In a difficult economic market, it might make sense to keep your PCs working longer, particularly for businesses with limited resources and sizable fleets. It doesn’t help that soaring memory and storage costs have driven prices up by 17%, leading Gartner to predict that PC lifecycles will increase by 15% for business buyers by the end of 2026. Even large organisations are adjusting their refresh cycles, so why shouldn’t smaller firms extend these by one or two years?
The obvious response is that extending refresh isn’t risk free. Older PCs and processors may be less secure; they’ll have shipped without the security processors and hardware-based protections that secure credentials and sensitive data or provide resilience against malware and ransomware on new devices. Ageing cooling systems, solid-state drives, batteries and even physical sockets may be on their last legs, leading to eventual instability, failure and downtime. The costs of replacing end-of-life components and supporting that hardware is often higher than expected, and the same goes for the burden on small IT teams. A 2025 study by Techaisle found that PC maintenance and support consumed 77% of SMB IT staff time, with 57% of that time spent on deployment and repairs.
There are also positive drivers for refreshing PCs. Faster processors, more RAM and new AI capabilities can power new applications and lead to widespread productivity gains. With integrated neural processing units (NPUs) and graphics processors (GPUs) onboard, companies can support employees to process sensitive business or customer data locally on their device, rather than on less secure public genAI services. New devices will often come with lighter form factors or extended battery life, supporting true ‘work from anywhere’ hybrid working. Improved cameras, AI enhancements and real-time caption or transcription features can boost collaboration, both internally and with external partners. Holding back could mean missing out.
Investing in technology strategically
Crucially, there’s evidence that new technology has a compound impact on employee productivity, engagement and retention. HP’s 2025 Work Relationship Index survey found that workers who have access to the technology that best fits their working style, were significantly more likely to have a positive relationship with their work.
This doesn’t mean businesses need to make huge IT investments and refresh their fleets right now, but they do need a realistic strategy. This might involve prioritising specific roles or teams, so that those with the most need for new AI capabilities or a lighter, longer-lasting device get refreshed earlier. Or recycling the best, most capable devices to other workers in the firm. It could include a more data-driven approach, spotting signs of poor performance or impending failure, then targeting new PCs at those who need them most.
It could even mean embracing a managed device services strategy. Here, providers like HP can help companies gain more insight into their PC fleet and actual usage, combining telemetry data and predictive analytics to optimise, maintain and select the best device for every worker, based on their specific needs. It’s an approach supported by HP’s Workforce Experience Platform and by the technology built into AMD Ryzen™ PRO and Ryzen™ AI PRO PCs. HP provides management and support through the whole PC lifecycle, reducing IT workloads. That starts with simplified, hassle-free deployment through pre-configured devices that ship ready to work. Find out more about the latest HP devices and what HP Managed Services can do for you at https://www.hp.com/gb-en/business-solutions/services-solutions.html.