Should I buy a new laptop?

[Student88]

I currently love my 4 year old toshiba laptop (13"). However some of the keys have stopped working and needs to be replaced. I also want to upgrade the ram from 4gb to 8gb. I know I will be running a lot of statistics programs like R,SAS, and STATA and the ram will come in handy. However the cost of the keyboard repair and upgrade will be around $300. Do you think it is worth it and cost effective to do the repairs and upgrades instead of buying a new laptop? My computer is no longer covered under warranty and any other future repairs will cost $. But other than the keyboard I haven't had a problem with it. I'm also not a fan of windows 8, and finding a windows 7 laptop is a bit more difficult and costly. 

 

Other notes, my program is 2 years long. I'm not sure what the average lifespan of a laptop is and I'm hoping mine could last that long?

Edited July 21, 2014 by Student88

[GeoDUDE!]

I would buy a new laptop, and if I wanted windows 7 I would buy a windows 8 machine and install windows 7 on it (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405974923&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+7).

 

That being said, do you notice the laptop runs hotter? Have you cleaned out the fans? It can probably last another few years if you have been taking care of it.

 

A new laptop could cost anywhere between 500-3000 dollars depending on the specs you want: a new 500-600 dollar laptop will probably be a lot faster than a four year old laptop that cost ~1200 back then. 

[dornos]

I would agree that it's probably time for a new laptop.  I recently replaced my 4 year old Toshiba Satelite (15") with a new Toshiba Satelite (13").  It ran about $750-800, but I'm happy with it.  It has windows 8.1, which has a desktop mode (I don't think windows 8 had a destop mode).  So, running 8.1 in desktop mode isn't a whole lot different than Windows 7.  I haven't noticed a big difference in running program like SAS or R -- they ran pretty smoothly on my old machine too.

[rising_star]

If it's just a keyboard issue, why not just buy an external wireless keyboard for now to give you time to decide about the new computer?

[Student88]

If it's just a keyboard issue, why not just buy an external wireless keyboard for now to give you time to decide about the new computer?

I'm currently using an external keyboard. But I am starting school in a few weeks and it may be impractical to carry the external keyboard with the laptop. 

 

 

Thanks for the input everyone! I probably will get a new laptop by the end of the year or wait until the back-to-school deals come up. 

I am afraid of my computer suddenly stopping during the middle of the school year.