What the lifespan of gaming laptop?

[jakcvbee]

if they say lifespan od a gaming laptoo like msi 3-5 years does that mean the laptop will be not dunctioning after 5 years or the hardware isn't capable of running bew gaming anynore? if the laptop won't duncrion any ore even for old games which used to run then then its a oaperweight after 5 years?

[WindAtMyBack]

Game devs tend to really push the limit. AAA games tend to have very high system requirements. In some cases the vast majority of people don't meet those requirements.

Computers themselves will eventually wear out. It will eventually get to the point that it's cheaper to buy a new computer than to repair an old one. However that might take a long time, probably longer than 3-5 years. I don't have much experience with laptops. I don't know how long they last compared to desktops.

As long as the computer still runs, it will run the same software that it always ran. I keep old computers around just so I can run old games and a few other things.

With desktops, the most common thing to go bad is the video card. EVERY Nvidia card I've owned has gone bad fairly quickly, usually within a few years, but some have lasted longer. Most other brands have gone bad also. The next most common thing to go bad with desktops is probably memory. The problem with old memory is that it might be difficult to find old it.

When "they" say the lifespan is 3-5 years, they are talking about the games themselves. They mean that new games will require newer computers. As long as you only want to play your old games and the computer still runs, you won't have any problem. If your computer goes bad, fixing it might be worth it - it depends on what's wrong with it and whether you can do the work yourself.

[bingbongbangbung]

Well which OEM did you buy the Nvidia GPU from? Obviously buying from Gigabyte or Zotac won't last as long as ASUS or EVGA for example

[SnowedIn]

A lot of it depends on what brand you bought and WAY more importantly who made the components inside. The issue you'll run into is three fold:

1. the operating system will no longer be able to upgrade OR new games won't run on your current operating system and your computer won't let you upgrade to the newest OS. (Great current example is Windows 11.)

2. You won't have enough RAM to run newer games or your laptop won't have slots for more RAM or the RAM for your machine won't be manufactured any more. But, the games will require more RAM.

3. Your processor won't be able to handle the requirements for newer games.

All of that pre-supposes that things like the fan and screen and basics on the motherboard don't die, to say nothing of stuff like the built in mouse, hard disk, usb ports, etc. Those things wear out.

Three years is reasonable. Five is pushing your luck and, yeah, I'd be SHOCKED if your machine was still running at four years. I'd plan to replace by the three year mark if you want to take advantage of new games.

@Nikki1989 was spot on, but I've not yet seen a gaming laptop survive that long and/or adapt to newer games.

[Nikki1989]

The only I had to do it was replace the chip drive.

[SnowedIn]

@Nikki1989 ... that is seriously amazing. My oldest son has had two in the last seven years (which is way above average for his age group) but they get to the three year mark and start to choke.

[SnowedIn]

Thank you for MHO!

[bingbongbangbung]

I'm running my gaming laptop for 5.5 years and it's still going strong... ok, I had to change the thermal paste, go from Windows 10 to 11, swap out the HDD for several SSDs, double my RAM in capacity and bandwith, and finally need a cooling pad when gaming; otherwise, it still works as good as it was on day 1

[bingbongbangbung]

And to be fair, I mostly play older games, so I rarely pushed my laptop to its very limits

[Nikki1989]

My spare laptop is 14 years old and still works fine.

[jakcvbee]

sorry girl i am asking about *gaming* laptops
14 years ago there were no gaming laptops

[bingbongbangbung]

Yeah 3-5 years is the typical lifespan of a gaming laptop, but if you're lucky and/or take very good care of it, expect it to last 6-10 years max. My gaming laptop still works fine despite using it for 5.5 years (since January 2020), although I had to upgrade or replace some components and resort to external peripherals for other shortcomings. If you really want longevity, it's far better to go for a desktop, as even pre-builts last far longer than even flagship gaming laptops. I soon plan to get an external desktop gaming monitor along with a mechanical gaming keyboard to further extend the life of my laptop. I'm not in a point in my life where it's fully viable for me to get a desktop just yet.

[jshm2]

Nope. It depends if you have a real gaming laptop or a laptop that can play games.

Proper gaming laptops tend to cost thousands, and can usually be upgraded. Whereas high spec laptops that are touted as able to play games, tend to be less upgradable.

But most of the time it depends on the types of games you're playing.

[Guy13]

Most electronics, including appliances, are built to a 5-7 year window to replacement. All electronics tend to be this way especially computer technologies... Gaming. Space for updates and improvements?

[Astarlessnightsky]

I guess they are refering to the hardware becoming outdated and won't be able to run (most) new games.