Being a computer repair service in Woking, Surrey, one of the most common questions we are asked is: “Should I fix my laptop or am I better off just buying a new laptop?”.
This is when PC Help@Home Ltd take up the position as if the laptop in question was our own – in fact, this is what we believe in from day one within PC Help@Home Ltd to handle every computer repair job we attend. PC Help@Home Ltd truly know it is the fairest approach and leaves our customers with the best, and most trusting sentiment at the end of the day.
Laptop repair service
In many cases a laptop repair service is worth it, especially if the laptop is less than 3 years old and the initial cost was over £350. In addition, you must consider several other matters when considering replacing your laptop rather than repairing it. For example:
What is the current state of the damaged laptop? Can it boot into Windows so that it’s possible to extract all the licenses of the installed software for re-installation purposes? If not, then you are looking at having to purchasing all new software outside of your Windows operating system, unless you keep license keys printed out and/or have the original installation CD’s, which only about 2% of the population keep records like this according to our experience.
Will you be able to re-use your copy of MS Office (e.g., MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS Power Point, MS Access, etc.)?
If you can re-use your MS Office license, is it a version that is worth continuing to use or is it time to upgrade (e.g., from MS Office 2003 to MS Office 2010 or above?)
Will you be able to re-install your paid version security software (e.g., Norton, AVG, McAfee, etc.)?
Is there any other paid software on your laptop computer that you want to keep without having to repurchase (e.g., Photoshop, AutoCad, Adobe)?
Are there files on your computer you need to recover?
Are the files you are looking to copy over from your old laptop computer to a new laptop computer or PC in need of a cleaning so as to not carry any computer viruses over with them?
And finally, do you like your laptop computer, or do you fancy a change?
For laptop computers older than 5 – 6 years, depending on the specification, it can make sense to purchase a new laptop rather than invest in prolonging the life of your old one. However, some older laptops have decent amounts of memory and a good processor but are slow to respond primarily due to the aging mechanical hard drive that was installed at the factory and these laptops can benefit from having a Solid State Drive (SSD) installed to really speed things up.
The laptop market can be intimidating, and the prices change rapidly as new technology comes out. It’s always best to talk to a computer engineer at PC Help@Home Ltd about what you need to get out of your new system and where to find the best deal and we will be glad to help. In general, within a price margin the competition doesn’t vary as much as you might think. So if you are trying to find a laptop computer between £400-£800 don’t just look at the price tag – think about the future and what you want from it and how long you want it to last for.
Screen Size / Weight – Laptop computers vary from tiny netbooks with 12″ screens to huge 20″ workstations.
Keyboard Layout – Always try to demo your laptop before you buy it to see if the keyboard fits your hands – think about whether you need a numeric keypad or not, and if you do, they come as USB attachments as well.
Speakers – You may have a stereo for home entertainment and headphones for on the go – but good speakers make or break a laptop for a lot of people.
Gaming Capabilities – If you are a gamer, you definitely want a high-quality video card, most likely a larger LCD screen, a powerful processor and plenty of RAM (memory).
If you are thinking about a high-end laptop over £900 there are a lot more options to consider – including getting a MacBook Air or Pro.
Before you make a serious investment get in touch with a professional to ensure you purchase your personal ideal laptop.
If you have any questions about purchasing your new laptop, if you need help deciding if you need a laptop repair service or if you are just looking for an honest answer and advice about purchasing a new computer, please feel free to contact PC Help@Home Ltd and speak with one computer repair engineers and PC Help@Home Ltd will be happy to assist you.
We specialise in laptop repair and look forward to helping you resolve any laptop repairs needed.
Let PC Help@Home Ltd keep your computer running at optimum levels.
