If your laptop is damaged, broken, or just giving you fits, don't rush to the conclusion that it's time to buy a new one! Often, the laptop can be repaired to give you many more years of useful service at a significantly lower cost than replacing it.

Are laptops cost effective to repair? Usually, yes, even when laptop repair is for a costly item, such as replacing a defective screen. For example, consider the following table comparing the strategies of repairing or replacing a laptop that is causing you problems. In the replacement scenario, we see that not only does the new laptop itself need to be purchased, but also all of the important applications, data, and user settings need to be migrated. Whether you do this migration on your own or pay someone to do it for you, there is a cost involved. Worse, often the installation media and license keys have been lost, entailing additional costs of software replacement.

Repair Existing Laptop Purchase New Laptop
Cost of repair and parts: $150 - $450

Total: $150 - $450

New laptop: $800 - $2500
Software migration (labor): $500 - $1000
Re-purchase missing licenses: $200 - $2000

Total: $1500 - $5500

Of course, this is only a hypothetical example, and your situation may be very different. The important point is to take into consideration all of the advantages and disadvantages of repair versus replacement, and to not simply compare against the price of the low end laptop currently advertised for sale.

Advantages to Repair Advantages to Replace
  • Usually less costly, both short term and long term
  • May get several years of additional use from current laptop
  • Can stay with Windows XP and avoid Vista
  • Can avoid software and data migration headaches
  • More environmentally friendly
  • Can move to "latest and greatest" hardware (although switching to Vista may cancel out the advantages of better hardware)
  • Opportunity for change if you are not happy with features of current laptop
Are all laptops worth repairing?

Frankly, no. For example, if a laptop is so old that it has become more of a "boat anchor" than a productivity tool, then it should be replaced, because the cost and hassle of maintaining an obsolete platform exceeds the cost of a new purchase.

Also, some laptops are so badly damaged that they cannot be salvaged at a reasonable cost. If it has been dropped in the ocean, it is probably beyond hope. If it has been run over by a car, crushing the casing, screen, and motherboard, then repair does not make sense. However, in some such cases, the data stored on the hard drive may be recoverable and moved to a new computer.

How much does it cost to repair a laptop?

The cost of repair depends on a few factors, including: the make and model of the laptop; the type of problem; and in some cases the urgency of the repair. We will always give you a clear price estimate of repair so you won't face any surprises (unless fixing one problem reveals another one). And as with all of our work, if we can't fix it, you pay nothing.

What about replacing a screen? Isn't that costly?

While it certainly isn't cheap, it may not be as expensive as you think. We charge well below most competitors. Although most competitors will charge $500 or more to replace a laptop screen, we can replace most laptop screens for only $395 including parts and labor. (Some competitors may offer a suspiciously low price, but usually they are selling you a used screen salvaged from an old computer. We use only new screens shipped directly from the manufacturer. If your goal is to make the laptop "good as new" to provide additional years of service, this can't be accomplished by using a screen that's just as old as the one you are replacing.)

Contact TeQ I.Q. today to see how we can help turn your laptop pain into productivity pleasure!