How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Last?

Last Updated/Fact Checked on July 26, 2021 by Irslan

Does your laptop feel slower than usual while playing Black Ops IV or Apex Legends? It is not just your imagination – all gaming equipment can gradually provide lower output and then absolutely give it out.

Regardless of how much you invest, you will inevitably find apparent indications that it’s time to upgrade your laptop as frames are reduced, and internal elements are broken down.

So, for any prospective buyer, here’s the big question — How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Last? and how do you get the most out of your investment?

How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Last? (Honest Answer)

It will last 5–6 years for a game laptop without repair, or 3–4 years for a cheaper, standard notebook with a plastic chassis. Although the parts last half a decade or longer, the top-of-the-line components can not deliver the same value as visually complex games.

What Affects A Gaming Laptop Lifespan?

Overall, construction efficiency is a big part of this, and that is one reason why it’s worth saving money to spend more on a higher model when purchasing a gaming farm.

If you leave your system for five to six years, you will potentially spend less by purchasing a more costly model that does not have to be replaced in just a few years.

Read More: How To Keep Laptop Cool While Gaming? 9 Pro Tips

In addition to the quality of the components and the design’s structural integrity, many unique parts may have a dramatic impact on lifespan.

#1: The Hardware

Compared to a console where games are designed for the hardware setup of a full (around six years) console generation, PC games – and laptop games by extension – cannot do this due to a diverse range of hardware that goes to these computers.

Moreover, a laptop is a lot smaller and lighter. To do this, manufacturers need to change their materials. It would eventually lead to laptop versions of desktop components being slower than their less compact brothers. But on the brightest side, due to the recent technical advances, this distance is smaller than ever.

If properly maintained and not stressed too much, hardware components can last up to 10 years. So, How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Last to support the new games?

#2: GPU

One of the main factors in a gaming laptop is the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). It is essential to compare different GPU devices and check their output before selecting a laptop with your favorite games.

If you are eagerly waiting for a new and better FIFA 19, for example, you will need a laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or higher.

Read More: How To Optimize Windows 10 For Gaming

Fortunately for you, all comparison charts and technical information for different games are just a search away from Google.

However, to give you a brief idea, you need an upgrade to a new graphics card such as the NVIDIA GTX 1050 for 4-5 years.

High-end versions such as the GTX 1080 are, on the other hand, fantastic for your whole lifespan (these are real beasts).

#3: RAM – Random Access Memory

The RAM requirement depends entirely on what kind of games you choose to play on your laptop. The RAM capacity should be increased for modern games to at least 8GB, and 16GB recommended. It is the least concerned than the components above, which affect the lifetime of the gaming laptop.

Also, low RAM capacity will influence the processing of both CPU and GPU. If you play a game that needs 8 GB of RAM and plays 4 GB of RAM, then many problems such as device crashes, delays, and lousy frame rates are caused. In the following post, we discussed RAM and how it could influence gaming.

#4: Gaming Laptop Maintenance

If you do not take good care of your hardware, a component’s life span can be significantly shortened, sometimes to below five years. Moreover, the build-up of dust inside the laptop would make it more and more heat, making it uncomfortable to use.

Read More: 10 Best Cheap Laptop for Music Production

Ideally, you can grow a cleaning habit every six months or so. Now you cannot just open a laptop, remove each part, and clean it separately instead of a desktop PC. Fortunately, much of the dust is simple without even having to open the laptop: compressed air.

Phase by step, here is how to do it:

  • Hold the laptop on its side to see the intake(s) of fans on the rim. You should not have the laptop sitting on the table because you should have a can of compressed air upright so that no liquid air can escape or harm the hardware.
  • Hold the can close to the grille when the dust blows out. You can see dust and scrap from the other grills.
  • Incline and angle the laptop to ensure it is properly washed.
  • Repeat for each intake of the fan.

Continue to do so before you see large quantities of dust coming from the laptop.


How To Get More Life Out Of Your Gaming Laptop

#1 Physical Protection

Of course, some apparent aspects must be taken into account, such as avoiding unnecessary jostling while carrying the unit, which could damage internal motherboard components.

A brilliant case with additional compartments for your power cord, Ethernet cables, external hard drives is a must for the gamer on the go.

#2 Battery Life Management

There are other ways to protect your savings, such as adjusting your battery charging habits less instantly. While gaming laptops can be challenging because of their low battery life, you do not always leave your machine plugged in. Constantly charging the battery gradually reduces the charge and dramatically reduces the battery life.

#3 Maintenance And Cleaning

Much like your car sometimes needs an oil change or adjusts the air filter, your laptop may also enjoy daily maintenance. A straightforward but efficient way of preventing overheating or damage to internal parts is to use canned air to clean ports periodically. The accumulation of dust causes components to fail earlier than usual by everyday usage.

#4 Cooling options management

In addition to cleaning with canned air, there are other ways to preserve your parts’ coolness and quality. If your particular laptop model does not have the built-in cooling feature listed in the section above, a cooling pad is worth the extra cost.

Read More: How to Connect Ps4 to Laptop Without Remote Play

Cooling pads are typically available online via Amazon for a relatively low price, and several different colors and models are available. It is not hard to customize your cooling pad so that you can find something convenient for the color scheme of your laptop.

#5 Know your needs for SSD and HDD

The trend for gaming laptops is becoming solid-state drives, but many models do have traditional hard drives. Why does it matter what kind of stuff you have? An SSD should be overwritten as much as possible; defragmenting can minimize drive life.

Since these two technologies’ maintenance requirements are very different, what’s good isn’t right for the other. In fact, for example, SSDs do not benefit from disk defragmentation at all. As an SSD can be overwritten as many times as possible, defragmentation can shorten the drive’s lifetime.

On the other hand, HDDs gain from the occasional defragmentation to improve speed or even delete a full hard drive and reinstall Windows entirely.

#6 Upgrade RAM

Aside from regular day-to-day maintenance, including cooling and washing, updating components within 2-3 years of purchase is the next best way to improve a gaming laptop’s life.

The best way to speed up and keep our laptop up to speed is to upgrade the RAM, though memory access can differ from model to model.

#7 Switch From HDD To SSD

When the RAM is raised, the old disk drive is taken out, and a newer solid-state drive is mounted considerably faster and quieter. SSDs appear to last longer because they have no moving components that can overheat and malfunction too quickly as a typical hard disk drive.

In recent years the procedure for drive replacement has been dramatically simplified with several models using an M.2 slot that can be quickly removed and replaced.

#8 Know Which Parts Aren’t Worth Replacing

Be sure to be aware because laptops are not as easy as their desktop counterparts to update or fix.

A few components cannot be replaced, which are more worthwhile than replacing or which cannot be protected by the manufacturer’s guarantee by the time they fail.

The display screen and video cable that attaches to the motherboard are significant fault points. Choosing a model with an HDMI port is ideal for planning if an external monitor has to be used sometime down the road.

Although the screen will die a few years from now, you can still use the high-end CPU and GPU of your laptop by connecting to an external monitor. You indeed sacrifice portability, but it is a small price to pay not to purchase a whole new laptop a year or two later.


How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Battery Last

The laptop battery typically takes between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the frame rate and the graphics card used in the laptop with a battery of 75 to 100Wh. The high-end graphics card lasts longer with high frame rates, while some Laptops with low 50Wh typically last around 65 minutes.

Laptops for gaming are lightweight, and so a battery can play a significant role in your gaming experience. It is also important to consider the type of game you want to play as a strategy game and first-person shooter that includes several AI functions that will eventually require high battery and processing.


Do gaming laptops last longer than regular laptops?

Gaming laptops last longer than standard laptops as they have high-end hardware, including CPU, RAM, GPU, to manage modern games. They also have a lot of heat management, which helps with normal usage and proper care for more than five years. Standard laptop hardware setup will become absolute much earlier than laptop gaming.

Read More: 10 Best Cheap Laptop for Editing Youtube Videos

Standard laptops are configured for official and personal use, requiring minimal hardware and software configuration. If you plan to play games and especially modern games on ordinary laptops, then you can expect the lag and crash even after playing for a short time. Some laptops with a built-in graphics card perform better than other laptops.


How long can you play on a gaming laptop?

You can spend 2-4 hours on a gaming laptop with an excellent cooling system and processing units, and if the heat is treated very well, the time can increase. Gaming laptop components can be impaired by playing for 5 hours with high sun. Some players play on the gaming desktop for more than 10 and 16 hours, much more comfortable with heat control.

One of the essential considerations is room temperature. Yes, the room temperature on your laptop will impact the game time. If you choose to remain in the colder area or play games in warmer seasons, consider repairing your laptop time.

The suggested time to play on a laptop is 2-4 hours with correct heat control. If the cooling system is included in your gaming laptops, you can extend the playtime to 8 hours.


FAQS (How Long Does a Gaming Laptop Last)

Do Gaming laptops last longer than normal laptops?

A laptop gaming can do so much more than a regular laptop. There was a mistake & the ordinary laptop will last much longer than battery-sized gaming laptops. Laptops have more power consumption than others.

Do Gaming laptops break easily?

Heat: Fans, another mechanical component, can also wear quickly, leading to overheating problems. Gaming on weaker laptops will drive you to your limits even if you don’t play extreme games/settings graphically. Many games tax the CPU is irrespective of the heat and the fan spins.

How often should you replace your gaming laptop?

How much should your laptop be replaced? In general, you can expect to keep a laptop running with budget models for an average of three years. Higher-end models will last for up to five years at the top. It is a pretty hard limit in most situations.

Conclusion

Finally, you should expect to have at least 5 years and more extended purchase a gaming laptop and care for it properly. And while it could physically last more than 10 years, the hardware would undoubtedly be obsolete, even though we talked about a pricey high-end laptop.

Now, if you’re performing, you should expect a GPU to achieve almost the same for the next 2 years. You would then have to lower the settings to hold your ideal framerate.

Read More: