The answer is no to all these questions. The real reason is, basically all the laptops I've ever owned, and I have owned many over the the last decade or two, have never really lasted longer than a few years. They are always ended up breaking. From Lenovo (IBM) to Acer, Dell, and almost everything else (Excluding HP), they always end up faulty in some way or another. I say excluding HP (Hewlett Packard, or HP Compaq) because in my opinion and experience they are the most reliable computer brand.
The old trusty HP Compaq tower is still going strong after many years
Reliability: Desktop Vs Laptop Computer. When it comes to the poor reliability of laptops, desktop PCs are the total opposite. I still have some desktop PCs (Towers) that I don't use anymore but are stored. Well, just recently my Acer TravelMate 5720 laptop charger broke after just a few weeks use, and I was forced to get one of my old HP towers out of the storage cupboard. Yep, still works fine. In fact, I'm writing this post on it now.
I know there are some exceptions when it comes to laptops, and that some people have owned the same model for many years and it has never gave them any problems, but overall, they are not as reliable as normal, full-sized computer systems. Actually I know someone who has had the same Laptop for many years and its still working well. Ironically, it is also a HP!
Acer TravelMate 5720
What I'm saying is, laptops don't really seem to be well built enough to withstand being on all day and used all day. Everything is crammed in close together (small form factor type set up). Something always packs up. Chargers, screens and keyboards usually being the main areas of failure for me.
But with desktops, the only reason for me not using it anymore isn't anything to do with it failing in some area, despite being powered on for most of the day (even if most of that is with the computer in hybernation state), it's just because I wanted an upgrade. And on websites like eBay UK, where there are now so many computer recycling companies selling second hand Desktop computers for really cheap, it's not too costly to just buy a used tower with a really good specification for £50 - £60 (UK money).
Didn't last long: A Delta Electronics. Inc Laptop Charger
That's why I'm writing this post. As mentioned, my laptop charger has stopped working, and to replace it is going to cost £10 - £15 for a non original charger from China (UK seller). The charger that I was using, which has packed up after a few weeks, is the exact one for sale on eBay (Delta Electronics Inc). So I'm thinking to myself, spend £15 to buy a replacement charger which might break again after a few weeks, or spend £50 - £60 and buy a used HP Elite 8000 Desktop Tower PC, or similar, which has a Quad Core 2 Q9500 Processor. Or spend a tenner more and get a HP Pro 6200 Intel Core i5 2400 2nd generation 3.1GHz.
Now I know that no PC is immune from failure, they are electrical devices after all, and parts have the potential to eventually fail. But in my opinion, and end user experience over the years, components do last a lot longer in desktops than laptops, and I think I'd rather spend more money on a tower rather than buy another part for a laptop that might not last longer than a month. The desktop is a much safer bet. And on a side note: I also own two Tablet PCs. A Time2 model and a Neocore E1 (review post here). Both of these have been very reliable. Still going strong with no problems at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment