How stupid would it be to get a laptop that's 3+ years old...

How stupid would it be to get a laptop that's 3+ years old? I keep seeing disclaimers on lists (CNET) saying "we never recommend buying a laptop more than two years old" with no further explanation. Will a newer, entry-level laptop always be better than an older, high-end laptop (assuming they're the same price)?

I'm trying to get basically a chromebook without chrome OS and a lot of the old high-end ultrabooks seem affordable (Newegg has refurbished Zenbooks from 2012 for around $400). Should I avoid these laptops just because they're old?

That's like saying it's not recommended to keep a laptop for more than 3 years

Please kill yourself.

Thank you for your input. I will consider your proposition and let you know shortly.

only thing that should concern you is battery life. If the laptop has anything from sandy bridge or newer it will be a good machine for regular work, web browsing, shitposting and light gaming. Your only concern is if the laptop is serviceable, if you can change your hdd, ram and battery you will be fine.
Yes, some ultrabooks let you change ram, but most don't let you or is a pain in the ass to change hdd and battery.
If the computer is 2 or more years old, chances are that the battery could be 2 or more years old too which sucks balls.
Use fucking common sense and next time instead of a thread just go to the /sqt/

I personally wouldn't buy a used laptop ever but I'm sure there are some that are a decent deal

Check battery health and if it's got a discrete GPU beware

My laptop is 10 years old and still great.
t. Proud T60p user.

Not as stupid as it's hyped to be. It's just companies paying these """experts""" to say "don't buy an '''old''' laptop" so you're more tempted to buy a new one. A second hand IBM ThinkPad will be just fine.

>CNET

Holy shit what year is it? Also, why are you asking this on a board where people literally make threads every day about their used Thinkpads?

not sure if bait or stupid (cnet wtf)

only real problem with older laptops is that the battery will be on the way out - if you can replace it yourself then an older high end one can be a great buy

I wouldn't buy a new Laptop that's older than a year.

Used is fine though you can get pretty good deals.

>new Laptop that's older than a year
>new
>older than a year
Contradiction alert.

you are like vegetarians, nobody asked you but you still go on and on about your shit.

He was literally showing how his """old""" laptop is still perfectly usable in the modern world, which is what OP was asking.

It's all about how much you're willing to pay in replacement/repair since you're buying well out of warranty, followed by how possible repairs are to begin with. An old laptop will likely have a battery in need of replacement, and depending on the model that may not be feasible due to availability of new batteries or issues with disassembly. But other than that if the battery is in great shape and/or there is a good market for replacement batteries and it's no issue putting one in, then you're good so long as there's nothing wrong with the hardware in general.

It's kind of like buying an older car. Depending on who you buy it from it can be in great shape or about to fall apart and cost you an arm and a leg in upkeep, with the added caveat that some repairs are not actually possible or worthwhile.

well it is a "new" thing in his possession

I've got a five year old T410, only problem is the battery life but I rarely rely on it. I'd be screwed if I did though; acpi -V reports that it's 4400 mAh but at full charge is holding just over half of that.

I just bought a thinkpad from 2011 and it's great. Works like a charm

>How stupid would it be to get a laptop that's 3+ years old?
I've had mine for 10 years. You can go a decade with no more than a RAM and HDD upgrade as long as you're not doing gaming or 3D shit.

I have a Macbook Pro 17” Late 2011

It was the last 17”er, have no plans to upgrade since glorious Sandy Bridge, upgraded to SSD, 16GB RAM and a newer Bluetooth card from a newer macbook for iOS Airdrop support and Continuum

i've spent less than 1000 dollars on laptops the last ten years because I buy refurbs. had 3 and never been obsolete

Two main reasons not to buy old:

Components of any PC will deteriorate with time or use, but it's harder to fix/replace parts in laptops than in tower PCs - many parts need to be specifically designed for that exact laptop model and can therefor be expensive.

Form factors of laptops are getting smaller and smoother with each year - do you really want to drop money on something that physically looks older and is bigger, bulkier and harder to move around? Some people do.

yeah but how many thunderbird ports do you have cuck

literally unusable

this

Just don't buy used. The CPU dies faster than the battery.

What's wrong with discrete GPUs? Do they tend to fail in a few years?

only in pleb-tier consumer grade stuff

what

Yes. Especially nvidia chips. Apple stopped using their junk for a reason.

Fucking hell you could build a house with those bricks

Except OP literally asked what the deal with old laptops is. The amount of retardation here is astounding.