Probably not right now if you can help it; with the sudden homeworking rush last month the cost of new computers has risen steeply and is still artificially high. But when is the right time to get a new computer…
We reckon on a service life of seven to ten years for a regular domestic machine. Less for a budget or cheap machine, maybe more for a high end and performance model. If you’ve purchased a computer for less than £300 then it would be in the budget category so we would expect a lower service life from it, the same applies to brands like Punch and Zoostorm, and I’m sorry to say that our experience shows modern Dell computers often fail very early too, around 3 to 4 years.
HP and Lenovo tend to rein supreme on the build quality leader-boards, with Asus and Acer up high too; I’d hope for a full 10 years life from these manufacturers. There are of course some exceptions to this, and a lot can be said for how much a computer is used and cared for. Business use 9 to 5 daily will reduce a machine’s service life, as will overheating, getting knocked around, or power fluctuations.
If you buy a second-hand or refurbished computer then you’ll need to factor that and reduce the expected service life accordingly.
If your computer is working and performing well then we wouldn’t advise replacing it, even if it’s over 7 years old, but if your machine develops a fault when older than 7 years it would probably not be economic to repair, you would be better putting that money towards a new machine. If your machine has reached 10 years old (congratulations) then it’s probably wise to replace it if you have critical data stored, especially for your business; but even at 10 years it’s still fine to keep using as long as you make regular backups, and you can cope with a few days of down-time while a replacement is sorted.
If you replace your machine before it fails then we can perform a “migration” from your old computer to your new one. This involves moving all your personal data, browsing history and saved passwords, reinstall applications and making the new machine look as similar as possible to your old machine. If however your old computer has failed then this is more difficult. A “blind migration” can be performed if your old hard drive is still functional, even just partially functional. Personal data can be transferred, but it’s not always possible to transfer browsing history or password lists from a faulty machine, and apps will almost certainly be lost.
If you want some no-obligation advice about your computer then feel free to get in touch. We keep an eye on the new computer market and often have good refurbished machines in stock and ready to go.
Published May 2020, just after the start of LockDown following the Coronavirus outbreak