Buying a new gaming laptop can prove to be a difficult decision. There are a ton of different options out there for you to choose from, and the prices vary from relatively cheap all the way in to the several thousands of pounds.
One thing that will likely influence your decision is knowing how long your gaming laptop is going to last. If you’re going to invest potentially thousands into your device, then it’s at least worth knowing how much use you’ll get out of it.
But just how long can a gaming laptop last? Well, that’s what we’re going to take a look at now.
How long does a gaming laptop last?
Although it’s impossible to say exactly how long your gaming laptop will last, typically they will last 4-5 years before they become outdated. However if you want to, you can upgrade your laptop throughout the time that you own it, and this will extend its overall life span in the long term.
Like all laptops, much of its longevity will depends on a few different things. Firstly, the amount of money you spend on the laptop will generally dictate how long it will last, as cheaper lower quality laptops aren’t going to last as long as higher quality, more expensive laptops.
As well as this, you also have to consider how often you’re going to use your gaming laptop, and how you’re going to treat it when it is in use. Doing this can help to ensure that the laptop will reach its full potential, and it won’t die an early death.
But how can you make sure that your laptop lasts as long as it possibly can? Well, here are a few ways that you can ensure that your laptop has a long and fruitful life.
How to Extend the Lifespan of your Gaming Laptop
Upgrade it
The easiest way for you to prolong the lifespan of your gaming laptop is to upgrade it. For example, say that nowadays you’re using 8GB of RAM in your laptop.
This might be fine for your gaming needs nowadays, but in 4-5 years when games are more complex and are larger in size, then the 8GB of RAM might begin to struggle.
Then, you can easily add another 8GB of RAM to the laptop, and you’ll be able to give yourself a much needed upgrade that will extend the lifespan of your machine.
Switch to SSD
This will only apply to those who are using older models of gaming laptop, because the majority of newer models will all come with SSD storage installed instead.
And as more and more laptops are reliant on SSDs, it will prove more necessary to have an SSD instead of a HDD. So, if you’re currently using a HDD, then switching to an SSD is a good idea.
Take Care
This should really go without saying, but you should be taking care of your gaming laptop even more so than with a normal laptop. There are a couple of things to consider when making sure that your gaming laptop is well maintained.
Firstly, it’s probably a wise idea to invest in a cooling pad, which can help to stop your laptop from overheating. Making sure the laptop is properly ventilated is important. As well as this, you should also ensure your laptop is on a flat surface when you use it.
Buy one with a good graphics card
This is probably the best bit of advice I can give to anyone out there looking for a good gaming laptop. Buying one with a good graphics card is important, as it’s very difficult for you to upgrade the GPU in a gaming laptop.
Whilst it’s quite easy to upgrade the RAM, the GPU isn’t as easy. So, it’s more important to check that your laptop has a good graphics card installed.
What Parts of a Gaming Laptop Matter
When we’re talking about the lifespan of a gaming laptop, then you’ll need to consider the internals of the laptop, as well as the design on the device itself. In fact, the components of your gaming laptop are really what gives it its longevity.
How long will my GPU last?
As I’ve mentioned, the most important thing about your gaming laptop is likely to be the graphics card. This is the most important part for gaming, as this is what displays the visuals on your screen. Over time, your graphics card will be affected if your laptop is overheating, and this could cause it to die early.
The thing with a laptop is that the GPU is usually soldered directly to the motherboard. This means that it’s not going to be possible for you to upgrade it, which is why you’ll need to pay attention to the graphics card your laptop has when you buy it.
You can change the GPU on some high end laptops, but not for the majority of them. For example, you can change the GPU on a high end laptop like the Alienware Area-51m, but you can’t on their cheaper models (M15, M17 etc).
Processor
As well as the graphics card, you should also think about the other components of your laptop too. This includes the CPU, which like a GPU, is often soldered to the motherboard of your laptop. It’s not impossible to upgrade this, but you’d need a specialist to do it and it’s usually not advised.
This is another component where it can be important to future-proof your laptop. Is an i9 processor going to be acceptable for gaming in 5 years time? Probably yes.
But will an i5 processor be fine for gaming in 5 years time? Well, it’s almost outdated as it is, so in 5 years it’ll likely be very outdated and maybe incapable of dealing with new games.
RAM
Whilst the graphics card is the first thing to try and upgrade in your gaming laptop to make it last longer, you should also consider the amount of RAM it has too.
For gaming nowadays, you’re going to want to look at a 16GB laptop as minimum. Fortunately, it’s very easy for us to upgrade the RAM of our laptops for a pretty reasonable price as well. All you need to do is buy an extra stick of RAM and you can easily double your memory.
Many games will require a decent amount of memory for you to play them, and RAM really comes in handy when it comes to multitasking. If you plan on running a lot of intensive programs, then get a laptop with decent RAM.
Then, you can purchase more later down the line to extend the life of your gaming laptop.
Storage
The amount of storage your laptop has is also worth thinking about, but it’s not the main thing to consider if you want a long lasting laptop.
You can usually find good deals on 512GB or 1TB storage laptops, and if you need more, then it tends to be easy to find cheap storage that you can use externally. Storage shouldn’t really impact the lifespan of the device.
Storage is probably the easiest thing to get more of for your laptop. You can pick up external storage for a cheap price, which can allow you to keep getting new games that require more space.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering how long do gaming laptops last, the truth is that is depends. With a gaming laptop, you can expect it to last different lengths of time, depending on how much you spend on it, and how much time you spend using it too.
Whilst cheaper gaming laptops may last 3-4 years, more expensive options might last in excess of 5 years. And even then, you might be able to just upgrade your laptops hardware as opposed to buying a whole new one. Doing this can extend the lifespan of your laptop to anywhere up to 10 years.
