Pavilion p7-1420t slow to load and function - badly in need of upgrade(s), but where to start?

[DaytonaRacer]

My 11-year old Pavilion desktop is very slow to fully boot up to where you can then begin using it.  Click on something like the Google browser early on and it's another couple of minutes before you can type anything.  I'm guessing some of the modern programs like Norton, Brother wireless printer, and Cloud Services are responsible for some of that.  And sometimes there's a long lag to access and use other programs like Photoshop or Outlook.  I do allow Microsoft to always auto-upgrade the OS and software; but since that is intermittent, I can't really blame them for the consistently slow performance.

Before I drop a lot of money on a new system I want to see if there's anything I can do with the current set up to improve things (different processer or hard drive, etc.).  Suggestions?  Thanks.

My current system is all original:

• 1TB 7200RPM SATA (1st Hard Drive only, no second Drive)
• Intel Core i5-3470 3.2G 6M 77W CPU (I already know that the best I can do here without replacing the motherboard is an i7-3770.  But would this swap make any noticeable difference?)
• 6GB DDR3-1600 DIMM (4GB+2GB) RAM

[erico]

In reality, the issue is with the operating system and the age of the PC.

Your PC's Windows operating system temp folder is probably huge and the virtual memory has probably never been refreshed.

A new PC won't cost you a fortune these days as manufacturers are seemingly desperate to make sales.

You should consider replacing it if that is within your budget. 

For future proofing reasons only consider PC systems that have at least a Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processor.

You can buy a certified refurbished  modern PC for bargain prices.  Take a look at what Newegg.com has to offer.

[BeemerBiker]

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@DaytonaRacer wrote:

My 11-year old Pavilion desktop is very slow to fully boot up to where you can then begin using it. 

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Just want to add to what @erico mentioned.

If you get a windows 11 system, almost any licensed software you had on 8.1 can be "uninstalled from 8.1" and then installed on 11.  You will also get updates to antivirus and the OS for years to come.

If you do a clean install of windows 10 as mentioned here, you will certainly get a speed up but Microsoft will drop support for 10 eventually.  You will also have problems finding drivers.  The best I could find are here and that is not  an HP site.

Another use for older systems is to switch to Ubuntu and use the PC only for safe browsing of the internet.  For what it is worth, your p7-1420t has the Intel H61 chipset which can accept a pair of 8gb memory that are double sided (2Rx8).  It is likely that any like the following will work for 16gb but I would verify the vendor will allow a return if it does not.. 

You 6gb easily meets the minimum requirements of window 10 but is barely sufficient for 11.

[DaytonaRacer]

I figured there would be limited options.  I'll clear the system temp folder and refresh the virtual memory and see if that helps any for now.   Thanks.

[DaytonaRacer]

I'll have to double-check to see if I'm still on 10 or if Microsoft upgraded me to 11.  If it's 11, your note about the 6GB being insufficient might explain alot of what I'm seeing.  Thanks.