Is your laptop giving you fits right now?

Maybe your keyboard suddenly stopped working. Maybe your screen isn’t getting as bright as it should. Or maybe you’re experiencing one of the other common laptop problems that plague people all the time.

Whatever the case, you’re probably a little bit worried about what your laptop repair cost is going to be and thinking about whether or not it even makes sense to pay to have repairs made. You could very well be asking yourself, “Should I get a new laptop?”

So, laptop repair or replace? You’re going to need to answer that question before you do anything else. There are a bunch of things that you’ll want to consider when your laptop is on the fritz for one reason or another.

Here are some of the factors that should influence your decision when you’re wondering, “Should I repair a laptop?”

What’s Wrong With Your Laptop?

First things first: Before you start trying to decide whether you want to repair or replace your laptop, you’re going to need to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with it. This is sometimes easier said than done.

If you’re having issues with your keyboard, you might not have too much trouble diagnosing the problem with your laptop. You’ll likely be looking at having to replace your existing keyboard to get it up and running again.

If it’s a broken fan, as this article about sugru and gadget fixing suggests, this is a relatively simple (and cheap) repair that you can get sorted pretty quickly, and even do yourself if you’re confident around computers.

But if you’re having issues with the speed of your computer or something along those lines, it could be more challenging figuring out what the problem with it is. You might need to have a computer technician take it all apart to find out what’s slowing it down.

Regardless, it’s going to be important to find out what’s wrong with your laptop before you do anything else. It’s the only way you’re going to be able to find out what the laptop repair cost will be.

Is Your Broken Laptop Taking a Toll on Your Life?

One of the things that you should think about while you’re trying to diagnose the problem with your computer is whether or not it’s something that needs to be fixed. You should consider how it’s affecting your life to help determine if repairing your computer is going to be a necessity.

If you’re having keyboard issues as we mentioned a moment ago, it might be preventing you from being able to type. That is obviously going to take a big toll on your ability to use your computer at all. You’ll have no choice but to face the laptop repair cost or replace your computer altogether.

If, on the other hand, you’re finding that your screen won’t get as bright as you would like, you might be able to continue using your computer like normal without it wreaking too much havoc on you for the time being. You can fix it whenever you would like and avoid having to replace your laptop.

It all depends on the specific issue with your laptop. It’s another reason to diagnose it sooner rather than later.

How Much Is the Laptop Repair Cost Going to Be?

After you’ve diagnosed the problem with your laptop, it’ll help you get your hands on an estimate for what your laptop repair cost is going to be. You’ll be able to find out what you’re going to have to pay to bring your old laptop back to life.

You’ll have to then take the estimate that you receive and consider if the price that you’ll have to pay to fix your computer will be worth it. It might not be worth paying $300 to fix a computer that only cost you $500 in the first place five years ago.

However, it could very well be worth fixing your laptop up if it’s only going to cost $100 to repair it and it cost you more than $1,000 when you bought it last year. You’ll have to try to compare the laptop repair cost that you’re facing with the approximate value of your laptop at this time.

How Old Is Your Laptop?

When did you buy your laptop? That’s one of the many questions that you’re going to want to ask when you’re thinking about whether you want to repair or replace it the next time it has an issue.

On average, laptops are designed to last for somewhere between 4 and 5 years before needing to be replaced. This means that you might want to go ahead and replace it if you bought it back during President Obama’s first term and it’s starting to give you problems now.

It also means that you might want to try and salvage your laptop as best you can if you’ve only had it for a year or two now. Unless it has a serious problem that’s going to prevent you from fixing it without breaking the bank, you should try to keep it for a little bit longer by making the necessary repairs to it.

Do You Like Your Laptop?

There are a lot of instances in which people will pay a ton of money to repair an old car even though it has seen better days. A car might only be worth $1,000, but that won’t stop someone from paying $1,000 to get it fixed, even though that doesn’t make much financial sense.

People often do this because they like their car and feel comfortable in it. They don’t want to get rid of it and get something new when they’ve spent a lot of time getting to know their current car.

There is a chance that you might feel this same way about your laptop. You may have spent the last 4 years working on it and grown to love everything about it.

If this is the case, then you might want to pay the laptop repair cost to keep it around. You won’t see the sense in getting rid of it just because it needs a little TLC.

You also might go in the other direction and decide that you want to get a new laptop even though your old one isn’t in terrible condition simply because you hate your old one. Your own feelings with regards to your laptop should come into play at least a little when you’re trying to decide whether to keep it and repair it or chuck it and replace it.

Can You Afford to Buy a New Laptop?

Buying a new laptop in 2020 isn’t like buying a new laptop in, say, 2000. Laptops nowadays are way more affordable than they used to be. You can get your hands on one for just a few hundred dollars in some instances.

But even with that being said, not everyone can afford to purchase a new laptop instead of repairing an old one. You’re going to have to take a look at your own financial situation so that you can see if a new laptop will fit into your budget.

You can put yourself in a better position to buy a new laptop by finding the best price on one. But you should be sure that you can afford to do it before pulling the trigger on a new laptop and purchasing it.

Would a New Laptop Improve Your Life?

In order to justify buying a new laptop, you’re going to need to convince yourself that it’s going to improve your life in at least a few ways. Sit down and think about some of the ways in which having a new laptop might help you.

Will a new laptop:

  • Help you be a better student?
  • Provide you with everything you’ll need to run a more successful business?
  • Allow you to play the games that you love?
  • Make it possible to keep in touch with friends and family?
  • Keep your personal finances more organized?

If you can do these things without having to buy a new laptop, you may want to pay the laptop repair cost and continue using your old laptop. But if you believe your quality of life will improve by investing in a new laptop, then buying one will make all the sense in the world.

Whatever you do, you shouldn’t make a decision either way without considering each and every factor we’ve talked about here. You don’t ever want to rush into a decision when you’re thinking about buying something like a new laptop.

Laptop Replace or Repair? Only You Can Decide

If you only have a minor problem with your current laptop right now, paying the laptop repair cost to fix it might be in your best interests. You can keep your laptop around a little longer and avoid having to pay for a new one.

But if you have a more serious issue that isn’t going to be just a quick fix, that’s when replacing your laptop might be the best move you can make. It’ll be a smarter investment in the long run and will help you steer clear of further problems with your old laptop.

Check out other great tech articles by browsing through the rest of our blog.