My wife is getting told that a 2 year old PC running Windows 10 is so old and slow that it is obsolete and should be replaced with a newer one. My Lenovo X140E is four years old. When I run the Windows 10 version of Windows Experience Index (see here for how) the CPUScore on mine is 7.8; on hers it is 8.0. What scores do you PC users get? I know the ThinkPads were somewhat lowend, for the educational market, but they are quadcore processors with SSD drives. [AMD A4-5000 Quad-Core processor (2MB Cache, 1.50GHz), 4GB RAM] Are they really that slow? And what laptop are you using?
And before you write "Get a Mac," the wife is not exactly keen on computer change.
Can she tolerate Linux Mint? It's more like Windows 7 than Windows 10 is, and it is extremely lightweight. I've put it on machines as outdated as a 10 year old laptop to good results.
ReplyDeletePerhaps off topic, but I skipped Windows 10 for Debian Linux. It turns out that I don't need to run Windows software, or there are acceptable alternatives that run on Linux. Admittedly not everyone will have the same requirements.
ReplyDeleteMy PC is at least 10 years old.
So they run a bit slower, but then so do I. Average age of Desktops and laptops in my house 4 years. Keep them updated, keep them cleaned (cache) and it's there is not a problem.
ReplyDelete2 year old Lenovo 330, CPU Index 9.0
ReplyDelete?I7-8550, 20GB RAM. The MB is maxed out on RAM, which I believe is key for performance. I also boot off a 500GB SSD and replaced the CD with a 1TB SSD.
Ok,
ReplyDeleteI won't say "Get a Mac".
I am sitting in front of a 2012 iMac with a 27" screen that works as good as the day I bought it.
My laptop is a 2006 Macbook Pro that has zero issues.
Both have been through regular OS updates per Apple's normal schedule. The laptop topped out on capability so it no longer gets a new OS, but it still chugs right along.
I am also "not exactly keen on computer change". So how many PC changes have you had in that time period.
See, I made it all the way through without saying "get a Mac".
Fill it with as much RAM as the architecture allows.
ReplyDeleteI’m using a ten-year old desktop with an AMD Phenom II 4-core processor and 6 gigs of RAM running W7 and Ubuntu dual boot. I have all the parts I need for this decade’s upgrade. Making your boot drive an SSD is a good idea too.
It's not obsolete, but 1.5Ghz and 4GB is bare minimum for a modern OS. It's probably okay for reading email and mild browsing. If you can add RAM that might help since it is a 64 bit architecture. Check the BIOS to see if it allows more than 4GB. I have two similar machines running Windows 10, well, my wife has one and my Mom has one, but you really need to keep the active software to a minimum. The main problem I have with both of their laptops are the low-res LCDs.
ReplyDeleteMine is ten (10) years old and scores a 6.7 for Win 7. It cannot reun Win 10 as it is such a memory and resource hog.
ReplyDeleteMy 10 year old PC runs almost anything I need it to. Clean up your files and keep enough open space on the C:\ drive and it will be fine. You can add another HDD pretty easily to move all the data you want to save to free up the C:\ so Windows can have it's way.
That AMD A4 is pretty weak, even by the standards of when it came out (2014!). These days, 4GB of RAM is kind of low, which might be the problem. Open up task manager and watch RAM usage. If it gets much beyond 75-80%, Windows will get sluggish.
ReplyDeleteI have an Acer laptop I bought a year or so ago. It's got a quad-core i5-8250U and 8GB of RAM, and an SSD, and has a 13" 1080p screen. I think I paid around $700 for it at Costco. They currently have a Lenovo flex with somewhat better specs for $750.
Laptops are pretty unpleasant at the low end, unfortunately, in my experience--they come with inadequate processors and not enough RAM.
Is your wife's pc a desktop or laptop, and what's the model?
My last 2 machines have been chromebooks. I do email, net surfing, and short job reports. Much lighter than laptops.
ReplyDeleteCPU=9.3
ReplyDeleteMemory=9.3
IIRC 2gb ram is the minimum install requirement for Windows 10. You're only running 4gb. That might be a bottleneck.
Before buying any PC, please check the CPU ratings at Passmark.com and Benchmark the CPU. Your CPU AMD A4-5000 has a rating of 1230 and that is really slow. You should be looking for a rating above 4000 to get a reasonably usable CPU and with above 8000 to get a fast running laptop CPU. SSD's help but the CPU is a fixed item in computers and to increase it's speed, you would have no choice but a computer upgrade.
ReplyDeleteCrucial offers an 8GB upgrade for my laptop and 16GB for hers. The upgrades are not expensive. Should I do it myself or have Geek Squad do it?
ReplyDeleteI am already at 8GB; she is at 4GB. I can see why she might benefit from an upgrade.
ReplyDeleteSwitching her Volkswriter (remember it?) to Word was painful. Linux? No way. Even Mint is a bit too unobvious for me at times.
ReplyDeleteI would think you could swap out the DIMMs by yourself. The manual only shows the requirement for a Philips screwdriver, and the DIMMs are standard laptop low profile connectors: https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/x140e_hmm_sp40a26006_01.pdf
ReplyDeleteGood thing it's not a Macbook Air or Surface Book!
Swapping ram usually isn't too hard, as long as there are actually sockets for it, and it's not soldered down on the motherboard. There's anywhere from several to a whole bunch of small screws to undo, so your fine motor control plays a part as to whether or not you should do it.
ReplyDeleteRAM upgrades are more useful than CPU upgrades.
ReplyDeleteMy 2012 Macbook Air still works fine, and fast.
ReplyDeleteMy 2017 Macbook Pro is still a powerhouse - powerful enough that I run Windows 10 in a virtual machine monitor (VMWare Fusion) for those few tasks that require Windoze, while all my other stuff ( 2 49" monitors full of windows) are happy. In other words - yes, it's a Windows machine at the same time as a Mac.
In other words, Apple is better about making computers that last a long time. And... the OS has Unix underneath, which is a bonus.
Of course, Apple is also good at relieving you of a lot of money, but if a computer lasts three times as long, it may be worth it.
I've been putting off the switch to Linux from Windows 7 (I know, I know). My wife is okay with 10, but her machine was designed for it and it's still slow.
ReplyDelete