"What is the maximum computer/laptop life?"

Computers nowadays are pretty reliable machines. Considering you can change its parts, it can work well for many years, 10 at least. But that doesn´t mean it is a good idea to keep it until it goes boink. The maximum time I would keep a computer is 2 years. Computer goes obsolete very fast - technology and economically (when it is not worth to fix or upgrade it) - way faster than its like.

Monitors (mainly in notebooks) and hard disks are the parts that need replacement earlier than the others.

Dust, heat, vibration and too much moving contribute to a shorter life.

To keep it working longer, keep it in a fresh, ventilated place, plug it to an UPS and avoid to move it.

Hope that helps,
~ms
wizdowl.com

Besides a battery losing its ability to charge (either the main cell for the laptop or for a regular desktop that uses a small battery to keep hardware configuration data, date and time information stored) the biggest computer killer is heat.

Heat can build up in various components but will usually kill RAM, CPU or the hard drive first.  Inside your PC there are probably thousands of solder joints - where components are attached to the cards.  When the computer gets really hot the metal components expand and then contract when it cools off again, this can strain these joints until one of them pops loose, loses connection and stops functioning.

This can be avoided by keeping the system cool and well ventilated.  The bearings in the moving parts of your PC (fans and drives) will wear out eventually as well.  When a fan dies this usually causes the thermal problems listed above.  Same with the hard drive,  as the bearing wears down it generates more and more heat until either the bearing seizes or the solder joints on the drive pop because it is running far too hot.

A well maintained PC can run for decades, I have systems dating back to the AT/XT days that continue to run to this day.

You should expect your standard desktop or laptop PC in an "always on" scenario to go a good 2-3 years before you might expect to have to replace a fan or a drive that has a worn bearing.  Unless, of course you are in a very dusty environment.  Dust building up on your fans causes greater strain on the bearing and a blanket of dust covering the components detracts from the systems ability to cool itself correctly with regular air flow.  I've seen industrial workshop environments where fans need to be serviced every few weeks.

Keeping your PC clean and dust free with good airflow around the chassis is the best way to insure long life.  Of course this doesn't take into account the possibility of a system taking a power spike from an improperly installed A/C outlet or lightning strike that reaches the PC through A/C power, network or phone connections.  A good $10 surge protector can help reduce the chance of this happening in most cases.

Regular maintenance in a home environment just a couple of times a year is necessary (unless you have lots of pets or dust then five or six times a year) to keep the system running for a long, long time.  Buy a can of compressed air at the computer store, home depot or even most grocery stores. Unplug the computer and identify the openings on your computer case where air flows in and out.  Blow them out and then probably once a year pop the lid and blow out the entire chassis. 

When blowing your fans clean be sure to not over-speed the fan.  It's very easy to put a year or twosworth of wear on a cooling fan by blasting it with compressed air causing it to spin much, much faster than it's designed to do for only a second or two.  With the system turned off use your finger or a screwdriver to hold the fan in place and blast away.

If compressed air doesn't remove a blanket layers of dust on your fans it is okay to use a q-tip or paper towel to rub the blades and break up built up dirt and dust.  Once you've wiped the fan blades clean go back to the compressed air to removed the dust bunnies that were wiped off.  NEVER use a q-tip or paper towels on chips, cards or the motherboard!  Compressed air should work fine on those components.

DO NOT use your standard shop compressor unless you are POSITIVE it is oil and water free.  A lot of larger tank compressors will dispense water or oil that has condensed in the tank or pump in very small amounts that can kill your computer but are negligible for running an air tool or filling a tire.  These compressors will usually also have a lot more airflow than your can of compressed air making it more likely you will over-speed a fan.

Good luck!

I think most desktops and laptops can last ten years, assuming there is no manufacturing defect that shows up within the first year. To prolong the life of a computer you must keep it cool. Use it in an open area (not a closed off computer desk) and make sure all fans are relatively free of dust. Heat is particulary an issue in laptops because of their compact design. Heat leads to melted, non-functioning components.

I get a new one every 2 - 3 years and for most companies I work for that is what they do.  It is better to sell your old one and get some money out of it.  If you wait longer than 3 years usually you will get a lot less.

 

It is just better to put the money towards a new one rather than upgrade the hardware.  Computers have come down so much compared to just a couple years ago.

 

hope this helps