Decision guide
Repair or replace? An honest way to decide
There is no age at which a laptop becomes unrepairable. What matters is the fault, what the rest of the machine is like, and what a replacement would actually cost you, including moving your data and software across.
Quick answer
A useful rule: if the repair costs less than about a third of a sensible replacement and the rest of the laptop is healthy, repair. If the machine needs a board and a battery and a screen, or the processor is too old to feel quick even with an SSD, replace. Between the two, the tie-breaker is usually your data and the time it takes to set up a new machine.
The five things that actually decide it
- The fault. A single component (screen, battery, keyboard, charging circuit, one board part) is a repair. Several at once is a replacement signal.
- The processor. A Core i3/i5/i7 or Ryzen from the last eight years, with an SSD, is comfortable for everyday work. A very old dual-core stays slow no matter what you spend.
- The cost ratio. Compare the repair with a laptop that would genuinely satisfy you, not the cheapest one on a marketplace.
- Your data and setup. Licences, configuration, years of files. Repair keeps all of it; a new machine means a migration.
- The upgrade path. If the laptop takes more RAM and a bigger SSD, a repair plus an upgrade often beats a mid-range new machine.
Cases we see, and what we usually advise
- Five-year-old laptop, cracked screen, otherwise fine: repair. Screens are a parts job and the machine has years left.
- Eight-year-old laptop with a hard disk, slow, battery dead: an SSD plus a battery is usually still cheaper than replacing, and transforms it. We say when the processor is too weak for that to be true.
- Any age, dead after a spill, data matters: recover the data first, then decide the machine calmly.
- Gaming laptop, three years old, GPU artefacts: diagnose; a power-stage repair is worth it, a chip rework is a judgement call.
- Ten-year-old laptop, board fault, no sentimental data: usually replace, and we will tell you so rather than sell a repair.
If you do replace it
We move your data and set the new machine up, and we can tell you honestly whether a refurbished machine makes sense for what you do. Our refurbished buying checklist covers what to check before you pay anyone, including us.
Five questions
Nothing is sent anywhere; the answer appears on this page.
This is a reading of your five answers, not a diagnosis. The free check at the bench is what decides.
Questions people ask
Before you decide
Is it worth fixing a 10-year-old laptop?
Sometimes: a keyboard or a charger on a ten-year-old machine that still does what you need is fine. A board repair on one usually is not. The fault matters more than the year.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a laptop?
Repair, for a single fault, almost always. Replacement wins when several parts are tired at once or the processor is too old to satisfy you.
Is it worth upgrading an old laptop instead?
Often the best answer of all: an SSD and RAM on a machine with a decent processor costs a fraction of a new laptop and fixes the thing that actually annoys you.
Not sure which one you have?
Describe it in a sentence or send a photo. We tell you what it is before you spend anything.
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Next step
Bring the laptop, or send a photo. We tell you what it needs.
Free diagnosis at the Whitefield workshop, or free pickup nearby.