How Often Do You Buy a New Laptop?

[guru]

For all you primary, or maybe exclusive, laptop users - how often do you get a new machine, or have something like a motherboard meltdown force your hand? What would be considered "acceptable" usable lifespan?

I've never owned a desktop, and my first laptop made it 2 years before the motherboard fried for no obvious reason(spill, etc). Computer guy said sometimes it just 'happens", with humidity, moisture from hands, etc. My 2nd one is now a year old, doing great, but I'm getting nervous lol.

Are any brands more "durable" from experience?

[tandfman]

I've never had a meltdown (knock wood). I've replaced my laptop only when some new technology came along that I needed and that my previous one didn't have. I think I've had only three--ever. My current one is about a year old. I think my others lasted 8 and 6 years, respectively. But I am not a big consumer of technology and I use my laptop only for basic things.

[marknhj]

I had a Gateway that was still going strong after 4 years.

[Jack Slocombe]

I bought a Dell ($500.00...cheap, made in China and serviced in India) 2 years ago. Still runs but slow. Next year I will get an upscale Sony in the $1,500.00 range.

Wife bought a MAC ($2,500....ouch) that runs both formats, MAC/PC and is fast.

We always had desktop macs in the past, but lots of programming is PC only.

[Master Po]

I've always been a Mac buyer -- use PCs in the workplace, but prefer Mac, despite the expense. First Mac laptop I bought lasted 11 years -- entirely out of date by the time it expired, but I wanted to see how long it would last.

On the other side, I'll report the experience of a friend, who has a Toshiba laptop that also seems to be indestructible. It has traveled the world with her for several years now, and still runs fine.

[bad hammy]

Two Dells in use. The old one (now mrs. hammy's :lol: ) is about seven years old. The new one is a year old. Both work fine.

[tafnut]

Apparently I am not destined to ever use a laptop (except in dire emergency), because I can't keep some part of my hand off that stupid little touchpad, so the cursor is always appearing in random places when I'm trying to type something. :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Mennisco]

Re: How Often Do You Buy a New Laptop?

I've never owned a desktop, and my first laptop made it 2 years before the motherboard fried for no obvious reason(spill, etc). Computer guy said sometimes it just 'happens", with humidity, moisture from hands, etc. My 2nd one is now a year old, doing great, but I'm getting nervous lol.

A motherboard meltdown is often caused by an overheated CPU, so if you have some little diagnostic that monitors the fan on the heatsink, and hence the CPU temperature, it can potentially alert you to that kind of trouble in advance. Assuming of course, you have a heatsink on your CPU.

[bad hammy]

Re: How Often Do You Buy a New Laptop?

A motherboard meltdown is often caused by an overheated CPU, so if you have some little diagnostic that monitors the fan on the heatsink, and hence the CPU temperature, it can potentially alert you to that kind of trouble in advance. Assuming of course, you have a heatsink on your CPU.

OK, show of hands, who actually understood what he just said?? :lol:

(I did.)

[MJD]

Apparently I am not destined to ever use a laptop (except in dire emergency), because I can't keep some part of my hand off that stupid little touchpad, so the cursor is always appearing in random places when I'm trying to type something. :evil: :evil: :evil:

I plug keyboards into my laptop. I wouldn't use them if I had to type on the laptop itself. I have a desktop at home that I basically just use for email that was my work desktop and bought it in Oct/98. Works fine.

[Mennisco]

The basic problem with any "melt"down, is, um, well, heat related. With a laptop the keyboard may also function as a heatsink. All semiconductors generate heat, so keeping the CPU, graphics chip and memory sufficiently cool are tasks that laptop manufacturers are constantly grappling with. Anything that interferes with the ventilation of the system is not going to help. Hope this does.

[bad hammy]

I plug keyboards into my laptop. I wouldn't use them if I had to type on the laptop itself.

I felt that way for years and avoided getting a laptop because of it. Finally got one (it helps that it was paid for by my employer) and within about two hours was wondering why I had avoided it. The keyboard and touch pad are a piece of cake to get used to. I do have to turn off the feature that allows you to activate a mouse click by tapping on the touch pad, though. That feature drove me insane . . .

[tafnut]

I plug keyboards into my laptop. I wouldn't use them if I had to type on the laptop itself.

Um . . . doesn't that sorta defeat the whole purpose of a LAPtop . . . portability . . . work anywhere . . . only one thing to carry around?

[Daisy]

We go about 5-6 years between upgrades. Never had one fry on us. We only go with MAC despite the price tag. I use it at work and home, carry it in my back pack on my cycle commute. We're currently on our third one. The only thing that is a pain is they don't have a standard VGA port in the computer so I have to carry a connector. I always have a spare in case I lose one. Battery life is another issue. I have never had a MAC that beats a PC in that department.

We bought a DELL laptop for $800 and it is such a horrible machine to use that we never touch it now. Mouse pad sucks and speed is terrible, despite it supposedly being a fastish machine. Who knows why its that way but we won't be buying another PC in the near future.

[tafnut]

Meanwhile, I'm still driving this big HOG!

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