How Long a Laptop Last?

Article Written By: Graham

The majority of people would expect an electric appliance to last around 5 to 10 years irrespective of whether its a washing machine, TV or laptop. However, laptops seldom continue to function for more than 5 years.

The two main explanations why a laptop might fail; the owner could have a mishap using it or perhaps the electronics may cease to function correctly. Obviously, a person can have a mishap at any time and does not reflect on the robustness of the laptop so will not be considered here.

Nearly, 25% of new laptops and notebooks fail inside 3 years of purchase. Squaretrade in 2009 pointed out that 10% to 15% of new laptops broke within 2 years and 15% to 25% stopped working within 3 years. They are an organization offering computer extended warranty so have compiled these very interesting statistics. These figures do not include accident statistics where a user has damaged the laptop. Most laptop buyers would be extremely shocked to find that their laptop is probably going to go wrong within 3 years of purchase because of no fault of their own.

There are many reasons precisely why a laptop could fail even if carefully used as the manufacture instructs:-

1. If the manufacturer makes a design mistake or installs the incorrect component on the laptop motherboard then the laptop or notebook may work correctly for a short time. Subsequently, depending on the wrong component installed, the laptop could fail partially or totally. This occurs because the voltage may be wrong, the component may be reversed, it may be heating up etc.

2. Electronic components exhibit a reliability fairly like that of a light bulb. A light bulb could have an average life span of say 10,000 hours before it fails; 99% will last around this time however 1% will go wrong considerably sooner than this. A laptop will contain multitudes of electronic components which are all expected to work not less than say 100,000 hours, however, if one of these components fails early and it is a crucial component then your laptop will cease to function. It can be almost impossible for a manufacturer to totally prevent this random failure of a component other than selecting parts which have really low breakdown rates.

3. Mechanical items are often prone to premature breakdown because of their moving elements. A laptop has switches, hard drive and DVD drive all of these consists of mechanical elements that may fail. As an example if the spindle of the DVD drive is a little off centre then eventually this will increase the wear and cause the drive to stop working. Dependant upon the severity of the problem and how often the drive is used then the laptop might go wrong earlier than estimated.

It is extremely difficult for a manufacturer to construct a laptop or notebook which will last for a long while since the breakdown time of components are generally out of their control. Cheap electronic components are probably more likely to stop working so the retail price of the laptop should have some impact on its reliability.

About the Author

Graham Kelly - visit Trilogic's internet site for broken laptop screen or USB RAM stick.

You Can Link Directly to "How Long a Laptop Last?" by using the url:
http://www.allbestarticles.com//computer/laptops/how-long-a-laptop-last.html

This Article Has Been Published on Thu, 6 Oct 2011 and Read 97 Times

Find All Best Articles at http://www.allbestarticles.com

Rating: Not yet rated

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.

Related information on Laptops

Tips for Boosting Your Wi-Fi Internet Connection Speed
Easy Methods to Determine if Your Laptop Charger is Faulty
How Long a Laptop Last?
Laptops Can Quickly Fail if Their Video Chip Overheats
Stop Your Laptop's Battery Going Flat So Rapidly
Cheap Laptops: Spend vs. Save
Cheap Laptops: How to Find Them and How Much To Pay
How To: Buying Cheap Laptops
Why The Compaq CQ10-500 Netbook?
How Cheap Laptops Can Save You A Bundle!
The Guide to Cheap Laptops
Does It Always Pay To Go High End? Cheap Laptops Win Every Time
Why Could i not Go For Cheap Laptops?
The Best Place to Find a Cheap Laptop
How To Buy a Business Notebook?
Advantages of Business Notebooks
Recycling Batteries of Laptops
Advantages of Owning Dell Laptops
How to Get the Best Price on a Refurbished Notebook
Five Secrets to Buying the Perfect Refurbished Notebook
Toshiba Laptops Information
The Best Way to Make Profit on Your Old Laptop
Laptop Computers and Manufacturers
AMD or Intel laptops - what 2010 could bring to the table
Purchase One Of The Cheap Laptops For A Good Life