How Often Do You Buy a New Computer and Why?

jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 10:12
Last edited 21/07/2018 - 11:10

Hi I brought a Mac Air earlier 2014 and I like it, its light and easy to carry around and its very reliable, so if I buy I think I would buy Macbook again, I am thinking if I should get a new Macbook at the moment, but I do not like screen getting bigger and bigger because I carry it around nearly on daily basis. The problem I have with the current MacAir is the battery about half as long as its new, its getting slower and slower and its dies more often.

I am not sure if its worthwhile to replace battery and get it checked for performance slower down. If I take to Apple I wonder if they would charge me for performance slower down checks for free or if they would charge me. I remember the recent post of the guy who got full refund for his TV after 4.5 years of usage, but I dont really want to pick up a fight.

I use computer main for internet surfing and sometime Microsoft Office.

I wonder how often you change your computer

Poll Options

  • 10
    one year or less
  • 18
    between one and two years
  • 52
    between three and two years
  • 39
    between four and three years
  • 86
    between five and four years
  • 409
    longer than five years
Computing Computer Battery Computer Slower Computer Upgrade

Comments

  • smuggler on 21/07/2018 - 10:23
    +20

    Desktop: Every 6-7 years

    Laptop: Every 6-7 years

    Work laptop: Every 3-4 years

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 10:52
      +4

      I wish my laptop can last 6-7 years

      • smuggler on 21/07/2018 - 10:55
        +11

        You just need to know how to take care of it. I do fix mine every now and again

        I've had one for 10 years. Still works. Fixed it 3 times

        • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:06
          +1

          Any advice on how to look after it for someone with very limited knowledge of computer hardwares and softwares.
          Who should I go for help? Apple charged me over hundred dollars to reload the system when it was just over one year old and just out of warranty.
          Is it worthwhile to send to Apple for regular checks?

        • smuggler on 21/07/2018 - 11:20
          +14

          @jowu15:

          1. Don't drop it. lol
          2. Always have an anti-virus SW on it
          3. Do a full reinstall every 2 years (it's very easy on Apple computers. Youtube has loads of self-help)
          4. Never take it back to Apple after warranty ends
          5. Don't use computer on bed or near dusty areas
          6. Clean air vents out every 6 months
        • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:36
          +5

          @smuggler:
          1. I drop it once, its fall out of my backpack on the pavement.
          2. I do not install anti-virus SW, as its slower my computer and i do not go to doggie website and do not open doggie emails
          3. Ok I will do that, but I cannot find itune backup on my computer anymore, so I cannot use itune backup now.
          4. Noted.
          5. Noted.
          6. How to do that? I never even heard about it

        • smuggler on 21/07/2018 - 12:00
          +2

          @jowu15:

          Take the back lid off and use compressed air to blow away the dust.

          Heat is a killer for electrical components

        • try2bhelpful on 21/07/2018 - 12:33
          +50

          @jowu15: you don't go to "doggie website" do you go to "kitty" websites instead?

        • Alan Laz on 21/07/2018 - 12:51
          -1

          @try2bhelpful:

          I think he meant "dodgy" :)

        • try2bhelpful on 21/07/2018 - 12:53
          +12

          @Alan Laz: I know exactly what he meant.

        • Wystri Warrick on 21/07/2018 - 13:47
          +1

          @try2bhelpful: I think I like you try2bhelpful….

        • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 14:26
          +1

          @smuggler: Thanks I watched on youtube about it after read your post. I am thinking of buy the tool kit: compressed air and small screw driver

        • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 14:27
          +1

          @Alan Laz: thanks

        • onevstheworld on 21/07/2018 - 20:06
          +1

          @jowu15:
          If it's just the battery that's the issue, you can replace it yourself. Just search iFixit for very easy to follow guides.

          Once a Mac gets old enough, Apple wants nothing to do with you even if you're willing to pay for the fix. They refused to replace the battery on my 2011 MacBook Pro and the "genius" suggested the solution was to upgrade. I said no thanks, went home and learnt to replace it myself. Was a 30 minute job.

        • jowu15 on 22/07/2018 - 00:10
          +1

          @onevstheworld: Thanks for sharing your experience and i think its soooo wrong for them to refuse to replace your battery and force you to upgrade, but this I think work out better for you: you would save money but doing it for yourself and you also learn a new skill.
          I watered an ifix video on youtube for clean vent.
          where did you buy battery? Ebay?

        • onevstheworld on 22/07/2018 - 09:17
          +1

          @jowu15:
          I got my battery from Macfixit. I didn't want to go with the absolute cheapest battery… I'm paranoid it'll blow up on me.

        • CarbonMini on 22/07/2018 - 12:11

          @jowu15: Apple service is always quite expensive. Though, Apple products are always pretty well built, so there really shouldn't be a need to repair your Apple device that often. Apple offers AppleCare (or something along that line) where you pay beforehand (a bit like insurance) and you can get your device fixed for 'free'.
          If you are concerned with the service cost of Apple, maybe it's time to move onto another brand.

        • samcro on 22/07/2018 - 12:31

          @jowu15: What about Cattie websites ??

        • onevstheworld on 22/07/2018 - 13:26
          +2

          @CarbonMini:
          It's not about service costs. It's Apple's wasteful attitude about thier older products. They told me because my MBP was too old, they won't repair it for any price.

          I did have Applecare, but obviously it's long expired.

        • Doggiie on 22/07/2018 - 14:18
          +21

          @jowu15:

          i do not go to doggie website

          doggie website? You don't visit my website? :(

        • belongsinforums on 22/07/2018 - 15:02
          +1

          @Doggiie: comment of the day

        • CarbonMini on 22/07/2018 - 15:05

          @onevstheworld: The OP has a 2014 MacBook - that's not very old. Would Apple decline repair for a 2014 device? If they did decline, my faith in Apple would reach new lows.

        • Sigiriya on 22/07/2018 - 19:43

          @jowu15: Keep it clean, not to clog vents fans etc. Buy a DataVac and blow every now and then. Bit harder to find DataVacs. But you will not regret it. You can use it with most of the electronics to keep them clean.

        • happirt on 22/07/2018 - 22:14
          -1

          @jowu15: youtube has videos on replacing broken laptop parts for all sorts of models.

          apple product lifecycle is designed so devices become outdated quicker to make you buy more.
          i've seen my share of old pc laptops still being used but not old apples. they keep making things obsolete and bringing out new connectors just for sales.

        • jowu15 on 23/07/2018 - 01:29

          @Doggiie: I was draw everyone's attention to your website. I was mean to be double negative to mean yes i do :)

        • TimApple on 23/07/2018 - 10:21

          @smuggler: You don't need to do reinstall every 2 years.

        • RedHab on 23/07/2018 - 14:06

          @smuggler: Another tip for Li-Ion battery life is don't do full charge cycles. Your battery will last much longer if you don't drop it below ~25% and charge it beyond ~80%.

          Some BIOSes let you enable this charging feature.

          However, this means you only get around half the battery capacity. Replacement battery packs are pretty reasonably priced on eBay.

        • SaberX on 24/07/2018 - 01:51

          @smuggler:

          How do you clean air vents out? The old pressurised air worked in desktops but blowing it into vents seems to just push all back into the laptop i feel.?

        • Randolph Duke on 24/07/2018 - 09:33

          @happirt: No old MacBooks been used? Constantly see people out and discussing on forums using old MacBooks. 2011’s still seem pretty common.

        • smuggler on 24/07/2018 - 17:56

          @SaberX:

          I remove the cover off my laptops

        • Snorkel2226 on 25/09/2018 - 10:23

          @try2bhelpful:

          Maybe doggie website just isn't their 'style'

      • FittyFitty on 24/07/2018 - 14:51

        HP ZBooks…

        • smuggler on 25/07/2018 - 17:58

          Too expensive ;(

    • locknuts on 22/07/2018 - 21:30

      I only have a desktop, but same.

    • vid_ghost on 25/07/2018 - 11:37

      Same.. :) in the past i used to upgrade every one or two years because tech was progressing so fast.. no need to these days.

  • FoxJump on 21/07/2018 - 10:24
    +3

    I replace my laptop when it breaks after warranty due to a serious issue. Not a wifi broke or disk died. But a motherboard dying or oopsie I dropped the laptop in water, or CPU burnout.
    Most recent laptop replacement was after it got flooded in the car which got flooded due to a storm. Previous to that the mobo was dying and would bsod regularly. Prior to that the fan died and fried the CPU. Each laptop tends to last me at least 4 years.

    I replace my desktop after im sick of repairing it. Is, 2012 desktop didn't do HDMI in 2016. So I bought a graphics card. It drew too much power burning out the PSU. After burning two PSUs I gifted it to a friend who didn't need HDMI and then I bought a nuc in 2018.

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:07

      I hope you have insurance to claim on your car and the laptop

      • FoxJump on 21/07/2018 - 14:18

        I did.
        They paid up. Thanks NRMA.

  • holdenmg on 21/07/2018 - 10:25

    What is the Battery Cycle Count?

    Have you run Software Update?

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 10:58

      its just over 1000 counts with 63% heathy battery and OS X healthy status is fair
      Yes I upgrade my software it soon as it releases, I was wonder if the computer slower down was cause by new software is too big but I check my hard disc and I used less than half of my hard disc.

  • Oz8argain on 21/07/2018 - 10:44
    +3

    Start looking for cheap deals after 5 years

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:09

      I got another year to go

      • Kangal on 23/07/2018 - 00:01
        +9

        Honestly, it's not worth getting a Mac anymore.

        Windows has recovered from their horrible 8 and 8.1 OS days. And there are great innovations such as touchscreens, active pens, fingerprint/camera authentication, ThunderBolt3, Nvidia Pascal GPUs, and not to mention 4c/8t Intel chips running on 15W. Not to mention the flagship Ultrabooks from the big OEMs (Razer, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, etc etc) have steadily improved the build quality of the device, speakers, microphones, cameras, trackpads, keyboards, and screens over the years.

        The MacBooks from 2016 and on have been plagued with smaller batteries/battery life, flimsy keyboards, and lack of ports (USB, HDMI, SD Card, Ethernet, Headphone jack etc etc). They're actually WORSE from a practicality or real-world use viewpoint. And the OS X updates (actually macOS) have now reduced to a crawl as Apple focuses on emoji's and slight UI tweaks rather than big under-the-hood improvements.

        My default stance on people wanting a good ultrabook is to look at the product and not the badge. And for people with Desktop PC's, they can actually build a decent Windows 10Pro (minus the spyware) Gaming PC, and dual-boot it with Hackintosh. And even multi-boot it with Android-x86, SteamOS, CentOS, elementaryOS, openSUSE etc etc.

        • onevstheworld on 23/07/2018 - 16:05

          I used to think Apple's laptops were awesome… the competition was awful back in the day. Now the laptop and desktop range seem like neglected siblings to the iPhone and iOS. I find it hard to defend the company's strategy or practices.

          The new, expensive and overheating i9 MBP doesn't make things any better.

  • nubzy on 21/07/2018 - 10:48
    +3

    My last laptop lasted nearly ten years. I would wait at least 5 years before upgrading, and I would be keeping an eye out for a great deal. You can get an awesome laptop for well under 1k if you are prepared to wait.

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:02

      Is there any lightweight computer less than 1K?
      Any recommendation of good computer? I have no idea what to look for beside RAM and hard disc size etc the basic statistics.

  • JIMB0 on 21/07/2018 - 11:13
    +2

    It probably has software running in the background slowing it down and consuming the battery. A fresh install is worth a shot before buying a replacement.

    • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:17

      Thanks for your suggestion but how to "fresh install" a computer?
      I just upgraded the software to MAC OS high Sierra 10.13.6, I mean is upgrade software helps

        • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:26

          Thanks and what is the benefit of reinstall the operating system

        • yaziyo on 22/07/2018 - 10:12
          +1

          @jowu15: it's basically making the computer brand new again from a software perspective, so all the crap that's accumulated over the years is removed. It can definitely help for Windows, but I suspect it will be a marginal improvement for macs which don't seem to slow down that much.

  • scrimshaw on 21/07/2018 - 11:14
    +3

    I replace laptops only when necessary and depending on whether the specs are still good enough to give me satisfactory experience.

    That said, I'm still rocking hardware from ages ago:

    Core 2 Duo Acer from 2009. Too slow to use nowadays, and has a weird issue with SSD's that makes boot times take longer than HDD's.

    Atom-based Pendo Tablet from 2016. Too slow to use for work, 2GB of RAM makes it practically useless except for watching movies. Wifi adapter inside it is faulty. A waste of money.

    2nd hand Haswell Generation HP Elitebook Folio — good enough for work, MSATA SSD, 8GB RAM / i7 CPU still holds up well and I can still use it. Battery life is pretty bad at 4.5 hours though.

    Work laptop that I use day-to-day: Lenovo E570P with i7-HQ, GT1050 Ti and 16GB of RAM. Main workhorse for a lot of things.

    As for desktops, I never buy desktops as an entire package so my systems are always a mix of old and new components. My current PC however was upgraded from Ivy Bridge to AMD Ryzen Gen1 about 5 mths ago.

    scrimshaw on 21/07/2018 - 11:14 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • jowu15 on 21/07/2018 - 11:29

    Look like people keep the laptop longer than i thought. I would like to added more options on the poll like "longer than 10 years" without success.

  • yayrobots on 21/07/2018 - 12:22
    +2

    I will only consider replacing a computer when the cost of ownership (buy price / time ) falls below $1/day. I'm still using an old laptop daily which has cost me $0.18/day and I have no plans to replace it.

    • Okayy on 22/07/2018 - 11:05

      What’s the formula here

      • yayrobots on 22/07/2018 - 12:09

        I'll give you an example.
        $400 laptop purchase in 2012 & current date 2018 (assume same day & month of purchase)
        400 / ((2018 - 2012) * 365) = $0.18 per day.

        If a computer had a purchase price of $2000 it would need to be used for 2000 days (5.5 years) to meet the $1/day requirement.

        • Okayy on 22/07/2018 - 18:33

          Thanks for this, I’ll try it.

        • happirt on 22/07/2018 - 22:18

          what if a component like hdd dies?

  • p1 ama on 21/07/2018 - 12:23
    +4

    Every few months, I just have an unhealthy obsession with building computers. This year, I've already built an i9 7960X system, then when Ryzen 2 launched, I decided to take another stab and build a Ryzen 7 2700 system, which I eventually took to work and used there.

    • EightImmortals on 21/07/2018 - 12:36
      +1

      No kidding? I thought i9 was a typo until I googled it. Must look into that then. :)

  • EightImmortals on 21/07/2018 - 12:35

    In the 'ol days it used to be every couple of years to keep up with the latest software. These days I usually upgrade components as they fail and I can STILL keep up with the latest games.. :)

  • try2bhelpful on 21/07/2018 - 12:37

    I, generally, buy a new computer when I've trashed the old one. I mainly use my iPad for surfing, nowdays, and only use my laptop when I want to use the keyboard or have a larger screen.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/07/2018 - 12:54
    +4

    For tax purposes every 3 years. Resale on MacBook Pros is very good. After the income tax deduction and getting money back from selling it, the laptop ends up becoming free. It’s just the upfront cost you have to wear.

    • kingmw on 22/07/2018 - 15:24

      I would as well but not a fan of the new MBP touch bar or faulty keyboards (maybe better with this year's batch). Also Apple's prices are becoming too ridiculous, there are almost no good options under 2.5k.

      • drmarshall on 22/07/2018 - 16:11

        The new mbp i9 is slower than last years i7 because it throttles the CPU because of heat build up

        • [Deactivated] on 22/07/2018 - 21:25

          That's great sensationalist headline grabbing rubbish, but if you look at real world tests, such as MKBHD's real world review, using actual applications instead of bench marking programs, that's not the case. It certainly thermal throttles, but it's performance still exceeds last year's model by 15%

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVCRAKDt21E&feature=youtu.be

    • josho9 on 22/07/2018 - 21:19
      +1

      Strictly speaking, if you have deducted more than the "net cost" (i.e. purchase price less resale price) you need to adjust back your deductions and pay tax on the difference.

    • dave999 on 23/07/2018 - 09:44

      If I understand you correctly, that is not how it works. If you have depreciated the asset to $0 and then sell the asset for $1000 you have to pay tax on the profit you made. If you do not pay that tax it is tax evasion and is illegal. Just a FYI.

    • Mrgreenz on 24/07/2018 - 00:10

      Assuming a roughly 30% marginal rate, can yor resale a Macbook Pro for ~70% purchase price?

      • [Deactivated] on 24/07/2018 - 10:34

        Ball park, yep.

  • airal3rt on 21/07/2018 - 13:56
    +6

    Since improvements in CPU architecture have slowed to a crawl I'm still rocking the Sandy Bridge 2500k OC'd from 2011, but graphics cards don't last 7 years so I upgraded to a GTX 1070 in 2016. Depends what you're using the computer for, really.

    • Singu1arity on 23/07/2018 - 14:21
      +1

      Since improvements in intel CPU architecture have slowed to a crawl I'm still rocking the Sandy Bridge 2500k OC'd from 2011, but graphics cards don't last 7 years so I upgraded to a GTX 1070 in 2016. Depends what you're using the computer for, really.

      FTFY

    • R3XNebular on 23/07/2018 - 17:13

      I'm in the same boat. Just keep upgrading my GFX card. Rocking a GTX 290 still. Haven't reformatted in 4 years so far lol.

  • Axelstrife on 21/07/2018 - 13:57

    I built my Gaming PC and will upgrade specific parts as needed or wanted.

    I don't need or wouldneed to use a powerful laptop so i just have a cheap Dell 6th gen I5 nothing special.

  • Godric on 21/07/2018 - 14:21

    Had a E6600 build, lasted me 2 years ish then
    my 955BE build lasted me from 09 to late 2015, took it through 3 gpu's.
    Current rig built around the 6600k, don't expect to upgrade until 2020.

  • poohduck on 21/07/2018 - 14:27

    When I can no longer do what I want to. For me, this is photo editing. After a while, I get a new camera that takes bigger raw files, and then it's a bigger hit while editing. My first ever laptop from close to 20 years ago retired in a cupboard, my 2nd from about 14 years ago was rebuilt with linux (a very light weight fast version), and is just as fast booting up, browsing etc as my current laptop. Of course, that laptop can not edit the large raw files, which is why I replaced it. If the software I need could be used with linux, I'd dump ms so fast, then I'd probably have an extra 2 years of good performance. This current laptop is 2014 - I have no plans to change until needed. My current 4/3rds camera I'm going to keep for a long while yet, so I imagine I will keep this laptop too. The other thing is to keep the operating system - I'm still running windows 8.1. If I upgraded to windows 10, that would be a great performance loss.

    • Jolakot on 22/07/2018 - 14:30
      +1

      That last part might have been true a decade ago, but Windows 10 is actually faster and less resource intensive than windows 8.1 in a lot of areas, especially gaming. Hell, the minimum requirements for Windows 7 and Windows 10 are identical.

  • Illian on 21/07/2018 - 15:51

    Every 4-5 years. I play PC games fairly regularly and won't compromise image quality so that's really the main reason, and whatever 1080Ti equivalent of the time costs about as much as a cheap PC so yeah that plus a couple other parts to update and it's basically new. I've never owned a laptop so I wouldn't know about that, but the other half does and waits at least 3 years or more as long as there are no issues.

  • Clear on 21/07/2018 - 16:03

    I bought my computer in 2012 and have been upgrading piece by piece since. So it's not really buying a new computer but some components are still the same like the case.

  • boomramada on 21/07/2018 - 16:49

    When in Uni, every year, even when you are a poor student. But now, every 5 year+.

  • misfitt1911 on 21/07/2018 - 17:51
    +1

    My desktop PC is 8 years old, which is somewhat a dinosaur in PC technology years. It was a 'high-end' machine at the time, and has never been upgraded, except for the SSDs that have failed. I used to use this machine for Photoshop. However, these days I run Linux, and use the computer for basic computing stuff. I don't think it would run modern games decently unless I upgrade this ancient AMD 5870 card.

    • smpantsonfire on 23/07/2018 - 09:18

      Mine is roughly the same age, I spent big at the time $2000, got an awesome mobo and chip i7 960, and eventually an ssd.

      Still boots up in no time, and handles everything I throw at it.

  • triviums on 21/07/2018 - 23:36
    +2

    If you're only using the macbook air for internet browsing and Microsoft office you should be able to get a few more years out of it.

    I managed to keep my Late 2009 Macbook for 8 years. My uses included video editing, photo editing and complex CAD projects. The only things I upgraded were the hdd to a ssd, ram from 4GB to 8GB and changed out the battery once.

    • CarbonMini on 22/07/2018 - 15:11
      +1

      CAD on a 2009 MacBook? Thats insane. You mentioned the projects being complicated - how did it even manage to run on ur system?

  • pdperth on 22/07/2018 - 08:34

    the p c industry is not offering enough innovation to attract my buying. i use an old x220t that i have bought 3 of for spares. it does everything i need, cost $250. i recently got a new dell work computer worth $3000 and it does nothing extra to the old xt220 except maybe a little faster and a little bit nicer screen. i certainly wouldn't pay that…there is no value to me over the 8 year old machine. when they start offering something new and innovative maybe

  • O15 on 22/07/2018 - 09:20

    Depends on the computer.
    Gaming PC I'll upgrade when I can no longer max out games at 60+ fps.
    Media server I'll upgrade when storage is full.
    Laptop I'll upgrade when I can get a combination of improvements (better battery life, better display, etc.).

    • TimApple on 23/07/2018 - 12:03

      The key is to play 3+ year old games, so that it'll be 60+ fps 3 years later than it should be ;)

      Also, only a few games are time sensitive, a big majority are timeless and still very playable up to a decade after release.

      • AlienC on 23/07/2018 - 18:57

        Patient gamers welcomes you.

  • TONSCHUH on 22/07/2018 - 09:25
    +2

    My Desktoo-PC is always evolving. There are always upgrades like GPU's or water cooling parts or gadgets.

  • teekoo on 22/07/2018 - 09:38
    +1

    You don't need a Macbook for surfing the internet and Microsoft office, just get a get cheap laptop that runs Windows.

    • jowu15 on 23/07/2018 - 17:06

      I had four laptop in the last 12 years: Sony, which is good but I did not know how to look after it so died a couple of years, then I had Asus and HP both were low end laptop but both of them breakdown quite easily, I remember sending Asus two times in the first 12 month, so I brought Macbook. Macbook is a bit expensive but do not have much problems.

  • jhmtaylor on 22/07/2018 - 09:55
    +1

    I would consider a Chrome OS machine because they are optimised for your type of use. The is a very good article by Mike Elgan ( search Google) that explains why.

  • ozzpete on 22/07/2018 - 10:06
    +4

    never . I don't buy new computer. I buy 1 that was top of the line when it came out, and buy cheap 2nd hand.
    The only tricky part is ensuring the battery is good on a used laptop (though can pickup a new battery on ebay cheap) .
    I check specs for upgrade also, when buying used computer. Check ram prices for relevant upgrade (as well as checking how much ram the pc can take) .
    I only really use my computers for uni.
    I Have 1 about 8 years old (15 inch), battery lasts 3-4hours (was a high end business laptop when released) . I have 8gb ram in it, can upgrade to 16gb if ever required . Lightweight also, which is important to me. Cost was about $150 3 years ago.
    I have another about 5 years old, mini-laptop with 10 inch screen and built in small ssd. Cost me about $100 , purchased about 4 years ago.
    Then I have a microsoft surface pro, which I should sell because I have used it for less than 5 hours total, since I owned it (about 2 years) . Good for giving to my niece to do colouring in with the pen thing . Had a macbook, and traded the macbook for the surface pro with someone on gumtree.
    I feel a very high end model, a few years old, will probably outlast and be of better quality, then a brand new cheapest model out.
    Note: I cannot afford the high end model new, If I could, I would maybe buy that. Though for my computing needs, it would be a waste of about $2,000 .

    • jowu15 on 23/07/2018 - 17:13
      +1

      You will be able to afford once you finish your study. Why you need so many laptops? Where did you bought laptop so cheaply?

      • ozzpete on 23/07/2018 - 20:00

        Bought my 2 main laptops at pawnshop, when they had 50% off everything stock-clearing sale.
        The tiny 1, I take to uni pretty much always (just in case needed) .
        The larger 1, I take to uni when I am expecting to do some work on it.
        Formerly I used often for downloads of torrents. Until I discovered you can do it all on phone (with much less hassle/risk of viruses from tortents) .

  • Leeeroy on 22/07/2018 - 10:54

    The big change to computers in the last ten years has been SSD's, if your computer doesn't have one it should. It's the difference between your computer booting in 20 seconds versus 2 or 3 minutes and being responsive when you use it. I used to upgrade my gaming PC all at once but now I stagger the graphics card because they are so expensive. I upgrade the graphics card every two or so years when the latest games get slow and the rest of the computer every 4. My AIO CPU water cooling pump is rattling away as I write this so it looks like I'll be buying a new CPU cooler this week. Mac laptops are a good buy if you don't play games and don't want to use non apple made external peripherals. They have a great resale value, even when they are 5+ years old people will still give you hundreds for them. At work I have a 13 inch mac with USB C ports that are basically incompatible with everything. I have to use 3 or 4 dongles just so i can use 2 monitors, network, external KB and mouse.

  • Dazza610 on 22/07/2018 - 11:21

    Maybe you should look at HOW you use your "Laptop"!
    Even though it is called a "Laptop", you should probably NEVER use it on you LAP, that is if you want it to last as long as possible.
    Dust, fabric fuzz and skin particles (which makes up more than 50% of dust) are the killers of Laptops, Desktops and ALL other electronic devices, because it makes them heat up to the point that they just burn-out & fail.
    These unseen little buggers are the bane of electronics, but the guy at the retail shop is NOT going to tell you that.
    So… that being said, DON'T place your "File Server" or Desktop on the floor because you haven't got enough room.
    They are called "desktop" correctly, DESK - TOP.
    But… incorrectly called portable computers, LAP - TOP. (Note-book is the better term to describe it).
    So you can probably see where I'm going with this… Keep it clean. Also keep it's surroundings as dust free as possible.
    Or just shell-out more cash faster than you want to.

    • jowu15 on 23/07/2018 - 17:18
      +1

      Good advice and good reminder and really just what I needed. I do not need latest and most expensive laptop, but because I did not look after them properly, I can have problems with them and them buy another one which is waste of money.

  • HeWhoKnows on 22/07/2018 - 11:27

    So long as computer is working fine there is no need to change.
    But an upgrade once every 2 or 3 yeasr to keep up with technology is a good option

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