Stretching the Life of my Laptop
Posted on March 25, 2008 by Him and tagged computer
When I completed my undergraduate degree I was rewarded with the gift of a laptop through a joint effort from my parents and my brother. It was the perfect gift for me at that time since I was headed into graduate school. Six years ago, that laptop was brand new to me; officially I think it was refurbished.
In the following years the laptop has taken some punishment from the rigors of everyday use and a little pinch of clumsiness. I've dropped it twice which both times led to the monitor breaking. Fortunately for my broke ass graduate student self, it was still under warranty and was fixed for free both times. I've stripped screws trying to replace the RAM. The battery doesn't hold a charge; its portability is laughable since it must be plugged in for it to operate.
Nonetheless, it still works. And it works very well for basics tasks such as surfing the internet, spreadsheet applications, word processing, and even some light gaming (hello Civilization 3 and/or Starcraft). It even has a DVD-ROM so that I can watch movies on it. I like to take it with me on business trips instead of the ones supplied to us by my employer since I like to blog, among other personal things, when I'm away. I'd rather not have that stuff on the company property, you know?
The biggest hurdle for its usefulness right now is its non-functional battery. It's a pain to always search for an outlet in whatever airport I'm in. And even if I find an outlet there are about 34589734968 other business people charging their Blackberry/Treo/iPod/portable DVD player/phone.
A few years ago when the laptop was 4 years old I researched the price of a new laptop battery directly from the manufacturer: $150. I didn't use it much back then so I thought I'd wait a few years.
Now that the laptop is 6 years old, I looked up the price again: $150. WTF. There's no way I'm going to pay that much for a battery; it's probably worth more than the laptop itself. I started to look for alternatives.
There's two choices: (1) a compatible battery from an online dealer for around $90 or (2) a compatible battery from eBay for $50. Both seem a little dubious, but it beats buying a new battery for the 25% of a brand new laptop, right?
I'm going to do more research, and keep you updated.
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James | Mar 25, 2008
I'd give the eBay route a shot. The battery may not be as good, but then again it might. I also turn to eBay for things like cell phone accessories and various weird batteries and stuff. Bon Chance!
Hmm. Option 3, business expense for the blog, buy a new laptop for around 400, tax deduction. Check out slickdeals or fatwallet for good deals.
Mike
I agree, I think you should get a new laptop. I usually think a computer is good for 3-5 years. At 6 years old, even though it feels like it's still perfectly good for email, blogging, etc, you're actually wasting time waiting for your computer start up/start the program you want/etc. Your time is worth it, especially when laptops are not that expensive. It's certainly not worth spending 1/4 of the cost of a new computer to fix an old one.
Rachel @ Master Your Card | Mar 28, 2008
Wow you are lucky that your laptop has lasted so long - perhaps I am clumsy but I have had 3 in the last 6 years! I have bought replacement batteries from eBay and always found them to be good.
You have been blessed with an amazing machine that lasted you FAR beyond what you could have reasonably expected when you received it! Now, alas, it might be time to say goodbye. There is no such thing as laptop insurance, especially for an older machine like this, and rather than pumping $150-200 into the battery, it could be worth getting a new machine that will be selling for a shade more than the cost of the battery... and will outperform your current computer, as well. Good luck!
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com
Angie | Mar 25, 2008
I purchased a battery through an online dealer about six months ago because I was having the same issue. The laptop says that the battery, when fully charged, provides two hours of charge, but it only lasts 40 minutes. Still better than the zero minutes before I replaced the battery, but it hasn't significantly improved the portability issue since I still need to lug the cord around with me.
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