HELP! RAM upgrade worth it? PC is SOOOO SLOW

[siciliana21]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. I recently came across a HP 20-c411a All-in-One Desktop as I was tired of my tiny 12" 2-in-1 notebook. I thought the specs were ok for what I needed it for (internet browsing, email, study, zoom etc.), however the thing is sooooo slow. it takes forever to load ANYTHING!

Basis specs are:

• CPU speed: 1.8 GHz (max turbo boost - 2.2 GHz)
• CPU cores: 2
• 4GB RAM
• 1TB HDD

Is it worth upgrading to 8GB of RAM (currently only has 4GB - I know, I should've known better but thought it would be ok).

Any advise/opinions would be so greatly appreciated right now!

Thanks guys!!

[MichaelBanditt]

Hi siciliana21,

now the expansion of the RAM memory can definitely cause a performance boost. Especially if you use a lot of browser applications, such as Office Online, email, etc...

However, the main problem of slowness will remain, since the computing speed is simply very low with the old 2-core processor. 

Does this answer help you a bit?

BR

[siciliana21]

Thanks BR, that helped a lot. Yes I mainly use the web browser, email, zoom etc. Anything work related really. 

That’s a shame the the slowness will remain. How much do you think it would improve if I was to upgrade to 8GB?

Thanks again! 🙂

[MichaelBanditt]

Hello siciliana21,

Based on your usage pattern, not much. But that is a personal assessment on my part.

BR (means Best Regards) 😉

[siciliana21]

My bad 😂

Thanks again 

[siciliana21]

Does anyone else have any advice for me??

Anything would be greatly appreciated 

[itsmyname]

@siciliana21 -- Does anyone else have any advice for me?

First, while using your computer, use the Ctrl-Shift-ESC key-combination to open the Task Manager.

Switch to its "Performance" tab.  How much of your 4GB of RAM is used, and how much is "free" ?

If you currently have a lot of "free" memory, then adding more RAM will be a waste of your money.

Occasionally, close your web-browser. The more web-pages that you fetch, in one session, the more of the RAM is used. Closing the web-browser releases all that RAM.

EDIT: the following paragraphs were written for an "ordinary" desk-top, not your All-In-One, where there is no physical room to install a second disk-drive.

Note that your disk-drive is the older "spinning" technology. 

Add a SSD (solid state device) and install Windows onto it, making it the "C:" drive-letter,

and moving your current disk-drive to become the "D:" drive-letter.

Windows will start-up and run much faster when using the SSD.

Just remember, when "saving" files, to save them to the "D:" drive-letter, where there is a lot of storage.

It may be possible to "clone" your existing disk-drive onto the SSD, thus avoiding a re-install of Windows.

For your All-In-One:

1. purchase an SSD (probably, a capacity of 500 GB will be sufficient -- no need to purchase a 1TB unit),
2. purchase a USB to external disk-drive adapter,
3. connect the SSD to the adapter,
4. connect the adapter to a USB port on your computer,
5. use software, such as Macrium Reflect, to "clone" from the internal disk-drive to the SSD,
6. disconnect the SSD from the adapter,
7. partially disassemble your computer, to remove the disk-drive, and to connect the SSD,
8. restart your computer

If the idea of #7 "scares" you, hire a computer technician to do most of the above steps.

[Prométhée]

Hello
All that we propose to you, could indeed improve this computer a little!
Did you buy it, new, used, can you return it, get a refund?
This type of computer is quite fragile, not very modifiable
To have something suitable, and it all depends on the possible upgrade options, if you also go through a professional, it will have a certain cost
end result, you risk spending more, than if you buy a suitable model directly
You can try to replace the components yourself, but you risk breaking something.
If you find a pro to do it, he may overspend you.
it's up to you, but if not, take it step by step, don't replace it all at once
For the memory or other information, consult the available KB can help

Add RAM

Upgrading Desktop or Laptop to a SSD

Optimizing performance and storage with SSD and HDD

Upgrade Processor, Memory or both-HP Desktop Computer

[siciliana21]

Thank you kindly for all your advise.
However, will the PC (20-c411a) support a SSD?

Manu thanks

[siciliana21]

Thank you for your message. Unfortunately it was purchased second hand recently and I cannot return it. 

I was quoted $185 for parts and labour to install 8GB of RAM!! I couldn’t believe it. I don’t want to spend all that money if I’m not sure it’ll fix the issue. 

Thank you for your help and advice 🙂