Have you kept your laptop in great condition over the years, avoiding dropping it or spilling anything on, ensuring no scratches end up on its surface, but still…the machine lags and shows signs of ageing?

I mean, this is normal. After all, Apple suggests that people should buy a new laptop every 3 years, but they’re not exactly unbiased.

If you’re like me and you’ve kept your laptop in near-mint condition on the outside, you expect it to keep going until it physically falls to bits!

It would be nice if this was the case, but unfortunately, the internal wear and tear is inevitable, but there are a few things you can do to significantly increase the lifespan of your device.

There’s always going to be an upper limit for how long a laptop will last, but you can certainly take steps to extend its life for up to 10 years in some cases.

In this article, we explore some tried-and-tested techniques for prolonging your laptop’s life and proper functionality.

Look after it

This one is a given, but it had to be stated. Looking after your laptop properly is the number 1 way to extend its life. Dropping it or spilling something on it can end your laptop’s life instantly, so avoid eating or drinking around it, in addition to moving it around carelessly.

Consider buying a case for your laptop if you do travel with it a lot, and be generally cautious when handling it.

Professional cleaning

You can either do this at home if you have the tools, or send it off to be professionally cleaned. Deep cleaning a laptop can remove all the bits of dust that are clogging its components and blocking its fan, improving its overall performance and ultimately extending its life.

Dirty laptops can also be less responsive, if you have clogged keys for example. Investing in a professional cleaning service for your laptop is a great way to improve its usability and extend its life.

Invest in upgrades

There are various ways you can upgrade your laptop, but if the goal is to improve its performance and extend its life, there are a few areas of concern that you should focus on. These are:

The battery: Batteries are typically the first components to fail in laptops because of how hard they work. If your battery is no longer holding charge like it used to, consider investing in a new one to extend the device’s lifespan.

The hard drive: Hard drives can be swapped for SSDs (Solid State Drives) to boost performance and extend longevity. SSDs not only enable faster speeds, but they also run quieter and are much more durable.

The RAM: As long as the RAM unit in your laptop isn’t soldered into place, you can upgrade this aspect and easily extend the life of your device by around 3 years. A fresh RAM will increase speed and responsiveness.

Some of these suggestions may prove to be expensive, but they will still be cheaper than the cost of a new laptop. You can also find spare components at places that recycle laptops or repair them.