Any time you buy a new computer, it always seems lightning-fast and ultra-responsive. Most people struggle to imagine a time when they'd need to replace that bit of technology, yet computer hardware has a definite lifespan. What are the advantages of buying a brand new laptop? How long can a laptop last? While that number used to be three years, current thinking is that most laptops will give you three to five years of service.
9 Advantages of Buying a Brand New Laptop
While you don't need to wait that long, you may wonder what, if any benefits you'll see from upgrading to a brand new laptop. Keep reading for some of the key advantages you'll see from your new laptop.
1. Improved Overall Laptop Performance
Laptop performance declines over time for a variety of reasons. One of the big reasons is that the components of your laptop wear down over time. For example, the fan or fans in your laptop will lose efficiency as the hours of use pile up.
Another reason is that hardware slowly gets out of date. New software and new versions of operating systems typically look to take advantage of the options opened up by hardware advances. For example, the historical jump to multi-core processors and multithreading CPU features or the introduction of solid-state drives.
Those hardware changes allowed computers to operate faster and software to do things it couldn't before. Unfortunately, software designed for those changes tends to operate sluggishly on older systems.
On top of all of that, the overall amount of RAM in laptops has increased over time. Once upon a time, 4 GB of RAM was considered more than sufficient. Now, a laptop realistically needs at least 8 GB and preferably comes with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM.
When you upgrade, you get new chips, new drives, and more RAM as standard features, all of which boost performance.
2. Avoids Upgrade Limitation on Laptops
One reason why hardcore computer types keep using desktop systems is that you can do a lot of upgrading on them before you must finally replace them. For example, let's say you're running out of storage on the device. You can add another internal hard drive or solid-state drive to expand your total storage.
If the computer is slowing, you can add more RAM. You can easily replace malfunctioning parts like fans and power supplies. If the computer struggles with graphics functions, you typically upgrade to a better graphics card.
If you're particularly motivated and knowledgeable, you can even upgrade to a better CPU in some cases. Graphic and CPU upgrades can depend in part on your motherboard, but it's often possible if your computer is only a few years old.
All of these upgrade possibilities mean that you can prolong the working life of your computer a great deal.
With laptops, your upgrade options are generally limited to things like RAM, storage, batteries, and maybe your wireless card. Once you do that, the only way you can boost performance is with a new laptop.
3. Let's You Change Types of Laptops
There are several types of laptops or laptop-like computers. A few examples include:
- Ultraportable
- Desktop Replacement or luggables
- Chromebooks
Let's say that you're fresh out of college and you nursed a basic ultraportable through your last couple of years. Now, you taking work as a front-end web developer. That old ultraportable might have gotten the job done in college, but the demands of your job now require the heavy-duty processing power of a pluggable.
Or, maybe you needed a luggable for your old job, but your new one doesn't require it. You may only want a Chromebook for basic web surfing and streaming video. Switching laptop types can let you access more functionality or reduce it based on your needs.
In some cases, it may just mean switching brands. Maybe you never liked your old laptop and want a new Lenovo laptop instead. Switching brands can let you access different service programs or maybe get a different kind of processor that you like better.
4. Improve Portability
As laptop technology evolves, what the luggables of yesteryear could accomplish with their 17-inch screens and 8 pounds of weight, you can often achieve with a current 5-pound laptop sporting a 14-inch screen. Moving to a smaller laptop can reduce performance somewhat relative to a larger current model. It will likely still feel like an upgrade from your old laptop.
That smaller screen and lighter weight also make the laptop more portable. You can switch to a smaller laptop bag. Plus, it's less of a decision about whether or not you want to take the laptop with you.
5. Better Processors
New processors don't come out on a fixed schedule, but a new generation usually shows up about every 12 to 18 months. If you've had your laptop for four years, your current processor may be as much as four generations behind current models.
If nothing else, you can usually find an upgrade in terms of processor speeds. For example, if your old laptop is giving you anything less than around 3.0 GHz, it's way behind the curve. You'll see a meaningful improvement in overall performance and laptop experience with a processor rocking 3.0 GHz or better.
While dual-core chips are still pretty common and fine for standard work, quad-core chips are more and more standard. Quad-core chips really show their worth with processing-intensive tasks, such as video or audio editing. A good graphics chip will also prove its worth with high-level gaming and video production tasks.
6. Solid-State Drives
It's still common to find hard disk drives in lower-end laptops. HDDs are perfectly serviceable and cheaper for general storage purposes. The problem is that they are slow when it comes to things like loading your operating system.
That might work out okay first thing in the morning while you glare at the coffee maker and wonder why you didn't hit a Starbucks on the way into work. It becomes much more frustrating when you're out somewhere and want to get a little bit of work done.
Solid-state drives work off the same basic principles as flash memory in tablet computers. It makes those drives remarkably fast in terms of loading up your operating system. It's why so many companies will now use solid-state drives as boot drives while installing a secondary HDD for more mundane storage.
If you've never worked with a laptop sporting a solid-state drive, it will boost your overall user experience a lot.
7. Customization
Buying laptops these days is a bit different than it was even a few years ago. The standard was that you pretty much got the specs on the box or you bought yourself another model of laptop.
These days, you can do a lot of customization when you order a laptop. For example, you can specify better chips, solid-state drives, and even add extra RAM right in the ordering window.
These options aren't universally available for every laptop, but you can find those options for many of them. That gives you a golden opportunity to control costs. It also gives you a golden opportunity for future-proofing your laptop.
Since upgrading laptops once you have them is both difficult and limited, the more you can future-proof your laptop out of the box, the longer you can expect it to last. Opting for a higher-end chip, more RAM or even the maximum RAM for that model, and solid-state drives with more storage will help extend the laptops working life.
8. Improved Stability
As a general rule, laptops don't suffer the same kinds of hardware-based compatibility crashes you see on desktop computers, especially home-built models. Since the manufacturers know that most of those components will never come out of the case, they do extensive testing for hardware and firmware compatibility.
That makes laptops surprisingly stable in their operation. Of course, age and endless rounds of updates can start to compromise that compatibility and stability. Your laptop will likely grow twitchier as it gets older.
A new laptop will show the same kind of stability you saw with your old laptop in the earliest days. All the components went through compatibility testing far more recently and with the latest firmware. That model of laptop was likely also built around the latest version of an operating system.
All of that buys you several more years of highly stable performance from your device.
9. A Brand New Laptop and You
Buying a brand new laptop isn't just a status thing. Laptops age out of useful performance over time because their components are largely fixed. A new laptop offers you real benefits.
It lets you access newer chips. It also lets you decide on whether or not to go with a different type of laptop. Customization options even let you futureproof your laptop in ways that were largely unavailable even a few years ago.
Looking for more benefits of laptops or tech tips? Check out some of the other posts over in our Technology section.
If old laptop rosak already then have to buy new one la, like it or not.
ReplyDeleteIf you can fix and repair it...and if it is not too expensive...definitely you would prefer to just fix it, no?
DeleteNo cos the motherboard circuit won't be as fast and the CPU processing power also not very fast already. It depends on how long you own the laptop. Mine usually is for more than 10 years. If within one year of course can try to fix but sometimes fixing it is more expensive than buying a new one.
DeleteTrue. If it has been like more than 10 years or so, of course buying a brand new one will make more sense.
DeleteAnd they're very affordable these days!!!
ReplyDeleteRelatively speaking I believe. :D
DeleteTo be frank, changing laptop is so much more troublesome than changing phone. My current laptop is 10 years old, still can do everything I need it to but the huge issue is the constant change of battery since they don't last very long :(
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I am still relying on my current laptop too which is like yours...almost 10 years old. Changing it will be a hassle too. And like you...the battery does not last long anymore.
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