Replacing an old laptop with a new one is not easy nor cheap, so one should put all efforts to maximize the life of your current one as much as possible. Several factors need to be considered to ensure the longevity of your PC or laptop. From choice of brand to choice of configuration, and from customer service to user habits, all have a role to play. Here are some essential tips on how to extend the lifespan of your laptop.
Clean & Maintain your Computer Regularly
Computers comprise many small parts that are designed to withstand a lot of wear and tear. However, with frequent use, the metal parts heat up and expand before cooling down and contracting again. This can cause parts to fail over time. To increase the lifespan of your computer, it’s important to maintain a cool system. Dust and debris can block fans and ports, preventing proper airflow that traps heat and prevents components from connecting firmly. Keeping your system clean and free of obstructions is an essential step in preserving your computer.
Cleaning a laptop can be more complicated than just using compressed air. Blowing air in the vents and keyboard may help reduce dust and debris, but it won’t be enough to remove all of it. To properly clean a laptop, it is best to take it apart and clean each component individually. For that, relying on authorized service personnel once or twice a year is a good idea for extending the lifespan of the device.
Perform Regular Updates and Maintenance on Software
Make sure your Windows system is running at peak performance by running Windows Updates weekly. Most computers are set to install Updates automatically, but you should still check that the installation was successful. The same goes for antivirus software, which should also be updated regularly with new virus/malware definitions. Additionally, running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter periodically can help with performance, as the former removes selected unnecessary files and the latter consolidates fragmented files.
Unplug the Charger Frequently
To maximize the longevity of your laptop battery, Battery University recommends charging it to 80%, and then letting it drain down to 40%. This approach can extend the life of your battery by up to four times since each cell in a lithium-polymer battery is charged to a specific voltage level. High charge levels result in increased stress, reducing the number of discharge cycles to 300-500 for a battery charged to 100%, compared to 1,200-2,000 for a battery charged to 70%. Heat also plays a role in battery degradation, so if your laptop has a battery-saving feature, use it – or disconnect the charger from your laptop when it’s at full power.
Don’t Shutdown the PC Too Often
To maximize the life of the computer, it is not recommended to leave it running all the time. Regular users should find a happy balance between them. Shutting down the computer every other day or every two days to give it a chance to configure updates and settle down. To shut down your computer, start by using the Start menu or pressing the power button once (not holding it).
Using Cooling Pad Helps
Heat can drastically reduce the lifespan of your laptop. If your laptop is often overheating, you can expect it to last only a couple of years. Using a cooling pad may provide some relief, but it’s still important to keep your laptop clean from dust as it can also contribute to increased temperatures. Doing so can help your laptop last longer. In gaming or mining, using an external cooling pad is always recommended by experts.
Game on Optimal Settings
Another factor that can reduce the longevity of your laptop is running high-end games with the highest graphic settings or pushing your laptop beyond its limits. Gaming calls for an extremely efficient cooling system else the internal components will be damaged due to constant heat radiation. For this purpose, the Tempest Cooling System in Omen laptops from HP is the best as it dramatically increases gaming laptops’ performance and lifespan.
Upgrade Your Laptop Internals
Do you feel that your laptop is seriously lagging? If so, it may be time to upgrade instead of buying a new one. Unless you purchased your laptop in the last couple of years, it likely supports internal upgrades. Adding more RAM or swapping out your hard drive for an SSD can make a huge difference in performance, often doubling your laptop’s speed.
Look for the Best Customer Service and Extended Warranty
Longevity calls for reliability, which can only be ensured by a trustworthy OEM brand, so be careful at the time of choosing. If longevity is your concern, you should never go for any brand which is a new entrant in the market. Focusing on brands with unbelievably lucrative deals should also be avoided. Also opting for refurbished or used laptops is not the right idea considering lifespan. HP is a great brand in terms of being experienced & trustworthy, so you can choose them as a long-term investment partner.
Though all brands feature some extent of customer service, only a few feature reliable service worldwide. HP has the highest number of service centers around the world and offers global warranties on most products. You can also get 3 years warranty on most business devices from HP, which ensures a long lifespan for the device.
Go for Robust Build and Battery
Build quality is a crucial thing to keep an eye on to ensure that the device will be able to withstand external knocks and scratches and still be in one piece. This is why premium ABS plastic build or Aluminium-build chassis are the costly but best options. Most HP laptops come with Aluminium-built bodies and go through stringent Mil-19 standards quality checks to ensure durability.
The battery is the component that you might have to replace in the midterm of your laptop’s lifespan. So, ensure you are getting an OEM battery with a long-term warranty that is also available in the after-market easily. HP provides 3 years warranty on batteries unlike any other brands in India. HP features batteries with 1000 life cycles while most other brands feature batteries with 300 life cycles.
Opt for Proper Segment While buying
Opting for the proper segment is one of the most crucial choices, especially for gamers and professional users. Playing games on a consumer laptop pushes that device to its limits, due to which the lifespan will be reduced. Likewise running resource-hungry applications like AutoCAD on a typical laptop will drastically reduce the CPU’s longevity. So, depending on usage choose whether you need a Professional Laptop, Gaming Laptop, or a High-end Workstation laptop. Choose the consumer laptop category only for home usages like browsing, streaming, and basic office work. So if you’re putting your laptop to use that it’s not intended for, then it’s a sure-shot way to reduce its lifespan.
Some Laptops with Long Lifespan
Budget gaming laptops usually have 2-3 years of optimum lifespan, which is why opting for a high-end premium device is always recommended in gaming. Check out the OMEN Gaming Laptop 17-ck1022TX from a longevity perspective. It’s powered by 12th Gen Intel Core i7 which will deal with any compatibility issues for the next 5+ years without any doubt. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8 GB GDDR6) under the hood is a flagship GPU that will keep serving 60+ FPS in any game for the next 5-6 years. 32 GB DDR5 RAM is a future-proof choice for gaming and performance.
If you are looking for a business / professional laptop consider it as a business investment. In that case, check out the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 Laptop OLED Touch 16-f1009TX. It’s powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core Evo-platform i7 CPU and Intel Arc A370M (4 GB) GPU. Even if you don’t need that amount of processing or rendering power right now, after 3-4 years with the continuous updates on the software apps you will be needing it. This way the device will still be relevant for usage even after 5-6 years. Having the 2-in-1 capability also makes the device more agile to suit your needs according to your requirements.
Opting for the HP Zbook Mobile Workstation is also a good idea for professional users when longevity is concerned.
