Is it Worth To Repair Your Laptop?
Is it worth to repair your laptop is a question that is probably a 2-way fold. The first way is asking yourself if indeed it is worth repairing by comparing the repair cost with the actual laptop’s worth.
Secondly, if you are very sure that the repair cost is definitely worth it especially if it is not a major repair issue
A digital workplace study shows a massive increase in computer/laptop use at work. Additionally, laptop owner gets accustomed to their laptop and the mere thought of not using them is unwelcome. Therefore, they end up repairing their beloved laptop at any cost.
See how much does it cost to repair a laptop
In other instances, there is fear of losing their work and data. It is common to find users with five or more years of using the same laptop day in and day out in other words the relationship between the user and the laptop is so strong to just let go.
Love is everywhere uniting everything.-Harold W. Becker
But let’s see some facts answering: is it worth to repair your laptop?:
If your laptop needs a repair at a cost of 50% more than the value of the laptop regardless of your intimacy with it, you should think of a replacement. Laptop repair that costs 50% plus the laptop value would be things like a laptop motherboard repair or replacement, laptop screen assembly. In such cases, you need to ensure that you are making the right decision.
- If it’s the motherboard, you must remember that laptop motherboards are mostly refurbished and normally carry a 3 to 6 months guarantee. Therefore, investing in a refurbished motherboard is a decision that you have to think about logically.
- If your laptop is still in a good condition and you find yourself in an unfortunate laptop screen replacement, there is room to take the decision of replacement.
Take an example to determine: Is it worth to repair your laptop?:
Say a laptop costs R7 000 and the screen is broken, you get a screen quote of R3650 replacement; if this repair is going to be done by a reputable company or person, you would take it. The reason is that a laptop screen could break at any given time.
So, even if you tossed away your screen broken laptop and went to buy a new laptop, chances are if you are unlucky the new laptop could have a screen broken someday.
Therefore, if you spent R3650 on a screen, you would save quite a bit but this is entirely an individual opinion.
While still asking yourself, is it worth to repair your laptop? note that there are other laptop faults that could lead to your laptop being unusable. This depends on who takes charge of such repairs.
These repairs include parts that are connected directly to the motherboard such as, DC power jack, System fan, Wi-Fi card, audio jack, and some others. These laptop repairs are worth repairing if done by a good technician and will save you buying a new laptop.
See more information on laptop parts repair cost
Therefore, the question of if it is worth repairing a laptop boils down to determining the following
- The laptop value to the repair cost
- The risk involved in the repair
- The repairs duration.
Repair duration is also very important if your work depends entirely on your laptop, you can’t afford to wait for days or weeks while your laptop is under repair. In most cases, the repair companies have no replacement parts and hence wait while the parts are ordered and delivered.Loss of Production
In the meantime, you will be losing productivity. In such cases, you could think of having a temporary device to use if the budget does not allow you to purchase a new laptop. If you are in a position where you can afford to buy a new laptop, then you will be less stressed taking the decision.
User Data
The most challenge in many cases when getting a new laptop is the data on your broken laptop. An experienced technician should find a way to migrate your data to the new laptop. That is if the hard drive is not among the fault parts in your laptop.
Tip! While you enjoy working on your laptop keeping your work or data on the laptop can be very costly if your laptop breaks. Find alternative ways of keeping your data off the laptop. Such as backing up on external devices, but the ideal and recommended backup solution is cloud backup.
See our backup solution
Is It Worth to Repair Your Laptop?
This question comes when your laptop suddenly breaks and you probably don`t have much information on laptop repair. In this article, I will take you through different options that will help you make a decision if it is worth repairing your laptop.
First and foremost we need to determine what is needed to be fixed. A laptop is a very handy device to use in our day-to-day life whether it’s business or personal use. However, a laptop is very fragile, and getting it broken is so easy as it to use it.
Here is a list of common laptop problems
1. Broken screen:
This is probably the most common laptop repair and one that frustrates the most. Laptop screens are so delicate that it doesn`t take much to break.
Is it worth repairing? If the laptop screen is broken (physically) or does not display, there is not much you can do other than have it replaced. the cost to repair a laptop screen depends on the screen type, size, and resolution. This is where the question to repair comes in and the owner has to make a decision based on the price, laptop quality (age), and urgency.
If indeed the price of the screen replacement is not worth the value of the laptop then it is not worth repairing
An example:
A 3-5 year laptop Lenovo or HP with a 15.6inch LED normal HD screen cost R2000 including replacement as of April 2021. The laptop cost was approximately R5000 to R10,000, buying a new laptop will cost you R7000 plus. Taking a decision to replace the screen for R2000 would seem to be a good one. It will also save you the hassles of getting and installing the new laptop.
see-> How much does it cost to replace your laptop screen
Additionally, there are laptop models that are way too expensive to replace their screens, such as laptops with touch screens. When such screens are broken, in most cases, repairing them requires replacing the entire display assembles (screen, touch on the back panel…..)
Replacing a complete assembly is both expensive and carries potential risks. These assemblies are not kept in stock in many South African laptop parts supplies, therefore, there might be a delay waiting for a part from overseas and if you rely on the laptop for your day-to-day work, you will lose productivity. In this case, a laptop replacement would be ideal to answer the question: Is it worth repairing a laptop.
2. Laptop Not Switching On
There could be various reasons as to why the laptop won`t switch on and these reasons could be either soft or hard issues. Soft issues could be a result of simple internal electrical overload that can be resolved by removing all the power connections (charger and battery).
Ejecting all USB devices, then followed by pressing the power button for a few seconds. This helps to reset every electrical component in the laptop. If this is the case then the laptop would be worth repairing.
Motherboard failure
A laptop might not switch on due to a motherboard failure possibly caused by water or liquid damage or electrical overload. In this case, you are better off not stressing yourself with laptop repair. This is simply because motherboard repair is very complicated. The answer for if it’s worth repairing a laptop, with a broken mother is quick NO!
At times repair shops will advise you to replace your motherboard. However, all Laptop motherboard replacements are in used condition. This is because there is no factory or supplier that supplies a new laptop motherboard.
All laptop brands manufacture their own motherboards and I guess the reason they don’t want to manufacture extra motherboards is they want you to buy a new laptop whenever it breaks. In my humble opinion.
3. Hardware Issues
Is it worth repairing your laptop if the fault is hardware-related?
These could be anything from memory to motherboard components. While it’s possible repairing motherboards, in some cases this repair might not be worth it. In a nutshell, if the laptop has a motherboard problem then it’s not worth repairing.
The laptop may experience issues associated with a hard drive. These issues range from :
- Boot drive cannot be found
- Operating system freezing
- Constant shutting down
- Very slow startup
… and many others but these are the most common.
Fortunately, the hard drive can be repaired or replaced. So, is it worth repairing your laptop if the hard drive is the issue? I can certainly say it is worth repairing.
Laptop hard drive cost ranges from R700 for the new generation 240GB SSD as of May 2021.
The only challenge with replacing a hard drive would be a possible loss of your data. This is if the hard drive is completely dead. Otherwise, it’s possible to recover or back up data from a failed but not completely dead hard drive.
[A dead hard drive is one that cannot powerup in its internal circuitry]There are other hardware parts that are very easy to replace and worth repairing your laptop.
Here are some of the parts:
- Laptop keyboard – cost ranges from R650
- Power DC jack for Laptop (Where you connect the laptop charger to the laptop) – Cost ranges from R600
- Laptop hinges – These can be repaired depending on how badly broken they are – Cost range from R500 to repair and R700 (parts only) plus labor to replace them.
The above are the most common easy replacement hardware that is worth repairing your laptop.
see-> How much does it cost to repair your laptop?
4. Software Issues
Is it worth repairing your laptop with a software problem?
The software problem is when your laptop is functional mechanically but the software is giving issues.
Fortunately, software problems are fixable and should not be that stressful. Software issues can range from operating system crashes to irresponsive applications.
In most cases, an update resolves the problem, or worst-case scenario a complete reinstallation will be required. So, is it worth repairing your laptop If your laptop is facing a software problem? Yes, it`s definitely worth repairing.
Here are some of the software-related issues.
- An operating system cannot load or missing
- Microsoft Office software such as word, excel freezing up or very slow
- Internet Browsers such as internet explorer or chrome slow loading or have pop-ups
In conclusion:
As you can see, the question of; is it worth repairing your laptop can be answered from a different point of view considering what’s broken, the process involved in repair, the cost and not forgetting the waiting period. Therefore, before you run to repair service for your broken laptop first put those aspects into consideration to avoid disappointments.
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