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Did not check much since as I was not inclined much anyway and this happened some years back.
Sorry to disappoint.

Guys, requesting advice.

I'm using a Dell Latitude E6430 which is nearing the end of its 5-year warranty (31st March). Love Dell because - whatever fails in the laptop - they get it up and running on the same day. Have seen them send parts & a technician in 4 hours or less after lodging a complaint.

The laptop is currently working flawlessly and I've already upgraded to an SSD + new battery. In its 5 years, it's only had a single warranty replacement (cooling fan). Questions:

1. Should I replace it with a new one? Primary reason would be the uptime requirement. I cannot have a dead laptop on any working day (loss of productivity is too much).

2. What's the typical life of a laptop? By when should a business user replace it (warranty or no warranty)?

3. If the worst part fails, what's the max time we can have it up & running in? 1 day? Or more?

My laptop is to me what an Innova is to a tour operator. I cannot have it down from morning to evening (max 24 hours, but even that is too much).

Thanks in advance!

Given your uptime requirement, you should. Parts availability will become scarcer, so repairs will take longer.

My organisation replaces business laptops every 3 years for critical staff. No repairs are done for anyone outside warranty support.

Out-of-warranty repairs are usually best effort basis, even if you have a service contract. Reason same as point 1.

Glad to know this. SSD is probably the best thing you can do to your laptop.

Yes. Main reason being your requirement for 0 downtime. Dell promises a very low downtime for under warranty units with on-site service.

5-7 years is the typical life where you won't experience severe performance drops. Reason being, just for example consider the internet speeds, photo/file sizes, etc. 5 years ago. As you already have an SSD, not much can be done that will give you a better return on your investment. When the usage is critical, its best to stick replacing your laptops every 5 years. Generally it was understood that a Mac has longer life, however, these days the gap between PC and Macs is reducing. However, there is no question that for a business user, its best to buy from a company that offers the biggest warranty.

In a city like Mumbai, unless its a public holiday, you can have it sorted out from shops on Lamington Road in about half a day. But yes, assume a 1 day downtime.

In a similar predicament as GTO.

Currently using a 2011 MacBook Pro (Core i7, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD) and evaluating my options.
My usage is primarily only at office (out of office I use my phone to do all my work), and the most used apps are Chrome / Firefox, Microsoft Office & Outlook.

The Mac has been working flawlessly, but given it's age I am in two minds whether to replace it or upgrade it.

1) Upgrade to a bigger RAM and an SSD and extend it's life for another 3 years.

2) Replace it with a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 - I love the idea of a tablet and PC. Can hook it up to a monitor at office with a wireless keypad; and also carry it around like a tablet on trips or when the driver is driving.

3) Replace it with another Mac - not my preferred option as it's bloody expensive for what is really very basic usage.

4) Replace it with a basic Windows laptop - least preferred option.

Any suggestions?

I bought two laptops in 2011 when i was in USA, one was Dell XPS and other Macbook Air.
Macbook is the one I use for my office work. XPS sits at home. But I have everything backed up. One fine day in Nov'17, XPS refused to start (Have not got a chance to repair it due to excessive travel) but since I had everything backed up I didnt loose anything and my cousin was coming from USA so got myself an alienware for home.

In these 6.5 years nothing failed except I changed battery.
Macbook is still working well except now will have to change battery and also has become slightly slow so I may get a new one if it becomes terribly slow (not sure though)

I would suggest to get another Laptop just to be on safer side.

If you are planning on a new laptop, strongly advise on 17 inch 2160p as it really to some extent overcome the shortcomings of a small screen and does to some extent enable split screen. Plus the text quality is much superior. In US, upgrading the screen costs around 100-120 $ (from 1080p) but could be more in India if 2160p is an option.

I will suggest you to upgrade the HDD to SSD as well as plonk in 8/16 Gb ram. You are one of the lucky persons to have upgradeable Macs.

I have a mid-2011 iMac, in which I have plonked in a 256 Gb SSD and upgraded the ram to 20 Gb. (4+16). Refer to guides on ifixit. As long as you follow the guide, its's a maximum of half a day's DIY.

I think most spares are already not available, so you have to search and scout. Whether third party or Dell does no matter. If you have a reliable technician then you can get away with a lot.

I will say two to three years are fine for a Windows machine, though a Mac can see you through five years.

Business laptops usually maintain parts consistency over a model's production run to maintain service consistency at the expense of offering the latest gadgetry, while commercial laptops are more prone to part changes over a similar cycle but servicing often becomes a headache.

In-warranty repairs just shifts the scouting burden on the manufacturer, and Dell has a good reputation A.S.S. wise.

How long a machine lasts and how long it's reliably serviceable for someone who can't afford downtime are entirely different criteria. GTO's case is the latter, so it's better to change once out-of-warranty/service support. 5 years is a reasonable gadget life expectation though. I have a decade-old Dell that's doing fine except a dead battery that's no longer available anywhere:)

GTO, being the fact that the laptop is business critical for you, I definitely recommend buying a new one.

Yes. 5 years is a long time in the life of computer components, and they CAN be unreliable after that.

3-5 years is the benchmark for most companies.

Depends on the service available in your city, but seeing as you have a good relationship with Dell already, I would quote 1 day as the maximum downtime, assuming that the part is readily available of course.

Cheers

Thank You! That's why the thought of upgrading this and using it for a little while more may make the most sense. I am quite happy with the laptop as is.

Thanks guys! I'll go for a new one then.

Dell has thrown a spanner in the works though.

1. They don't have any Latitudes with Win7. It's a must for me. I don't want to move to Win10 just yet. Surprising as Dell USA is listing laptops with Win7.

2. They have no model compatible with my current dual-screen docking port.

Thanks! Screen size isn't a worry as I have a dual monitor setup on my desk. I just place the laptop on the docking port and use a full screen + keyboard + mouse all day.

If you do the math, and divide the laptop cost over 5 years... it's really worth it -- especially when it's your #1 productivity tool.

Can you share a link?

You'll need a new docking station. It will probably connect to your laptop with just a single cable (which will take care of power, display & usb).

Dell is currently offering Windows 7 Pro as an option on the entire Latitude range, necessary because one can't force a business to upgrade similar to a retail customer. :)

Doesn't make much sense now though, given extended support is scheduled to expire in Jan 2020.