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From: Christopher Choi on 31 Mar 2010 15:31
On 15/05/2007 11:22, Chris wrote:
> I've been reading an operating manual for a "used" model laptop (Omnibook
> 500, by HP), and wondering how long PHYSICALLY can a laptop last? I don't
> mean battery life, but the hardware itself. I've checked google, but it
> seems alot of articles consider operational life on the basis of whether or
> not it's hardware can handle an OS upgrade to whatever is available this
> year.
>
> I'm wondering, if I am comfortable with the OS it was designed to support,
> and am happy with the hardware specs, how long can i realistically expect
> the device to continue functioning?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
There are so many factors, its like asking how long a car should last...
it all depends who makes them. Obviously you would expect a Benz to out
last a cheapy Toyota... but then you never know.

My personal experience is that Macs last a lot longer because all the
components are carefully chosen and designed by themselves, not that
other manufacturers don't but... its just my personal feeling that Apple
has put a lot more effort... their product design is evident.

PCs on the other hand, I would say Sony comes top, then HP, Dell, and
the Acer last.

Computers depending on how they were designed made, and treated can
often last 5+ years easily.
Chris
From: Charlie Hoffpauir on 31 Mar 2010 17:31
On Tue, 15 May 2007 10:23:07 -0400, "Chris" <rrufiange(a)cfl.rr.com>
wrote:

>
>"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM(a)neo.rr.com> wrote in message
>news:4649af11$0$16665$4c368faf(a)roadrunner.com...
>> There is no answer to this question; it depends on how the laptop is
>> treated and used. I have seen people destroy laptops in 1-2 years, but I
>> buy and sell a few older models, and I have lots (dozens) of 10-year old
>> laptops. It's a lot like a car; a 4-year old car can be "like new", or it
>> can be a wreck. It depends a lot on the owner.
>
>Thanks. Well, what's the longest you've seen one maintain operation without
>needing to replace parts (not including the battery)? I'm very forgiving on
>my electronics. I don't bump, scratch, and drop them, and I do read care
>instructions in the manual. :-P
>

In addition to what Barry said, it also depends on the laptop. I've
had 3 Thinkpads. My first one, a 365XD, still works. The 2nd one (an A
30) quit just after the warranty expired. The 3rd one, a T42 is still
working but the internal circuity to charge the battery quit working
(still runs on AC tho). And I've treated them all pretty much the
same. Since I really only use a laptop when visiting the library, I
give them really light usage. They all still "look" like new.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if you got 10 years use.... but I also
wouldn't be surprised to hear that it died after 12 months.
--
Charlie Hoffpauir

Everything is what it is because it got that way....D'Arcy Thompson
From: Ryan P. on 31 Mar 2010 19:41
On 3/31/2010 4:31 PM, Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:

> In addition to what Barry said, it also depends on the laptop. I've
> had 3 Thinkpads. My first one, a 365XD, still works. The 2nd one (an A
> 30) quit just after the warranty expired. The 3rd one, a T42 is still
> working but the internal circuity to charge the battery quit working
> (still runs on AC tho). And I've treated them all pretty much the
> same. Since I really only use a laptop when visiting the library, I
> give them really light usage. They all still "look" like new.
>
> I wouldn't be at all surprised if you got 10 years use.... but I also
> wouldn't be surprised to hear that it died after 12 months.

I've got a Compaq Presario R3000 that is about 6 years old now, and
other than not being able to run off batteries anymore, it works
perfectly fine. And I even ran over it with my truck once (by accident).

My HP DV6308's video chip failed after about two years and I had to
purchase a used MB off eBay to replace it.

I have a desktop that I just retired 6 months ago. The MB was about 8
years old, and the HD's were maybe 7 years old. Worked perfectly fine,
and, indeed, I'm considering making it into a cheap media center.

While I don't particularly baby my machines, I don't needlessly abuse
them either... but it's still luck of the draw in a lot of cases.
From: Barry Watzman on 31 Mar 2010 21:36
A couple things to consider in addition to my earlier post.

The cooling systems in laptops use fans and heat exchangers (liquid
filled radiators ...). These WILL become clogged with dirt, hair and
dust. WILL, not "may". How long depends on the environment; dirty
environments, environments were people smoke, and environments with cats
(yes, cats) are the worst. Sometimes they will clog completely in 6
months, sometimes it takes 2-4 years. In servicing laptops, it is not
uncommon to pull a "dustball" of 1 to 4 cubic inches out hair, dust and
dirt of the fan and heat exchanger. It can get bad enough to stop the
fan blades from turning. This WILL actually destroy the laptop if the
overall capability of the cooling system gets reduced beyond a certain
point.

Another factor is that in their efforts to reduce both weight and cost,
modern consumer laptops are "flimsy". They flex (the entire laptop, and
with it the motherboard) enough so that the BGA chips (the chipset and
video chips, among others) may have their BGA connections to the
motherboard broken. This is a common problem in some models of Toshiba
laptops (A100, A135 in particular). The symptom is "motherboard failure".

A final factor is that many laptops simply don't pay enough attention to
cooling the CHIPSET and (if separate) the Video processor. These chips
then also overheat and end up failing. Another common problem in later
laptops, which also manifests itself as "motherboard failure". This
failure mode can be a consequence of the dust/dirt/hair problem
described above, since, in the end, the [usually] single internal fan is
really cooling everything, even though it's nominally the "CPU fan".

Unfortunately, on most laptops, cleaning the cooling system requires
major (MAJOR) disassembly, although I have seen some models [Dell] that
actually had a door on the bottom explicitly for this purpose. But, on
many models, you actually have to remove the motherboard from the
computer, because the fan and heatsink are on the bottom of the
motherboard and there is no door in the bottom case for access.


Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:
> On Tue, 15 May 2007 10:23:07 -0400, "Chris" <rrufiange(a)cfl.rr.com>
> wrote:
>
>> "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM(a)neo.rr.com> wrote in message
>> news:4649af11$0$16665$4c368faf(a)roadrunner.com...
>>
>>> There is no answer to this question; it depends on how the laptop is
>>> treated and used. I have seen people destroy laptops in 1-2 years, but I
>>> buy and sell a few older models, and I have lots (dozens) of 10-year old
>>> laptops. It's a lot like a car; a 4-year old car can be "like new", or it
>>> can be a wreck. It depends a lot on the owner.
>>
>> Thanks. Well, what's the longest you've seen one maintain operation without
>> needing to replace parts (not including the battery)? I'm very forgiving on
>> my electronics. I don't bump, scratch, and drop them, and I do read care
>> instructions in the manual. :-P
>>
>
> In addition to what Barry said, it also depends on the laptop. I've
> had 3 Thinkpads. My first one, a 365XD, still works. The 2nd one (an A
> 30) quit just after the warranty expired. The 3rd one, a T42 is still
> working but the internal circuity to charge the battery quit working
> (still runs on AC tho). And I've treated them all pretty much the
> same. Since I really only use a laptop when visiting the library, I
> give them really light usage. They all still "look" like new.
>
> I wouldn't be at all surprised if you got 10 years use.... but I also
> wouldn't be surprised to hear that it died after 12 months.
> --
> Charlie Hoffpauir
>
> Everything is what it is because it got that way....D'Arcy Thompson
From: gargoyle60 on 1 Apr 2010 04:30
On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:36:54 -0400, Barry Watzman
<WatzmanNOSPAM(a)neo.rr.com> wrote:

>the BGA chips (the chipset and
>video chips, among others) may have their BGA connections to the
>motherboard broken.

I believe the old-fashioned term for this type of problem is "chip
creap". Don't hear many people use the term nowadays. Eventuall the
connections loosen to the point where electrical contact is broken
completely. It happens on printed circuit boards on central-heating
boilers due to the adjacent heat source, but also on any pcb that gets
too warm.
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