Your laptop computer is designed to be a compact electronic workspace for education, work and play. In fact, laptop computers have been so powerful and liberating, they have actually coined a new term of entrepreneurship, referred to as the “the laptop lifestyle” which involves working entirely from your laptop computer.
Increasing Life Expectancy of Your Laptop
Although it differs from laptop to laptop computer, the typical life expectancy is between three and five years of usage depending on the quality of laptop components, usage habits and application demands.
Many programs will put high demands on your CPU, on your RAM, and on your graphics card in order to operate effectively. Getting the right balance of hardware components for the daily usage behavior is key to keeping your machine fast and long-lasting.
Generally, laptop components are the first place to start when trying to make your machine last as long as possible.
Not all laptops are produced the same. Is it a business-grade laptop or has it been purchased for individual use? Budget level consumer machines could last for less time, while business-grade machines may last the far end of the life expectancy.
If you are looking to get the longest life-span on your lap, please follow these tips: 
Battery
Although your laptop computer could last 5 to 10 years, your battery will live a fairly shorter life. As your battery grows older, its capability to hold charge reduces. Usually, a laptop battery will last in between 18 and 24 months, depending on how you use it. As it approaches the end of its life-span, it will hold its charge for much shorter durations.
Batteries aren’t designed to last the lifetime of the laptop computer, which’s why if you examine the fine print on the service warranty declaration, you’ll most likely discover that the battery isn’t covered, or is ensured for a shorter duration than the laptop computer. In time, batteries deteriorate and after a number of years of tough usage, you’ll probably discover the battery just has half of its initial capacity and lasts just half the time.
If your laptop does have a removable battery, it can be worth purchasing a spare. They’re offered for many laptops, and you may even find that your laptop computer can accept a higher-capacity than was supplied originally.
Today’s lithium batteries break no matter what you do. If you’re going to be operating on A/C power for a while, close down or hibernate the computer system, get rid of the battery, and work without it.
RAM
Presuming you have actually ruled out the fixable factors that your computer is sluggish, including a virus or malware, a faulty hard disk, and any other program shortage, you can look at upgrading that RAM, which will enhance your computer’s ability to run efficiently.
Increasing RAM is tricky as each motherboard has a suggested RAM type, speed and size to make it compatible. New RAM may not be compatible in an older laptop, so we suggest you do some research or ask an expert.
SSD Drives
Mechanical hard drives (HDD), which are common in laptop computers, need more power to spin their platters than a solid-state drive (SSD) with no moving parts. As well as a small improvement in battery life from this upgrade, an SSD will also make your laptop computer a lot faster and more responsive.
An internal solid-state drive upgrade provides a significant increase in performance for both Macs and PCs.
Temperature
Heat can be a real killer for your laptop, making it especially vulnerable to internal overheating. You should also never position your laptop on a very soft surface, and keep it far from external sources of heat.
You need to prevent placing your laptop computer anywhere it might become hot. That includes your vehicle on a hot summer season day, underneath a window that gets direct sunshine, or near a space heating unit. Uncommon conditions such as these can do a great deal of damage to a battery
Too much cold can likewise eliminate the battery completely or minimize its life-span. Never leave your laptop in your car overnight in sub-freezing temperatures.
Anti-virus
Viruses and Malware can be as destructive as unexpected drops or spills.
You can always avoid them by using an excellent antivirus package that’s continuously updated. The best method to keep them off however, is to avoid browsing through dangerous sites.
Separate Graphics Card
As video games are demanding more of your hardware, your laptop has a tough time keeping up. Of course, if you do not mind lower resolutions and slower FPS rates, you’ll be great for longer. If you buy a mid-range video gaming laptop, with advances in graphics and complexity of games, you can anticipate that laptop to last just a couple of years before it ends up being outdated.
Having a “Gaming Laptop” is the best way to get power and performance for video game usage. The components are supercharged, the cooling systems are enhanced, and most include a separate graphics card, which can improve frame rate and reduce demand on RAM and CPU (making them last longer and run cooler).
Keep it Clean
Get a screen wipe to keep your sensitive screen clean. Avoid the use of damaging compounds and dry the screen complete lt before you turn on.
Laptop touch-sensitive screens build up a lot of fingerprints and germs, so cleaning is a must. Make sure the device is powered off before you begin this cleaning process.
You can blow dust out of air vents, using canned air to keep them clear enough for cool air to flow through. These provide your laptop with extra fans on a firm surface to enhance the airflow. You ought to also attempt not to drop your laptop computer or spill any liquids on it.
Spill coffee on your laptop keyboard, and you could short out the motherboard. Keep your drinks away from your machine at all costs. This repair could cost as much as a new laptop itself.
Conclusion
Overall, laptops can last for many years if properly handled and maintained. The “laptop lifestyle” is becoming a true liberator for “digital nomads” around the world. They allow us to be connected while untethered at the same time.
Tech Tuesday is heard each Tuesday on Mix102.5 with Big Poppa and CCNY Tech Engineer Jake Sears. Since 1988, CCNY Tech has been an IT Hardware Sales and Services company. Ten years ago, CCNY Tech has added IT Asset Disposition to it’s offerings.