Economic decision on fixing vs replacing a broken laptop.

A broken laptop presents a binary choice: repair or replace. The cost comparison isn't just repair vs new price — it's cost per year of remaining useful life. A 400 repair on a 3-year-old laptop that gets 2 more years of life is 200/year. A 1,500 new laptop good for 5 years is 300/year. Repair wins on the per-year comparison despite costing less than replacement upfront.

The useful life assumption is where most decisions go wrong. People overestimate how long they'll use an old repaired laptop (6-month honeymoon then annoyance) or underestimate how long a new one will last (typical 5-7 years with reasonable care). Honest self-assessment matters more than price comparison.

Other factors not in the math: reliability (older devices fail more), productivity (faster devices save time), software support (older operating systems stop receiving updates), battery health. These sometimes justify replacement despite worse per-year economics.

How to use it

Input current laptop age, repair quote, replacement laptop price, and honest estimate of additional years you'd use the repaired laptop. The tool shows cost per year for each option and recommends the economically better choice.

What the result means

Lower cost per year wins on economics. Difference shows the annual saving. If difference is small, non-economic factors (reliability, features, warranty) tip the decision. If difference is large, it's usually the clear choice economically.

Decision tool, not financial advice.

Quick example

With repair cost of 400 and years of use after repair of 2 (plus replacement laptop price of 1,500 and years of use of 5), the result is Repair. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Repair Cost, Years of Use After Repair, Replacement Laptop Price, and Years of Use (New Laptop). Two inputs usually tip the answer one way or the other. Identify which ones matter most by flipping each value past a round threshold and watching whether the winning option changes.

What's happening under the hood

Divides each option cost by expected useful life years. Lower cost per year is economically better. Winner determined by comparison. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

When the result says "wait"

If the payback is longer than you expect to keep the item, the math says no. That's useful information — not everything has to earn its keep financially, but knowing when something doesn't means the decision to buy it anyway is deliberate.

What this doesn't capture

Purchase decisions rarely come down to payback alone. Reliability, time saved, enjoyment, and alternatives outside the calculation all matter. The figure gives you the money side cleanly so you can weigh it against everything else honestly.