An average gaming laptop lasts for 3-5 years easily. The lifespan of gaming laptops depends on their build quality and how long you use the gaming laptop.
This means with proper care, a gaming laptop may live for 7-8 years with proper maintenance.
Since the quality and health of your gaming laptop determine your gaming experience, the question of how long does a gaming laptop last has troubled both amateurs & pro-gamers.
Hence, it is equally important to know how to increase the longevity of a gaming laptop. Furthermore, can a gaming laptop last for 10 years?
This article will cover many questions like this about the lifespan of gaming laptops.
So, without further delay, let’s solve the puzzle: How long can a gaming laptop last?
What is an Average Lifespan Of Gaming Laptops?
A standard gaming laptop will last around 3-5 years when used moderately. So, if you have an average gaming laptop, and you spend 4-5 hours on it daily, your gaming laptop will live for around 5 years.
You should note that this is not a thumbs rule for all gaming laptops. Like, some premium quality gaming laptops have a lifespan of 7 years easily because of their durable hardware.
Likewise, second-hand gaming laptops will not live longer than 2 years if used for long and heavy gaming.
In these 5 to 7 years, a gaming laptop undergoes multiple stages of life. And with each passing stage, its performance drops.
Let’s take a look at the life stages of gaming laptops –
Stage1 – The OP Performance
A decent gaming laptop will provide top-notch gaming output in the first 2 years of its life. In this stage, you can enjoy all advance and new games non-stop for more than 5 hours daily.
Stage2 – The Drop in Quality
From the 3rd year onward, there will be a slight decline in the gaming experience but won’t cause much impact on you. You might notice poor battery life or outdated and slow software.
Stage3 – The Emergency
By the time your gaming laptop reaches the end of the 4th year of service, you should start paying attention to it. Overheating, outdated CPU and GPU, and glitches can be common.
Stage4 – The Deathbed
If you do not take proper measures to ensure the optimum status of your gaming laptop, it won’t last longer than 5 years. Since rigorous gaming and constant other activities weaken the quality of RAM, GPU, CPU, and even the cooling system.
Shelf Life of Gaming Laptop Parts
What is also interesting to see is that how long gaming laptops last also depends on the quality and state of the various elements like graphics card, RAM, battery, SDD & HDD.
Hence to determine the lifespan of a gaming laptop, you must take a peek at its components:
Do Gaming Laptops Run Out of Battery Fast?
The battery life of a gaming laptop lasts for a max of 2 years. This means you can enjoy long gaming sessions without worrying about the battery of your laptop for the first two years.
The battery life of a gaming laptop will depend on the time you spend on your gaming laptop, not just for playing games but for surfing the net, using social media, research, and all other reasons.
If you use a higher quality GPU, the battery drain would be tremendously high, leading to added pressure on your gaming laptop.
What is an Average Life of a Graphics Card?
As a durable and most wildly used component of a gaming laptop, an expensive graphics card can last for 5-6 years.
However, low-budget GPU will become useless within a span of 3 years. With proper care, your GPU can even live for 7 years.
How Long does HDD and SSD Last for Gaming?
If you use your gaming laptop every day, the SDD lasts for 7 years and the HDD for around 5-7 years. And with a moderate gaming habit, your SDD can function smoothly for 10 years, while HDD for 8.
A common myth around SDD is that gaming can damage it. This is only true if you put your gaming laptop under extreme work pressure without any chance of rest.
Doing so doesn’t just harm the SDD or HDD, but also ensures that your gaming laptop doesn’t last long enough.
How Long does Gaming Laptop RAM Last?
The RAM of a gaming laptop is the last thing you need to worry about. It will last for 8+ years when used on average. However, it is vital to keep updating the RAM every 2 years.
Next to its durability is the size of the RAM. For a gaming laptop, 16 GB RAM is a perfect fit. But if you cannot get 16 GB RAM, the lowest size should be the least 8 GB. Anything lower than 8GB is not worth it.
What Factors Affect the Lifespan of a Gaming Laptop?
The shelf life of your gaming laptop depends on the frequency and duration of its use, along with the quality of its components.
But, how do these factors affect a gaming laptop’s durability?
In this section, I will explore the possible answer to this question while examining the agents that impact how long will a gaming laptop last.
The Duration of Use
The frequency and duration of use will affect the lifespan of your gaming laptop. The more you use your laptop, the less durable it gets.
But, this is the destiny of any electronic gadget. The wear and tear caused on various components of the device depends on how much you use it.
Longer gaming sessions, like those for 10-12 hours, will put severe pressure on your device, causing it more harm and reducing its lifespan. The same damage can be caused if you game for fewer hours but regularly.
The main reason behind this is the lack of cooling time and rest. Gaming laptops, like any other machine, produce heat if overused. This can damage the internal organs of the laptop.
Likewise, non-stop use of a gaming laptop will reduce its shelf life as the machine requires rest too.
Ensuring rest periods in between gaming can turn out to be a healthy step for you and your gaming laptop.
Status of Hardware
Just like healthy organs make up a healthy body, efficient and maintained hardware makes up a long-lasting gaming laptop.
Making sure that components like CPU, Graphics card, RAM, thermal paste, and cooling system are in the best state can increase the shelf life of your gaming laptop.
This will require you to timely update and replace these elements as and when they become inefficient. It is important to check only the right kind and quality of the hardware is installed.
Proper Preservation
The last factor determining your gaming laptop’s longevity is its apt maintenance and preservation. Technology is strictly bounded by time and care.
The better you maintain your device, the longer it will last. The same is true for gaming laptops. The measures that can increase the lifespan of gaming laptops include:
- Regular updating of the software and Operating System.
- Giving proper resting time.
- Allowing it to cool down properly.
- Cleaning it.
- Lifting and placing it the right way.
- Handling it with care.
- Etc.
Signs Of A Dying Gaming Laptop
You need to take utmost care to make sure that your gaming laptop lasts longer and lasts more efficiently.
Knowing the appropriate time to take the right measures can increase the possibility of saving your laptop.
This is a hard task in itself, as the state of my laptop will differ from yours, and yours would differ from someone else.
However, each laptop sends signals that can tell a lot about its physical well-being. Given below are the signs of a dying laptop
- Quickly dying and uncharging battery
- Frequent glitches
- Non-responsive keyboard
- Overheating with minimum usage
- Unnecessary lines on the screen
- Slow processor
- Unknown beeping or random sounds
- System crashes
- Cooling fans are always on
- System randomly freezes
Being able to identify these signs can help you increase the lifespan of your gaming laptop.
How to Increase the Life Expectancy of Gaming Laptops?
You can do multiple things to ensure your gaming laptop’s increased lifespan. The steps range from thorough weekly cleaning to a bi-annual system update.
However, maintaining a gaming laptop is an act of consistency. It will cost you energy, time, and most importantly, a pocketful of money.
Let us take a look at the ways you can make sure your gaming laptop lasts long:
1. Leave It To cool
One of the by-products of constant gaming is getting your gaming laptop overheated. This can cause a lot of damage to your laptop by putting an unnecessary load on the cooling system.
Hence you must allow your gaming laptop some time to cool down. If not, the thermal paste will dry off quickly, leaving the laptop unprotected from the internal heat produced.
In the worse case, your gaming laptop can force switch off to protect itself. Now imagine if that happens while you are in the middle of a power-packed game.
Hence, listen to your gaming laptop and keep checking for any abnormal rise in its temperature. Apart from leaving it to cool down, you can also get cooling pads.
2. Keep Dust Away
Dust particles are the tiniest but a major enemy of gaming laptops. They can enter tight spaces in your laptop and cause damage to its components.
The significant dust impacts a gaming laptop include cooling fans, keyboard, battery, and input ports.
While cleaning your gaming laptop, remember not to insert any kind of sharp object into its ports and plug-in points.
You must clean your laptop daily from the surface with a clean, dry cloth. You can also use a minimal amount of cleaning liquid.
For a deeper defense against dust, you should clean the internal parts twice a year under the guidance of experts.
3. Use Apt Battery Setting
Frequent battery drain is dangerous for your gaming laptop, hence you should take all necessary steps to ensure you use to apply the right battery setting on your device.
While not gaming, you can opt for the battery-saving option and low graphics resolution. Another important step can be to plug out your laptop from charging when not in use.
Remember, constant flow of power, even when the device does not need it can lead to poor battery performance.
4. Timely Hardware & Software Update
When to update your gaming laptop’s parts and software is totally in your hand and needs. Since screen time and laptop usage are different for everyone, you are the best judge to know when an update is required.
However, note the following points:
- Do not update the hardware/ software of your gamin laptop on your own. Rather always, take help from an expert.
- Only change the RAM if it requires more GB.
- You can update an SDD/ HDD after 7-8 years of constant use.
- Do not miss the chance to update your system software either in 6-12 months or as soon as a new update is there.
5. Get Original Hardware
Do thorough research before getting the parts for your gaming laptop. An old, damaged, or duplicate hardware can make your whole system dead in no time.
Components like AC Charger, CPU, GPU, Battery, and RAM are available in all shapes, sizes, and qualities. Always stick to the original products.
If you have a tight budget, and cannot get the latest hardware version, perhaps go for the older upgraded version and never an unauthentic part.
6. Keep It Dry
Never bring any kind of fluid or edible substance near your laptop. A spill on or near your gaming laptop can cost you a huge sum.
If the food crumbles or liquid substance like water/ juice enters any part of your laptop, it can not only harm elements like the motherboard or the battery but even prevent your laptop from turning on.
You should also make sure to keep the gaming laptop in a well-ventilated, moisture-free area. It will be best if you place it away from direct sunlight too.
7. Have An Active Anti-Virus Plan
Who doesn’t enjoy online gaming? It can be the perfect relaxing experience for you and your laptop.
However, it also comes with the added threat of viruses and malware attacking your laptop. Thus, having active anti-virus protection is a must for all gaming laptop owners.
8. Handle It Properly
A gaming laptop can be bulkier than a typical laptop, owning to the delicate and more extensive hardware. This means that you should be extra careful while handling your gaming laptop.
Never pick up your gaming laptop from the screen or never pass it carelessly. Even the slightest jerk can put unwanted pressure on your laptop.
Another thing to be wary about is always using your laptop on a hard surface like a table while gaming. Operating your gaming laptop on a surface like a bed can lead to improper air flow, resulting in overheating.
What to do with an Old Gaming Laptop?
Most components of a gaming laptop, even after 7-9 years, will remain in a considerable state. Though they won’t be up-to-mark for gaming purposes, an old gaming laptop can still be used as an ordinary laptop for multiple purposes.
Apart from this, you can use an out-of-use gaming laptop in the following ways:
- Turn it into a gaming server
- Make it a retro game collection center
- Use it for Movie/ game/ music steaming
- Convert it into an additional gaming monitor
- Use it as a backup for gaming records and other files
- Donate or sell it away
- Use it as a regular laptop
FAQs on Gaming Laptop Age
A gaming laptop will last for 3-5 years, depending on its quality, hardware status, and usage. If properly maintained it can live for 7-10 years too.
Limited gaming will not directly harm the laptop, but the excessive heat and pressure produced can reduce the laptop’s life.
You can replace a gaming laptop within a span of 2-5 years for moderate models and anywhere between 6-7 years for high end models.
With proper care and maintenance, a gaming laptop can last for 10 years too. This, however, requires top-notch care.
Conclusion
With all this information, you now know how long will your gaming laptop last and all the required steps to ensure the longevity of gaming laptops.
Always listen to the signals your laptop sends you about its status so you can have the best gaming experience.
Keep gaming!
