Upgrading your laptop/PC: When should you change it, what to keep in mind and more – Times of India
Every electronic device – be it your smartphone, tablet, earbuds, laptop or PC – has a lifespan and over time they degrade in terms of performance, battery life or compatibility. Then it comes to a point when it requires change or a complete upgrade. Laptops and PCs aren’t any different. Eventually, your laptop or PC will reach that tipping point where you will feel the need to upgrade it with a newer model.
How often you should upgrade your laptop? Or, when is the right time to make the jump from the older model to a newer one?
In this detailed guide, we will explain all that to you. Along with this, we will also talk about some things that you can do to extend the overall lifespan of your laptop or PC. Read on:
What’s the ideal lifespan of a laptop or PC
By the book, a laptop or PC should last for at least 3 to 5 years. But, that’s under a certain situation.If taken care of properly, a good laptop can last four around 6 to 8 years. Also, PCs usually have a relatively better lifespan compared to laptops and that’s because they usually have better upgradability component-wise. We will discuss this later. Meanwhile, there are several factors that affect the lifespan of the system. Let’s take a look at that.
Things that can reduce the lifespan of your laptop or PC
Laptop’s quality: A high-quality product will last longer. The same applies to a laptop. If you happen to own an expensive laptop that usually comes with better hardware quality then it will degrade slowly compared to a regular laptop that comes with mediocre hardware.
Usage scenario: The first and most important thing that affects the lifespan of your laptop is how much you use it. For example, if you use your laptop for work that means its usages are high and regular which means it will degrade eventually. On the other hand, if you use your laptop occasionally or even regularly just for a couple of hours a day for viewing multimedia content, browsing, etc, then it will last longer compared to the laptop which is being used on a daily basis for work.
The life of a laptop also depends upon the kind of utilisation. For example, if you use your laptop for gaming or doing heavy graphics-related work, the hardware will take a toll and it is supposed to degrade over time.
Compatibility: Now, this isn’t directly related to the laptop’s degradation. But, in case the laptop is a couple of years old, then it is likely that it won’t support the latest operating system. For example, Windows 11 operating system isn’t compatible with Intel processors that are older than the 7th generation. Sure, it isn’t the end of the world for the laptop, but it certainly won’t receive the latest and greatest features the next-generation operating system has to offer. Also, after a while, the company usually pulls the plug completely from the older operating system which means the laptop won’t receive security updates and bug fixes or new features. This is the time, the upgrade becomes mandatory.
Internal and external damage: Laptops usually receive a lot of damage both internally and externally. Also, both can reduce the lifespan of the laptop. The external damage is caused by bumps, falls, etc which can damage the hardware both internally and externally. Also, damage for put the ‘RIP’ tag on your laptop sooner than expected in case of heavy damage.
Heating can limit the capabilities of your laptop over time: Fans and thermal management in the laptop are usually there to compensate for the heat the internal components like CPU, GPU, drive, RAM, etc generate. However, if the fans are not working properly, it won’t be able to manage the thermals properly which can damage the internal components over the time.
Right time to upgrade
The term upgrade doesn’t mean buying an entirely new laptop or PC. What we want to say is that laptops and PCs usually offer the option to make some component changes to increase the lifespan of the laptop. So, not only it will be easier on the wallet, it will also increase the lifespan by at least a couple of years. So when should you buy a new laptop and when should you make changes to components? Let us explain:
If you want to be the latest all the time: Upgrade to a new laptop
If you are tech-savvy and want to keep yourself upgraded to the latest version then you might probably want to upgrade your laptop almost every 2 years. But, it is an expensive affair.
Battery and performance issues: Upgrading components can be the solution
In case your battery life has reduced, then it is not a great idea to upgrade the entire laptop. Instead, you can buy a new battery pack from an authorised vendor or service centre and get the batteries replaced.
Also, if you are also facing performance issues like a slowdown, lag, etc, then you might want to upgrade your RAM (if your laptop supports it), move to SSD (in case your laptop has a hard drive) and get it properly serviced.
However, there’s a time when something goes wrong with the internal hardware like processor or RAM, then replacing each and every component might be a little expensive which means buying a new laptop is a better choice.
Change in lifestyle or requirement: Upgrade to a relevant model
Apart from all this, there are certain factors that do not offer option other than buying a new laptop. For example, you were a gamer during your college days and had a big and bulky laptop. However, now you want something light that is easy to carry, then switching to a smaller and lightweight model is your only option. This is also a vice-versa scenario.
How often you should upgrade your laptop? Or, when is the right time to make the jump from the older model to a newer one?
In this detailed guide, we will explain all that to you. Along with this, we will also talk about some things that you can do to extend the overall lifespan of your laptop or PC. Read on:
What’s the ideal lifespan of a laptop or PC
By the book, a laptop or PC should last for at least 3 to 5 years. But, that’s under a certain situation.If taken care of properly, a good laptop can last four around 6 to 8 years. Also, PCs usually have a relatively better lifespan compared to laptops and that’s because they usually have better upgradability component-wise. We will discuss this later. Meanwhile, there are several factors that affect the lifespan of the system. Let’s take a look at that.
Things that can reduce the lifespan of your laptop or PC
Laptop’s quality: A high-quality product will last longer. The same applies to a laptop. If you happen to own an expensive laptop that usually comes with better hardware quality then it will degrade slowly compared to a regular laptop that comes with mediocre hardware.
Usage scenario: The first and most important thing that affects the lifespan of your laptop is how much you use it. For example, if you use your laptop for work that means its usages are high and regular which means it will degrade eventually. On the other hand, if you use your laptop occasionally or even regularly just for a couple of hours a day for viewing multimedia content, browsing, etc, then it will last longer compared to the laptop which is being used on a daily basis for work.
The life of a laptop also depends upon the kind of utilisation. For example, if you use your laptop for gaming or doing heavy graphics-related work, the hardware will take a toll and it is supposed to degrade over time.
Compatibility: Now, this isn’t directly related to the laptop’s degradation. But, in case the laptop is a couple of years old, then it is likely that it won’t support the latest operating system. For example, Windows 11 operating system isn’t compatible with Intel processors that are older than the 7th generation. Sure, it isn’t the end of the world for the laptop, but it certainly won’t receive the latest and greatest features the next-generation operating system has to offer. Also, after a while, the company usually pulls the plug completely from the older operating system which means the laptop won’t receive security updates and bug fixes or new features. This is the time, the upgrade becomes mandatory.
Internal and external damage: Laptops usually receive a lot of damage both internally and externally. Also, both can reduce the lifespan of the laptop. The external damage is caused by bumps, falls, etc which can damage the hardware both internally and externally. Also, damage for put the ‘RIP’ tag on your laptop sooner than expected in case of heavy damage.
Heating can limit the capabilities of your laptop over time: Fans and thermal management in the laptop are usually there to compensate for the heat the internal components like CPU, GPU, drive, RAM, etc generate. However, if the fans are not working properly, it won’t be able to manage the thermals properly which can damage the internal components over the time.
Right time to upgrade
The term upgrade doesn’t mean buying an entirely new laptop or PC. What we want to say is that laptops and PCs usually offer the option to make some component changes to increase the lifespan of the laptop. So, not only it will be easier on the wallet, it will also increase the lifespan by at least a couple of years. So when should you buy a new laptop and when should you make changes to components? Let us explain:
If you want to be the latest all the time: Upgrade to a new laptop
If you are tech-savvy and want to keep yourself upgraded to the latest version then you might probably want to upgrade your laptop almost every 2 years. But, it is an expensive affair.
Battery and performance issues: Upgrading components can be the solution
In case your battery life has reduced, then it is not a great idea to upgrade the entire laptop. Instead, you can buy a new battery pack from an authorised vendor or service centre and get the batteries replaced.
Also, if you are also facing performance issues like a slowdown, lag, etc, then you might want to upgrade your RAM (if your laptop supports it), move to SSD (in case your laptop has a hard drive) and get it properly serviced.
However, there’s a time when something goes wrong with the internal hardware like processor or RAM, then replacing each and every component might be a little expensive which means buying a new laptop is a better choice.
Change in lifestyle or requirement: Upgrade to a relevant model
Apart from all this, there are certain factors that do not offer option other than buying a new laptop. For example, you were a gamer during your college days and had a big and bulky laptop. However, now you want something light that is easy to carry, then switching to a smaller and lightweight model is your only option. This is also a vice-versa scenario.
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