Laptop!

Longtime reader Ben is looking for some advice from Team D. Ben asks:

How long does a laptop last? How long have you kept your laptop?

Apparently, Mr. Ben has an aging computer and he’s interested in getting a new one – but he’s having a hard time deciding if it’s the best move.

Leave your answers in the comments

In other quick news, I’ll be taking a little more time off from normal mikedidonato.com posting this week. I appreciate your patience.

In the meantime, there will be a Roller Derby recap of Saturday’s bout as well as a highly anticipated review of the KFC double down courtesy of Shaun L. Stay tuned.

13 thoughts on “Laptop!

  • 5/10/2010 at 10:16 am
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    I’ll start. Ben, I’ve owned my laptop since September 15th 2006. That’s a life (so far) of 3 years 7 months.

    I’d love to get a new one, but can’t justify it as I don’t really have a major need for more power.

    Reply
  • 5/10/2010 at 10:19 am
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    I have a 3.5 year old macbook pro, it’s still running but the backlight is dimming and the keys are starting to wear out a little… it’s mainly the backlight and the near constant fan noise that is urging me to move on.

    I happen to know my 2004 Powerbook G4 is running still as well.

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  • 5/10/2010 at 10:42 am
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    During college, I had a Dell C600 that ran as my daily for 2 years. Have a few friends that used 5+ year old laptops. One ran perfectly fine, just slow. The other one…. not so much.

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  • 5/10/2010 at 11:44 am
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    I’m a fan of the 3 year plan.
    My fandom however, doesn’t always jive with the schedule at which computers stay alive and the money in my pocket.

    For the record, my gateway laptop still works when plugged into the wall. That guy is got to have 8-9 years on it.

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  • 5/10/2010 at 12:15 pm
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    I’ve had 3 laptops so far. The first was a Compaq and lasted 4 years (through college) and probably would still be working if an ex-boyfriend didn’t crack the screen for me.

    The second is a Dell Inspiron 15′ XP and is going on 7 years and I still use it at home although the port that hooks it up to projectors no longer works. A little slow for me, but still runs well.

    The third is a Dell XPS 13′ Vista and is about 3 years old and is awesome. I upgraded the RAM and it’s pretty fantastic, still going strong. I have no plans for a new one anytime soon.

    Reply
  • 5/10/2010 at 1:57 pm
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    My laptops generally live 5 years or so. It’s not that they break, but I usually want to get the latest and greatest technology! If you’re going to get one, go for one with Windows 7 Pro…it’s awesome.

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    • 5/10/2010 at 2:30 pm
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      Actually, I have Win 7 Pro on my current laptop… it’s pretty nice!

      I don’t think I’m willing to switch away from Apple though :-)

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      • 5/11/2010 at 12:20 pm
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        My new laptop has Win 7 pro too. Sad thing is I have spent more time playing Mahjong Titans than exploring the cool new innovative technology!

        As much as I want to try a mac, I can’t deal with the one button mouse.

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        • 5/12/2010 at 8:50 am
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          Oh but the one button mouse is a thing of the past… the right click on the new macbooks is quite nice.

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  • 5/10/2010 at 3:58 pm
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    Where is Jocelyn? She needs to Chime in on this…

    I know my laptop has been running great for the 1 year I have owned it. I know that doesn’t help but there you go.

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  • 5/11/2010 at 6:46 am
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    Now is the time to buy! Laptops are on the cheap, particularly if you can nail down a barely used one or something (Dell has a leser-known refurb sales section, for instance).
    Unless, of course, you want a Mac, in which case hand over your wallet, then prepare to bathe in the glow of your backlit keyboard. No wait, I meant smug sense of satisfaction.
    Of course, I’m more of a “keep it until it’s literally falling apart” kinda guy, exhibited by my long precession of nearly inoperable vehicles, computers, televisions, and clothing.

    Reply
    • 5/11/2010 at 8:30 am
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      Lets see why your items keep breaking Sander:

      Inoperable automobiles – Ruined Shocks, Popped Tires

      Computers – Smashed Keyboards, Bacon lodged in Hard drive, Monitor with burned in images of cupcakes

      Televisions – All channels shows Food Network or old episodes of julia childs

      Clothing – Stretched out elastic

      I think everyone knows where this Joke is going…And no Sander, its not KFC. LOSE SOME WEIGHT!

      Reply
      • 5/11/2010 at 9:11 am
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        Talk about your desperate attempt at a character smear. None of this is true!
        Except for the bacon in my hard drive – did Mike D. tell you about that???

        Reply

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