I5 ultrabook way too slow any advice

[2013]

Hi Im looking for some advice,
My dads i5 ultrabook Samsung NP540UC3 is way too slow and its been like this since he got it.

Intel® Core™ i5-3317U Processor 1.7 GHz
Turbo Boost 2.6 GHz
Memory - 4GB DDR3 (1600MHz)
500GB HDD

Originally I thought the hard drive was in poor health but thats not the case.
I was thinking of replacing the drive with a SSD but considering how slow the laptop is Im not user that will help much.

any advice ?

would it help if I replace the HDD with a SSD and add another 4gb ram ?

Or should he just invest in a new laptop

 

[2013]

So all agree A SSD will help a lot

Would it all soo be best to do a fresh windows install ?

It will absolutely give the machine a massive boost installing an SSD and extra RAM. Go for 16GB if you can and the machine supports it.

Max support is 8gb

Whilst I agree the SSD upgrade will make it much more useful, I have an XPS13 with a similar 2c4t CPU, it’s actually a fair bit faster overall but it grinds to a halt even with an SSD and plenty of RAM during windows updates as it maxes the CPU for ages.

The issue with the ultabook is its slow full stop, loading take a 1-2mins, its been faster since I took a look at it but still very slow for a i5, not very useable, waiting around even when loading apps.

I doubt you’re ever really going to need 16GB during the usable life of a laptop like this and it’s typical uses.

it only supports max 8gb looking online

Yes, it'll be the best £50 you could possibly spend too extend the life of the machine.

I have a SSD I can use, ill just need to open it up to see if it has 1 slot or 2 so I know which to get.

I've done 100s of ssd upgrades the ssd will be a massive performance boost, ram to 8gb will be a much smaller boost.. But the ssd will make it so much faster you will not likley bother spending more on the ram..

Throw in a cheap ssd and a clean w10 install boom 4 to 5x faster..

A 240gb integral ssd is only £22

so try the SSD first and if it still has issues upgrade the ram.

I was thinking a fresh install would be best as its had 2 major upgrades without a fresh install,
only thing im worried about is his files and login,
he cant remember if he know all the logins saved on the ultrabook and if he need all the files and where they are.

 

[2013]

If he does not know the login info the browser might show the passwords.. If he does not know the password then he should dam well sort his poop out!

Ssd will make it 3,4 maybe 5x faster ram *might* make it a bit faster, a decent % faster if what you are doing need that ram but nothing like the overall boost from a ssd

lol
he know his password but he's forgetful, so not using it for some time im hoping he still know them.
ill just keep the original original drive as it is till he all up and runninh

 

[2013]

4GB DDR3L is about £10 though so totally worth it

Yeah ill do that, ill just need to check if I need a 1 8gn or 4gb

 

[2013]

The SSD and upping the ram will help but it's still a 10 year old 17W TDP 2-core/4-thread cpu.

You'll have to be realistic with expectations, I think if it's mostly browsing and a bit of office/solitaire it'll be fine for a bit longer but I'd consider a new laptop soon.

That was my original thought but he's happy with it as he does not use it much, so I thought I would try and make it faster so its useable, he will also have a backup of all his files, since im going to backup now anyway.

 

[2013]

Yeah just thinking you could put the price of the SSD and RAM toward a new £280 laptop. I think the even the current budget Pentium Gold 7505 cpu's will considerably outperform the i5-3317U.

A laptop example: ASUS X415EA 14in Pentium Gold 4GB 128GB

True, that was my original though but I still wanted to make it usable for anyone else who got it.