constant overheating is going to cause the whole computer to fail on you within a short amount of time.

    I could understand if the computer had been in use for a few months, and the owner put all sorts of programs on it that were hogging up system resources, but a brand new system with virtually no additional software on it yet shouldn't be struggling to do basic tasks.

    My current desktop and laptop systems are both Lenovo's and I've had them both for almost 4 years now - thankfully both are still working just fine for me. The only hardware I've replaced so far were the wireless keyboard and mouse that came with my desktop. I broke some of the keys on the keyboard while trying to clean it, and I was getting sick of having to change the batteries in both devices so often. Plus it was a real headache getting them synced up with my computer whenever my computer crashed. I would have to keep rebooting and resetting both devices over and over again until they would finally start working. I replaced both of them with just some basic wired keyboard and mouse (which was surprisingly hard to find, since everything is wireless these days).
     
  9. djdontpay

    djdontpayActive Member

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    I don't think that's true. I love my laptop. My old lappy lasted well over 4 years and it wasn't broken when I gave it away to an under-privileged kid. I wouldn't have done that if my laptop wasn't great. And I am not the most careful of persons, but if laptops survive that long with me, I am sure they are built to last.
     
  10. sharatharadhya

    sharatharadhyaMember

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    You can't compare a Laptop to a Desktop with the same specifications, as they are not similar due to the use of mobile chipsets instead of full Chipsets.But I have been using an HP Pavillion DM1 for the past 4 years and it has never let me down. Except for the fact that it looks a lot older, it is the same computer from the day I bought it. No performance issue, no Battery issues. Maybe it's just the older computers that tend to retain quality or I am just lucky, but mine is working completely.