0. What's your profession?
1. Which laptop do you use as your personal laptop?
2. How long do you use yours before getting a new laptop?
Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
1–10 of 51 posts
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#2In a professional setting, about 5 years. Just various office work, nothing to intense.
In personal life, currently 17 years. Lenovo T400 still rocking on. Beyond SOME web browsing there just isn't anything yet that heavy that demands anything more than this thing.
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#3Software Engineer, use it partially for private and professional purposes.
In historical Order: Thinkpad X201, Then a Thinkpad T450s, currently a Macbook Air M2, usually in the biggest configuration.
Usually I use it about 7 years. Not because it doesn't work anymore, but because it gets too slow for what I am doing with it. In one case it was the switch from C++/C# to Rust and the compile times became unbearable. The next switch might be because of LLMs.
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#4In a professional setting, about 5 years. Just various office work, nothing to intense. In personal life, currently 17 years. Lenovo T400 still rocking on. Beyond SOME web browsing there just isn't anything yet that heavy that demands anything more than this thing.
17?! Holy cow that's a really long time. What OS do you run on it?
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#5Software Engineer, use it partially for private and professional purposes. In historical Order: Thinkpad X201, Then a Thinkpad T450s, currently a Macbook Air M2, usually in the biggest configuration. Usually I use it about 7 years. Not because it doesn't work anymore, but because it gets too slow for what I am doing with it. In one case it was the switch from C++/C# to Rust and the compile times became unbearable. Th…
That's basically one of the main reasons I'm trying to switch my M1 Air.
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#60. Engineering Manager, but I still write code.
1. I don't. I have a Mac Mini. I don't quite understand why people have laptops at home if they always use it in the same place. I spent years getting my office setup to be great so I don't need a computer I can move around.
2. Mostly dependent on what shiny new Mini is available. I had an 8GB M1 for 5 years, then moved to an 24GB M4 Pro last year because local AI looked fun. I'll probably upgrade to an M5 later this year because there are tangible improvements in the hardware.
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#70. Engineering Manager, but I still write code. 1. I don't. I have a Mac Mini. I don't quite understand why people have laptops at home if they always use it in the same place. I spent years getting my office setup to be great so I don't need a computer I can move around. 2. Mostly dependent on what shiny new Mini is available. I had an 8GB M1 for 5 years, then moved to an 24GB M4 Pro last year because local AI looke…
Thanks! What do you carry when you travel?
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#80. founder
1. m1 max 32gb
2. i bought it used for $900, i'll use it until it no longer works for my needs (build speeds, running docker stuff locally) and then i'll get whatever future renewed macbook i can get on amazon for 900-1000 bucks
Re: Ask HN: How long do you use your personal laptop before replacing it?
#90. Engineering Manager, but I still write code. 1. I don't. I have a Mac Mini. I don't quite understand why people have laptops at home if they always use it in the same place. I spent years getting my office setup to be great so I don't need a computer I can move around. 2. Mostly dependent on what shiny new Mini is available. I had an 8GB M1 for 5 years, then moved to an 24GB M4 Pro last year because local AI looke…
Thanks! What do you carry when you travel?
If it's for work, my work laptop.
If it's not for work I won't be using a computer, so my phone is enough.