[GTO]

Guys,

Running a 2018 Dell Latitude 7490 with Windows 10 Pro, 24 GB of RAM, a 500-gig SSD and Core i7-8650U CPU.

What are the different ways to speed it up? Over the weekend, I tweaked my Chrome extensions, removed unnecessary stuff, uninstalled unnecessary apps etc. and the difference is massive! It's like adding 50 BHP to a 150 BHP car.

OS & software-wise: What are the usual best practices to speed up the computer?

Hardware-wise: What else can be done? Anything I can add or change?

Thanks in advance!

[RSMM]

Best way is to Reset or Reinstall Windows. If hardware supports, install a M.2 NVMe SSD and keep only OS and apps on that. Move everything else to second drive. In my view, RAM should be of equal capacity on 2 slots. Hence configurations like 4+4, 8+8, 16+16 GB is better than having 24GB.

[iTNerd]

My suggestions:

OS/Software wise:

1) Disable or set as Manual to unwanted and non-essential windows services and processes under Control Panel > Administrative tools > Services. For instance, Windows Error reporting, Fax, Phone, Bluetooth, Xbox, printing etc. Reference - https://www.minitool.com/news/window...o-disable.html

2) Disable unwanted apps from starting during windows boot-up, like Acrobat tray, Adobe update, iTune Helper, Teams update, skype, phone etc.

3) Increase virtual memory ideally equivalent to the size of your RAM. (System Properties > Performance > Settings > Advanced tab > Virtual Memory)

4) Last but not the least, tweak your Windows Visual Effects for best performance rather than appearance. (System Properties >Performance > Settings > Visual Effects tab)

Instead of Chrome, I would suggest to use Microsoft Edge as Chrome is a huge resource hog.

Hardware wise, I think any upgrade you do won't bring significant performance as your specs is already good enough. Also consider the hefty cost of the upgrade (e.g., 32 GB RAM, NVMe SSD etc) and the performance gain (15-20%).

[xcentrk]

OS/Softwares: Check startup and background processes. Usually most installed softwares will be automatically get added in the startup & background process. It tends to slow down the speed.

Hardware: SSD with SATA port is still not exceptionally good in performance. NVME SSD will be much much better and it will be a difference of day and night.

Had regular SSD in my PC and boot usually takes up to 30 seconds. With NVME, my PC boots up in 5 seconds max. If there is an option, you can switch to NVME SSD.

Avoid using Chrome. Try Opera, FF or Edge. Chrome eats up memory like a diabetes patient eats sweet.

[FueledbyFury]

My recommendations:

1. Only allow the startup of valid software during the boot time from the startup options.

2. NVMe SSDs are much more performance driven compared to SATA SSDs , which will provide adequate performance to the system.

3. Upgrade/downgrade the applications used based on the system requirements.

4. Install high performance software in SSD only, if one have HDD.

5. By reinstalling the windows (all the files from the system will be removed during the process)

[raptor_diwan]

My Suggestion is :-

Startup Disable - Review the startup entries and disable most of them, except for the ones you need or plan to open immediately after booting up. Disable everything else.

Clear All Task Schedulers - To do this, open the 'Run' then type 'taskschd.msc' and clear all scheduled tasks. You can manually update Chrome and Adobe software if necessary. This prevents background processes from consuming RAM.

Check Your Antivirus - Ensure that your antivirus software is up to date, and consider using a lightweight antivirus program as some can be resource-intensive during realtime scan.

Uninstall Unwanted Apps - Remove any unnecessary applications to free up RAM. As you've already done, also consider removing Chrome extensions, as each extension consumes RAM. Fewer extensions result in a faster PC.

In terms of hardware, your specifications appear to be adequate. Make sure there are no pending updates in the background for your operating system.

Chrome does tend to use a significant amount of RAM, but it offers a user-friendly experience. Its UI is smooth in my opinion. With these adjustments, your system should perform well with chrome.

[subbarp]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys,

What are the different ways to speed it up? Over the weekend, I tweaked my Chrome extensions, removed unnecessary stuff, uninstalled unnecessary apps etc. and the difference is massive! It's like adding 50 BHP to a 150 BHP car.

OS & software-wise: What are the usual best practices to speed up the computer?

Defragment your disk. This would help as well.

[raptor_diwan]

Defragmenting an SSD is not recommended. This process is suitable for HDDs but not for SSDs.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by GTO

.

What are the different ways to speed it up?!

Can’t help you, but I certainly feel for you! Been there, done that!

I used to have these regular battles with my laptops too. I switched to a Mac in 2009 and haven’t looked back since. I still have one Laptop that runs on Windows. There are a few application that simple wont run well on a Mac machine. So occasionally I need to revert to Windows. Which is worse in my case as it hasn’t been updated since last time I use.

We have threads on AI and quantum computing, but the average (window?) user still struggles with his/her laptop when it comes to speed.

[sandeepmdas]

Reinstalling your Windows OS is the easiest, sureshot solution. Unfortunately this is also the “last resort “ solution.

Alternatively, you can use the Dell driver updater to check and update all drivers, especially GPU. You might also want to ensure any performance optimising tool available from your SSD vendor.

As many have suggested Chrome, Acrobat reader and most antivirus software are resource hogs. You can simply switch to Brave browser and keep Edge as default. I use MalwareBytes as AV. I’m not recommending, but nowadays a lot of people are putting their trust on Windows Defender, without using any third party AV.

Also download and install CCleaner and use it for all software tweaks including service start/stops and uninstalls. After uninstalls, use its registry cleaner to backup and clean the registry. Once the job is finished use the windows uninstaller to uninstall the CCleaner else it will set itself as a service and slow the system down.

[condor]

A fortnight ago, I asked the same question to my long time service person & friend. My laptop is the same model (7490, Core i7-8650), with SSD but lesser RAM. Most of the use is web-based, with occasional scanning or basic audio editing and photo editing. His answer? Upgrade to 11th Gen or 12th Gen - the config that you and I have are holding back the speed with which the apps of today that we use, can run.

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by GTO

...Dell Latitude 7490 with Windows 10 Pro, 24 GB of RAM, a 500-gig SSD and Core i7-8650U CPU.
...

This is a pretty decent configuration, and sorted hardware-wise.

So apart from what you've done, optimizing it further will imply getting into Windows services, tasks, and other installed/ background application - this is a case by case activity.

Instead, you can try Tiny10 (or Tiny11), a stripped down version of Windows by NTDEV. You may have to read up on what's included in the Tiny builds though -

Article 1

Article 2

And there is Tiny11 too.

EDIT: Alternative if you're not comfortable with tiny10 or 11 is debloating Windows with scripts like this.

The scheduled tasks that are disabled are

XblGameSaveTaskLogon, XblGameSaveTask, Consolidator, UsbCeip, DmClient

These scheduled tasks that are disabled have absolutely no impact on the function of the OS.

Bloatware that is removed

3DBuilder, ActiproSoftware, Alarms, Appconnector, Asphalt8, Autodesk SketchBook, MSN Money, Food And Drink, Health And Fitness, Microsoft News, MSN Sports, MSN Travel, MSN Weather, BioEnrollment, Windows Camera, CandyCrush, CandyCrushSoda, Caesars Slots Free Casino, ContactSupport, CyberLink MediaSuite Essentials, DrawboardPDF, Duolingo, EclipseManager, Facebook, FarmVille 2 Country Escape, Flipboard, Fresh Paint, Get started, iHeartRadio, King apps, Maps, March of Empires, Messaging, Microsoft Office Hub, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Microsoft Sticky Notes, Minecraft, Netflix, Network Speed Test, NYT Crossword, Office Sway, OneNote, OneConnect, Pandora, People, Phone, Phototastic Collage, PicsArt-PhotoStudio, PowerBI, Royal Revolt 2, Shazam, Skype for Desktop, SoundRecorder, TuneInRadio, Twitter, Windows communications apps, Windows Feedback, Windows Feedback Hub, Windows Reading List, XboxApp, Xbox Game CallableUI, Xbox Identity Provider, Zune Music, Zune Video

[deathwalkr]

Adding onto the points here, would the cooling fan be bogging things down? A 5yr old laptop would have accumulated a fair bit of dust and grime.

[Candy$Cars]

Hi GTO,
In addition to what others have said, you can focus on some of these things -
1. Run your RAM in dual channel. That means, both the ram should be of equal capacity - 4+4, 8+8, 16+16. Since, RAM do not come in 12gb sizes, you are most likely running 16+8.
2. In the Task Manager, go to the Startup tab and disable programs that you don't require and have high impact on startup.
3. Open up the body and clean the fans.
4. If your SSD is a SATA, upgrade to a NVME (but i don't expect a big difference in real life usage other than data transfer).
Other than this, if your laptop is still unable to meet your expectations, this might be the time to upgrade to a new one. It is a 5 year old chip, that too a 'U' series one, focussed on low power draw. Intel made greater gains with its 9th gen series chips over the 8th gen (7th & 8th gen were mild refreshes over the 6th).
There are some great laptops available currently. You can look at some 13th gen or Ryzen 7000 series laptops or a MacBook if MacOS catches your fancy.

[supermax]

If all that you are going to use it is to run stuff in a browser, I strongly suggest dumping Windows for a beginner-friendly distribution of Linux. Your 5 year old 150 hp car will seem like a Ferrari in comparison, with the exact same hardware. You'll get that new car like josh too, exploring a new operating system. Just don't expect it to look, feel, and behave like Windows did, and within a little while, you'll be bragging about how wonderful things are on the other side!