How long do you keep a computer?

[ua_guy]

Some of you probably build your computers and upgrade components over time; you'll have to come up with your own metric For those of us who don't build computers (or used to, but find no enjoyment in it anymore), how long do you keep a laptop or desktop?

I'm facing a decision point with a 5 year old (almost exactly) MacBook Pro. It meets my needs just fine but the battery has started to bulge in the last month or so. I waited too long and the bottom cover is bent. I could probably straighten it, but I also need to replace the battery, Apple won't do it with a bent case, and aftermarket batteries have iffy reviews, at best. Fix, replace, or ?

[rennigade]

We keep our computers as long as possible. We only use them for light browsing, backing up pictures and microsoft office products (word,excel.) We have no need for the latest spec'd machine.

I will note that all of our machines have a solid state drive, not m.2, just standard 2.5" SSD and they all still perform quick, imo. If you still use a spinner hard drive, spend $60 and get an SSD. Spinners are garbage and will make a really fast machine run slow.

[Fishindude77]

I've got a five year old machine also that will probably get replaced soon.
At work, we swapped them out every 3-4 years.

[disneysteve]

We keep them as long as they are functional and doing the job. I think our last desktop lasted 6-7 years. We've had the current one about 3. Laptops usually are good for about 5 though I no longer use my laptop very much at all. I used to use it at my office but don't need it where I am now. I also used to take it when we traveled but now unless it's a longer trip, I just use my phone.

[myrdale]

I purchased my first desktop from Gateway over the Summer of 2000 to take to university.
I upgraded the memory and graphics card in it at some point.

Around 2006 I completed my first build.
Had a pair of SATA drives in R0
I built this system because I wanted a challenge and had money.

Somewhere around 2013 I built a new system.
Had a nice tall red LianLi Case
I built it for 3D Autocad work (and I killed my old system, how I won't say).

Then in 2017 I built my current system.
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VI (Has memory issues, will randomly hangup on restarts)
Harddrive: 1TB Samsung M.2 for Windows
1TB Samsung SATA III for everything else.
Memory: 32 GB, DDR4 Memory
GPU: ASUS Rog 1080 Ti
Case: be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 900 (Best case ever!!!)

It was built for the HTC Vive.

So five to six years. By that count I am due a new build, but I am satisfied with what I have for the time being. 90% of my time is spent between YouTube and a couple of video games.

I generally try to future proof. The best price point is usually one tier down from the top. I oversize power supplies, and I max RAM. Sorry I don't have better details on the older systems, my Newegg history doesn't list that far back. They were all AMD systems though.

[ua_guy]

The hardware specs on this old 13" MacBook pro still meet my needs today (2.3 dual core i5, 16gb ram, 256 SSD, Intel Iris Plus). Most of what I do is forums, youtube, and some car stuff on social media. Youtube is a big one, though, I run dual 27.5" 4k monitors, and I can stream 4k from Youtube.

I was disappointed that anything less than a 14" MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro processor ($1999 min price) will no longer support dual external displays - the MacBook Air with an M2 processor won't, nor will a MacBook Pro 13" with an M2. (2nd demerit against Apple in this situation!) That might change with the expected laptop refreshes Apple is supposedly doing later this year, but I'm kind of irked. I don't want to buy a new 14" MBP and have Apple put out a refreshed model next month, and then they may end up discounting the older model too.

Maybe I'll give one of these aftermarket batteries a try, and then try to sell it once Apple releases their new models. I wouldn't expect battery life to be great at the end of 5 years, but to have the battery deform and bend the laptop before 5 years? I'm a little mad Apple isn't taking care of its loyal customers with at least a good trade-in policy for older affected products.

[myrdale]

Maybe I'll give one of these aftermarket batteries a try, and then try to sell it once Apple releases their new models. I wouldn't expect battery life to be great at the end of 5 years, but to have the battery deform and bend the laptop before 5 years? I'm a little mad Apple isn't taking care of its loyal customers with at least a good trade-in policy for older affected products.

I found a local phone repair shop to replace the battery in a cell phone for me about two years ago. For $80 it got a year of extra life out of the phone before I replaced it. I'm sure you can find someone local who can replace the battery in the MacBook with no problem. I'm guessing a price of $200.

From what I've heard, Apply has been extremely anti-right to repair. Louis Rossman is a great guy to watch on YouTube as a small business owner who has been fighting for right to repair for a long while.

[ua_guy]

I found a local phone repair shop to replace the battery in a cell phone for me about two years ago. For $80 it got a year of extra life out of the phone before I replaced it. I'm sure you can find someone local who can replace the battery in the MacBook with no problem. I'm guessing a price of $200.

From what I've heard, Apply has been extremely anti-right to repair. Louis Rossman is a great guy to watch on YouTube as a small business owner who has been fighting for right to repair for a long while.

Apparently Apple and its stores and "authorized retailers" won't sell an OE battery, which drives me nuts. I'm all about the Right to Repair.

So I've ordered the $83 aftermarket replacement from NewerTech/NuPower. If it works for a couple of months, I win. If it doesn't, I guess I'm without a computer until the new MacBooks release, or forced to buy an outgoing model. And, if it works for more than a month or two, I know someone who might want this old MacBook. And if not, then I have a new (old) computer for my shop. If not that, then I'll try to sell it for more than $83

[Thrif-t]

I use a chromebook so when the updates end in 5 years, I get a new one, but I usually get them for 100 to 150 bucks. I love them. Fits my needs, I'll never go back to a windows machine.

[bjl584]

I've had my desktop since 2012.
I'm guessing it's way outdated, but it does what I need to do

[ua_guy]

I use a chromebook so when the updates end in 5 years, I get a new one, but I usually get them for 100 to 150 bucks. I love them. Fits my needs, I'll never go back to a windows machine.

I agree! I'd recommend a Chromebook or Chrome Desktop to anyone who just needs a computer like they need a car for basic transportation, or even a little more. Chrome OS is easy to use, it's secure, and the hardware manufacturers who install that OS have made a very affordable package.

[kork13]

It looks like you've decided on a repair, which if feasible & affordable, can be a great option. I'm general, if ever a battery starts expanding, it needs to be replaced/disposed of (properly) ASAP. It could easily start a fire.

To the original question, I've generally kept laptops for 5-ish years. Chromebooks have lasted less (<3yrs), MacBooks generally lasted longer (my brother got one back in college that lasted him ~9 yrs). I've only had a single desktop computer of my own (Mac Mini), which is still going strong 12 years later, no plans to replace it. I doubled its RAM early on, plus a couple other minor tweaks, which have probably helped.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

about to replace our desktop of 8 years....we go cheap though pc no macs for us.

[QuarterMillionMan]

2012 built my one and only tower. Not a gamer but wanted the challenge of building so tried and succeeded. Sold it around 2018. No more towers for me. Strickly laptops now. Towers too big. Every 2 or 3 years sell laptop and buy new. No longer drive until the wheels fall off. I rather sell while the laptop still works which fetches more money whole and working rather than sell parts (ie, RAM, hard drive, battery, etc).

1) Intel mATX socket 1155 MOBO, BOXHD61SA (supports Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7), $58 from Newegg
2) CPU-Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 2500 K, $250 Newegg
3) Kingston 8 GB RAM HyperX Blue, $20 from Frys
4) No video card using the integrated graphics installed on the MOBO
5) Raidmax Super Hurricane ATX mid tower for $43
6) 250 GB Western Digital HD (spinner as Rennigade put it)

I always max out RAM and M.2 hard drive. Back in the day when hard drives were spinners and upgrading to SSD drive it was a big boost in speed. But my pro-tip to anyone buying new is to get the latest and fastest processor you can afford whether it be AMD or Intel for speed of processing.

[ua_guy]

But my pro-tip to anyone buying new is to get the latest and fastest processor you can afford whether it be AMD or Intel for speed of processing.

And now, Apple! They've since moved away from Intel because they were unable to control the chip architecture to fit their vision. So now they have their own M1 and M2 series of processors, which are blindingly fast. Energy utilization is so streamlined they're getting about 20 hours out of a battery charge even in a small notebook. /fanboy.

I can't remember when I switched to using SSDs...I think it was around 2011 and that was a game changer. Not only from a worry perspective of grenading a spinner in a heavily-used laptop, but speed and energy usage too.

Well, this has been a nice conversation. Something different from economics and politics. I guess a few of us are geeky at heart