The lifespan of a gaming laptop is always a factor to consider when shopping for a new one. Because gaming laptops are expensive and cannot be upgraded quite as much as standard laptops, you must get the best value for your money. So, do Gaming laptops last longer than normal laptops?
In general, gaming laptops last longer than normal ones. Laptops designed for gaming can have a longer lifespan than normal laptops and vice versa. It depends on how well you maintain the laptop, how well they are designed, and the type of work they do.
Here, you will learn what makes a laptop last longer. You will also find how to extend the laptop’s longevity and what affects the lifespan.
How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last Compared to Normal Laptops?
Usually, gaming laptops are built to last for more years than normal laptops. These laptops feature an interior built to withstand high temperatures and a keyboard built to withstand more impact. The lifespan of a gaming laptop will likely be longer than that of a normal laptop if both are used for demanding tasks.
How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last on Average?
Generally, gaming laptops have a lifespan of roughly three years. Those who take proper care of their laptop can expect them to last for at least five years.
Some components such as the CPU and GPU may get outdated in around four years, while other components such as the battery and fans may require replacement.
In general, gaming laptops offer a high level of durability, and it is not uncommon for them to last up to ten years. You don’t have to give up your gaming laptop because your primary parts, such as the GPU and CPU, are outdated.
You might have to play current demanding games at lower settings, or your laptop probably won’t be able to handle them if it has outdated parts.
Essentially, this is due to developers frequently adopting new technology to improve the overall gaming experience for players. For example, in the gaming industry, virtual reality gaming constantly uses updated technology. VR headsets cannot be powered by older laptops that were released before their development. Consequently, older laptops cannot run VR games such as Elite Dangerous.
However, if you still have a laptop that meets the minimum requirements for each application, you can run older or less demanding game titles on it.
Despite this, you will be capable of browsing the web, sending emails, and watching videos online. When gaming laptops become outdated and unusable for current games, many gamers convert them into everyday laptops.
Gamer Laptops: What Determines Their Lifespan?
Every electronic device, including laptops, eventually fails. The lifespan of some parts differs from that of others. Could there be a reason for this? The following things primely play a role when determining the lifespan of the laptop.
Hardware Quality
Like smartphones, laptops also have varying hardware specifications, and the way they are built varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Depending on the quality of the hardware you’ll start with, it will impact your gaming laptop’s lifespan. An excellent gaming laptop will have a powerful processor, a graphics card, an outstanding chassis, and an excellent cooling system.
You can upgrade parts of your gaming laptop but you need to make sure the parts are compatible with the motherboard and each other. The Dell Alienware 51M is one of the few gaming laptops where you can upgrade the CPU and GPU. Therefore, you should focus on the hardware quality if you want a better lifespan of your gaming laptop.
The Central Processing Unit
Computer processors also referred to as CPUs, are the brains of the system. Based on the software running on the laptop, the rest of the device is controlled by it.
As you play games on your gaming laptop, the processor will first process input from your keyboard or mouse; then, it will send graphics data to the GPU for rendering.
Data processing becomes more efficient and faster as technology advances. Intel Core i9 processors, for example, generally have a higher clock speed than Intel Core i5 processors.
Witcher 3, for example, has an i5 processor listed as its minimum configuration. They may demand i7 processors in their next sequels, however. As games develop, their features and assets become more complex, requiring a faster processor to achieve smooth gameplay.
Therefore, if you want to future-proof your investment, you should get a laptop with a Core i9 or i7 processor instead of an i5. Even though the i5 component may be cheaper, it will also become out-of-date much faster.
Graphics Card
You see images displayed on your display, thanks to the GPU. AMD and Nvidia are the leading GPU manufacturers. GPUs are becoming more powerful with each passing year as technology advances.
Ray-tracing and DLSS technologies are good examples of such advancements. Shadows and reflections are rendered incredibly realistically through ray-tracing because the process emulates how light moves in the real world.
Meanwhile, DLSS delivers better frame rates for graphically concentrated games using artificial intelligence. Nvidia RTX 20 series graphics cards feature these technologies, but they are only designed to work with them.
There are new drivers that you need to install on the GTX 10 series GPU to support ray tracing. If you use an RTX 20 GPU, you’ll still suffer a massive framerate drop when these new features are enabled.
In addition, earlier GPU models have already become outdated and don’t support modern features like ray-tracing. As GTX 10 and 16 series GPUs become obsolete over the next few years, RTX 20 series GPUs are expected to become more popular.
Therefore, you are better off getting a gaming laptop with an updated GPU, as you’ll likely be able to take advantage of graphics-related features later on.
How to Improve the Gaming Laptop Lifespan?
You can use the following methods to improve the lifespan of your laptop.
Choose Best Hardware
If you want to buy a high-end, midrange, or budget gaming laptop, your budget ultimately determines what you can afford. A low-cost laptop has an older design and is more likely to become outdated quickly, so you should avoid it.
Overlooking more RAM and storage when purchasing a gaming laptop should be your priority. Later on, you can update the RAM.
For more insight into the quality and cooling mechanism of a chassis, review the specifications online. It’s not a good sign when many users mention overheating in their reviews, so you should avoid such laptops.
Also, you can use an external mouse and keyboard with your laptop to improve its performance. Playing PC games requires mouse and keyboard inputs, so try using external ones for a better outcome.
Clean Your Laptop
It is recommended that you clean your laptop’s interior about every six months if you live in a dusty atmosphere or travel frequently.
There is a limited amount of space in a laptop’s interior, which can cause dust and other particles to accumulate around the fan, vents, and motherboard components.
As a result, airflow is restricted, and overheating is possible. Be sure to read your manual about the warranty before opening your laptop to clean it; sometimes, opening a laptop will void the warranty. Additionally, make sure you turn off the laptop’s power supply before cleaning.
To prevent the fans from spinning while being cleaned with compressed air, hold the fans, so they don’t spin. Without this, you might break the fan. You should seek the assistance of a technician if you aren’t very tech-savvy to take apart a laptop.
Keep Food Away from Laptop
Electricity and water shouldn’t be mixed. Therefore, you should keep drink and food out of reach of your laptop to prevent liquid spills from damaging it.
There are some areas of your hard drive or SSD that are delicate so if you get water into them it can cause data loss as well as damaging your laptop.
Keep Laptop Updated
You can prevent your laptop from overheating if you have your operating system and other software updated. Therefore, you must update your laptop’s operating system as well as any software on your laptop.
Besides, you can also replace the thermal paste of the laptop to keep it running smoothly. By making proper contact with the heat sink, thermal paste keeps the processor and graphics card cool.
Often, thermal paste is underapplied or not replaced after many years, leading to throttling and overheating. Your laptop will last longer if you replace it every few years.
Keep Laptop on Hard Surface
Vents located at the bottom of laptops are generally used for air intake. The air vents are blocked when you put your laptop on an uneven surface.
Consider getting a portable lap desk or placing your laptop on a cooling pad if you need to work in bed. The flat surface allows air to enter your laptop and keeps the system cool freely. Keeping your gaming laptop cool will extend its lifespan and prevent overheating.
What Is the Battery Life and Battery Timing of Gaming Laptops?
A gaming laptop battery can last up to two years before it will need to be replaced. A lithium-ion battery in a laptop is designed to hold a charge for a certain number of cycles, after which the battery begins to lose capacity.
Besides, most people also want to know the battery timing of the laptop before buying. The battery life of gaming laptops can range anywhere between two and three hours, based on the game.
You can use the battery on a laptop for up to eight hours performing light tasks. Gaming laptops need to be plugged in while playing for maximize performance.