When is it time to get a new laptop?

When is it time to get a new laptop?

Buying a new laptop is a significant decision that many people dread to make. It is easy to get comfortable with your current laptop but when you start making one too many compromises about its condition, you’ll end up sacrificing your own productivity. Every laptop has its sell-by date and we’re going over the signs you need to look out for when it comes to replacing your laptop.

1. Overheating

All laptops come with internal thermal solutions such as fans and heat sinks, but over time their performance starts to wane due to dust buildup and general wear and tear. If you can hear your laptop fans struggling to keep up and your laptop chassis is too hot, then that’s your first red flag.

2. Screen troubles

Your laptop screen is probably the most vulnerable component during transit and the slightest bump could lead to extensive damage. A cracked screen, dead pixels, or total breakdown mean you would need an expensive new screen that’s not worth the hassle.

3. Lack of software support

Old versions of Windows stop getting critical security updates later in their life cycles and there’s a good chance your old machine doesn’t meet the specifications to support the latest versions.
There’s no need to stick around waiting for your laptop to fail mechanically because this puts your data at risk of exposure to cybersecurity threats that Windows can no longer stop.

If your laptop is several years old, you won’t be able to run the latest versions of software either. The software is as important as the hardware and if either one of them cannot keep up, you won’t be able to coax enough out of your laptop to justify using it.

4. Keyboard and trackpad issues

A faulty trackpad or a keyboard that has malfunctioning keys are more than just minor inconveniences. These problems greatly affect your productivity and frankly, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice any regular functionality because of this.

Many people reach for external keyboards but these make your laptop a lot less portable and it also leads to the unnecessary purchase of a product you didn’t need in the first place. If your laptop keyboard or mouse are beyond repair, there’s really no reason to take extra steps in this case.

5. Battery capacity

Laptop batteries are the biggest factor in how you use the device because if the battery cannot manage more than one hour of runtime, then it is a very subpar portable device. Batteries certainly have a shelf life and they will start to deteriorate steadily over time. You can opt to replace your battery but if you cannot, then you’ll essentially have a small desktop computer that goes only as far as its charging cable takes it.

6. Portability and performance

You can persist with your current laptop but as the years go by, newer machines will have much longer battery and exponentially better performance than your older machine. The newer machines are always getting lighter and smaller, which makes it easier during transit. You shouldn’t have to carry a heavy 3-kilogram laptop and power adapter when a smaller, lighter laptop does all your computing tasks much faster.

7. Sluggish hard drive

If your laptop’s primary drive is a hard disk drive (HDD), you’re already missing out on significant performance benefits. That’s because the latest laptops boot up from solid state drives (SSDs) in a fraction of the time HDDs take. HDDs are much more prone to mechanical failures because they use moving parts and their performance tends to deteriorate over time. SSDs do not have these issues and they comfortably outperform HDDs in every aspect.

Are you planning to replace your obsolete laptops? Contact our IT specialists at NetQuest today to learn more about how we can provide you with cost-effective options that will increase your productivity without any frustrating limitations.


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