is it normal for a laptop to have a 5 year lifespan?

[HigHurtenflurst]

I tend to get a new laptop every 4-5 years, but the old ones are still useable for a long time after at least for simple tasks like browsing.

First laptop was £800 bought in early 2005, Packard-Bell IIRC, Windows XP, I still have it somewhere but suspect it wouldn't boot anymore as it must have been 10 years since I turned it on.

Second laptop was a Dell, whatever the basic 15.6" model was, I think about £360, bought in late-2009. Was originally on Vista but had a friend install W7Pro on it before I started using it properly. Developed a strange issue after about 4y where sound would randomly stutter (think short-sharp modem-like noises happening in the middle of watching a video). Never really figured it out however the laptop is still working as I have it at my workplace, "upgraded" to W10 2-3 years back, but it no longer charges and struggles with low RAM (making routes with Bing or Google maps for instance will slow it to a crawl)... For over 11 years old though I can't complain.

Third laptop was a Samsung, £500 in late 2012, W7 Home. Started gaming a bit more on PC with this one, but mostly older games as it didn't have a dedicated graphics card. Tomb Raider was probably the only game I played on it that didn't release before the laptop was built. It got hot in the summer though if I spent too long gaming, it still works fine for my parents though they only use it lightly for browsing.

Upgraded to a custom build in late 2015 (£700) to play more games, currently typing on it though it is a little worse for wear. I had the screen replaced last year (additional £100) and recently some of the keys need an extra hard press to work... then again I have used it far more than previous laptops, with a lot more gaming & a lot more hours video streaming so im not surprised it has taken a beating. Software wise though it's still fine, no problems with slowdown or anything, but I will probably start lookign for an upgrade soon.

Last edited by HigHurtenflurst - on 14 February 2021