Want to upgrade RAM? System suddenly became too slow.

[gssishere]

Hello there,

My laptop suddenly became too slow. It takes too much time to open any windows or programs. I restored it to earlier condition from restore point  with little improvement on speed but still too slow to work on it. Bought it in Oct 2012. Until now it was working fine except for overheating( for this i am using cooling pad).

Specifications: Pavilion DV4-5020TX

                             RAM: 4GB

                            CORE i7-2670QM @2.20Ghz

                           Windows 7 premium 64 Bit

my questions are:

1. Does it Need Ram Upgradation?

2. What is max Ram this laptop can support? and what type?

  Kindly provide solution to this problem.

[erico]

It has probably been a long time since:

1) the temp folder has been cleared

2) the virtual memory file has been refreshed. 

Adding memory would help, but the items I mentioned still need to be done. 

Upgrading to an SSD would definitely speed up your OS.

Do you need any assistance in doing what I suggested?

[gssishere]

hi Erico

Thank you for your quick reply.

It will be really helful if you can provide steps for carrying out your suggestions

[erico]

Sure. no problem!

For the temp files.

1. Press the Windows Button + R to open the "Run" dialog box.
2. Enter this text: %temp%
3. Click "OK." This will open your temp folder.
4. Press Ctrl + A to select all.
5. Press "Delete" on your keyboard and click "Yes" to confirm.
6. All temporary files will now be deleted.

For the virtual memory (swap file)

To change the virtual memory settings, go to Start, Control Panel and click on System. Click on the Advanced tab and under the Performance box, click Settings. In Windows 7, you'll need to click on Advanced System Settings on the left side to bring up the System Properties dialog.

Since you have 4GB you should set the paging file to 6GB (6072 MB) (1.5 * amount of installed memory) and click on OK. You will need to restart the PC.   Watch the video below.

[video]

I wouldn't sink any funds into an SSD with the number of past generations your notebook comes from.  That is just my own opinion.

@gssishere

The maximum installed memory supported by your notebook's system board and BIOS is 16 GB. 

Memory for your notebook may not be easy to find and a bit pricey since it is no longer manufactured.

[gssishere]

HI ERICO

Appreciate your quick replies.

I tried both things suggested by you. It has no effect on speed of laptop.

Do I have to Increase my Ram?

Could you please tell which Ram I need to install DDR2 or DDR3?

[iomare · Accepted solution]

Hi @gssishere

What will speed up the system more than RAM or anything else is to replace the hard drive with a 2.5"SSD. If you do not need high capacity drive you can find some real cheap ones online, I would go with at least 250GB.

Example:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-500GB-NAND-Internal/dp/B0764WCXCV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=154338...

On page 37 of service manual you can see the steps to replace the drive.

You can then migrate your OS to the SSD. This will give greatest improvement in everyday use. The RAM you need is DDR3 1600Mhz RAM.

Hope it helps,

David

[gssishere]

Apologies for delayed reply.

I will try the option suggested by you.

thank u for your support

[iomare]

Your welcome.

Let us know how it works out.

All the best,

David