Laptop - when is it time to replace

[car10002]

Hi

Was wondering what people experience to know their laptop or computer is too old and needs to be replaced.

Still haven’t replaced laptop don’t have the $$ so have to live with it but it’s gotten worse and can’t put up with it any more.

How do you deal with it for a bit longer even though you can’t really.

Thanks

[Trump]

Anything over six years old isn't worth throwing coin at it. The only thing you can do for free is to format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system. This only applies if there are no hardware faults; if any are present, something that old becomes a bin job.

What specifically are you currently running?

[cs123]

Solid State Drive and a bit more ram.

Reinstall the OS if you can and leave all your clutter behind. Just copy across documents you need.

If your unit is knackered and you want to roll the dice have a look on gumtree.

[car10002]

Originally Posted by cs123

Solid State Drive and a bit more ram.

Reinstall the OS if you can and leave all your clutter behind. Just copy across documents you need.

If your unit is knackered and you want to roll the dice have a look on gumtree.

Hahahaha sounds about right do have the newer laptop that hopefully only needs a new screen might look on ebay in couple weeks or so see what happens

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by car10002

Laptop - when is it time to replace

Originally Posted by car10002

....but it’s gotten worse and can’t put up with it any more.

Answered your own question.

A budget of $400 gets something half decent if you're only using it for web browsing and office type applications. If you want graphics or gaming power triple that figure.....

Sure you can patch & repair the old one to keep it going by spending a few hundred $$ on it, but you need the time, and the knowledge to do this - and let's be honest, if you were capable of that, you wouldn't be asking the question.

What are your needs in a laptop, and what's your budget? 2nd hand is a good way to get a bargain, but you need to know what you're looking at.

[car10002]

Know what to look for in a laptop just got to do it

[Trump]

Originally Posted by car10002

Know what to look for in a laptop just got to do it

What have you currently got mate? I can steer you in the right direction as to what parts to throw at it (if any).

[au350hp]

Have always used Toshiba Notebooks with good results. Generally, once the keys stop working, chuck em as the cost of the ones I have owned, to get the keyboard replaced is too expensive. I am on Dell currently and I love the backlit keyboard as well as the speed this little ripper has is awesome. It has a 7th gen i5 Processor. Very happy with Dell, it is a exceptional all rounder.

[car10002]

The laptops old it’s acer aspire 5315. Memory’s maxed out and won’t take more than 2g.

It’s probably a good 6-7 years old maybe more now

[solarite_guy]

Which OS does it have?

[car10002]

Windows 7 it has and like that better it’s easier to use

[vztrt]

Maybe look at refurb ones from Grey's? Some decent deals....might even have win 7 ones available.

[sgt_doofey]

Threw the last one out as it stopped working. That was a Dell that I had for a number of years. Had a NEC one before that. That was replaced as it stopped working.
Have a Toshiba now. That'll be replaced, most likely when it stops working.
Get about 10 years out of a lappy before being replaced.

Have chucked more RAM at this one. Came with 2GB installed, now has 8GB. Apart from that, it's all stock 64-bit Celeron processing power!
It is a bit slow, but we only really use it for browsing the web and e-mail. If I want processing power, it just use my work PC (IT nerd here)

[car10002]

Do have bit newer laptop and think it works besides broken screen, would it be worth buying a new screen for that, think that’s all it needs straight away and they’re only $75 on ebay and shouldn’t be that hard to swap, how would you otherwise be able to deal with a slow laptop if you don’t have the $ to replace it

[CoupeKing]

This guy has 30+ years in the industry, worth a look through his videos. No drama with him and says it how it is.

This video is part 1/3

[BPXR6T]

I reckon I could do most of what I need with an intel compute stick these days, and I'm a programmer. Most my work is done on VMs on Azure or AWS, or customers servers. Most everything else is PaaS or SaaS. e.g. Visual Studio running on an AWS VM publishing lambda functions or azure logic apps etc etc etc. In terms of SaaS office365 gets everything done. I need very little local compute power these days, which is where things are headed in general. Just thinking, the only software I run local on my macbook would be software to rip movies etc. No reason I can't run that from a cloud based VM. P.S. I gave up on dell, hp, acer, toshiba,... years ago and went macbook pro purely for the form factor.

For me as an IT pro consultant desktops became obsolete years ago, laptops are getting that way too as now all I need is a portal to the web and a simple little device like a cheap compute stick for $150 can do that. Use any TV for a monitor, carry a rollup bluetooth keyboard and a mouse in my pocket. Too easy. Gets the job done. Maybe worth considering if all you use a laptop for is getting to the web...

[car10002]

How much longer you think the same laptop that was asked about a while ago will last,

Asking as it’s now so slow you can’t use internet, cleaned history and it has as much memory added as you can put in

Might try virus scan but not counting on much and can’t really afford a new laptop yet

Would it pay to order a new screen for the other newer laptop that supposedly works other than a broken screen

[car10002]

Phone loads internet instant

[Adamz Ghia]

If it’s just for web browsing and Word just go out and get one of those $300 to $500 laptops. Easy.

[car10002]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

If it’s just for web browsing and Word just go out and get one of those $300 to $500 laptops. Easy.

How much longer you recon laptop has left in it

[solarite_guy]

Originally Posted by car10002

Might try virus scan but not counting on much and can’t really afford a new laptop yet

A fairly descent Free AV is the Trial version of Malwarebytes.

The free version will not give real time protection, but does a good job of scanning.

[car10002]

You’s think the laptop has much life left in it by look of things

[solarite_guy]

It is hard to tell. But a free download that will do a good job of cleaning the system may help you decide.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/

This link takes you to a download site for malwarebytes.

In BLUE is a label named:

Personal

Under this is a column labeled Free and $0

Click the button below that which, in BLUE states DOWNLOAD

Then follow the instructions to download and install the Free software.

Once installed, run it. To be honest I would run it a couple times. Given the state of your computer, it may take a very long time to run. Let it run, don't interrupt it. If it needs to run overnight, let it.

Anything that is quarantined keep quarantined for now. Use the computer and see how it behaves.

It is a free test and will clean the system.

[car10002]

Going to strip windows and start again see if it’s any better

[au350hp]

After its thrown through the window?

[Syndrome]

I have an ASUS ROG G55V laptop which I purchased in May 2013. Still works well.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I have an ASUS ROG G55V laptop which I purchased in May 2013. Still works well.

My hp I got in 2010 and it still goes ok for what it gets used for. No high end gaming machine by any means but it still goes. Its windows 7 and I keep it that way.

[snap0964]

The usual thing I find that degrades over time is the battery capacity - replacements are usually reasonably priced and gotten off Ebay.
Laptops are handy in that they support a second screen, either in conjunction with the onboard one, or as a standalone. So if the onboard one is buggered, plug in a desktop LCD, and run that.
Other thing is give the CPU fan a good blow out occasionally - the heatsink collects lint and crap - I had to dismantle my Compaq, and remove like a furball of crap out of the heatsink. that blocked cooling. The fan did run all the time and the area was always hot. With the crap removed, that all changed.

[mcflux]

Laptops are never too old to replace!

Although recently I sold:

2007 Toshiba Satellite for $100
2001 Fujitsu Life(?) for $20 lol
1993 Toshiba 486DX for... $65 lolol

People still buy ooooooold laptops. My current one is a 2013 Toshiba Satellite, works fine!

[Interceptor]

Well...... I Use my 2007-ish Panasonic CF30 MkIII Toughbook every day....

I dont do any gaming on it, but for what I do with it, it suits me just fine