Having been on the receiving end of charitable laptop donations (working at a school in the Third World), I fully understand and sympathize with this 5-year-rul

Having been on the receiving end of charitable laptop donations (working at a school in the Third World), I fully understand and sympathize with this 5-year-rule. You wouldn't believe what kind of crappy old laptops get donated - absolutely useless stuff. All too often, the only thing you gain out of a well-meant donation is the hassle of disposing of a piece of junk. Of course there are still laptops that are older than five years and still work fine, but you have to draw the line somewhere.