Is It Worth Reinstalling 10 Pro On This Laptop?

I have a 2013 Toshiba Satellite S50 (specs below) that I only use for traveling (3-4 months/year.) Originally a Win 7 Pro, it was upgraded to 10 Pro. It's painfully sluggish but before I shell out $$$ for a new laptop I'd like to ask if reinstalling or formatting and installing 10 Pro fresh then only putting core programs (Office, browsers, Photoshop, etc.) could make a big difference.

I'm guessing that no one can tell me for sure, and big difference is relative to each of us. Can you look at these specs and guide me as to whether this level of hardware should zip right along with a clean install? Thanks!

CONFIGURATION

	Custom built computer	1	$649.98
BASE0253	Satellite S50 customized	1
BAT0032	4 cell lithium-ion Battery	1
CAM0019	HD webcam and microphone	1
CPU0412	Intel Core i5-4200U dual core processor	1
GFX0004	Integrated Graphics	1
HDD0087	500GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive	1
LAN0002	10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN	1
LCD0096	15.6" 1366X768 TruBrite LED backlit LCD	1
MEM0136	12GB (8GB+4GB) 1600MHz DDR3L memory	1
ODD0004	DVD Supermulti drive +/- double layer	1
OS0131	Windows 7 Professional with Windows 8.1 Pro recove	1
PCB0109	Motherboard type 1	1
SEGM0002	Segment 2	1
WLAN0006	Wireless b/g/n Wi-Fi	1

spunk said:

All your specs are good except for the Hard Drive. the 5400 RPM mechanical HDD is the bottle neck. You can replace it with a 512 GB SSD drive for less then a new computer, and doing a fresh clean install of Windows 10 etc would make it a nice computer.

Yes, thanks, I was just considering that.

Can you point this relative novice to the best option and instructions for reinstalling on the new hard drive? And for the specs above, will a 2.5 inch SATA III work in this laptop?

Installing a SSD will make a drastic improvement to your laptop's performance. First try to upgrade your current PC to Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool since you might still be lucky to get the free upgrade to Windows 10 and your digital licence.

You can then either transfer your current installation to the new SSD using the excellent Macrium Reflect Free or do a clean install on the new SSD. My enclosed guide gives some useful tips for the Reflect transfer option.
Attachment 187725

Steve C said:

Installing a SSD will make a drastic improvement to your laptop's performance. First try to upgrade your current PC to Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool since you might still be lucky to get the free upgrade to Windows 10 and your digital licence.

You can then either transfer your current installation to the new SSD using the excellent Macrium Reflect Free or do a clean install on the new SSD. My enclosed guide gives some useful tips for the Reflect transfer option.
Attachment 187725

Thanks, Steve. The laptop has been upgraded to 10 Pro for a while now, with updates. So the move seems to be replace the drive with an SSD. When replacing the drive, how important is the thickness of the SSD? I don't know how thick my old HDD one is. And do happen to have a tutorial on how to do a fresh reinstall? Thanks!

chamlin said:

Thanks, Steve. The laptop has been upgraded to 10 Pro for a while now, with updates. So the move seems to be replace the drive with an SSD. When replacing the drive, how important is the thickness of the SSD? I don't know how thick my old HDD one is. And do happen to have a tutorial on how to do a fresh reinstall? Thanks!

In my experience SSDs tend to be much thinner than HDDs - check the manufacturer's web site to be sure.

See this clean install guide on the forum Clean Install Windows 10

I would make a Reflect image after the clean install and archive it. Also download any drivers you might need from your laptop manufacturer's site.

Thanks Steve. Will do!

You say that it's painfully sluggish with Windows 10. But, was it painfully sluggish with Windows 7?

This is a low-end laptop. It's interesting that it has 12 GB of RAM, yet has only a feeble 5400 RPM disk drive.
But if it performed well with Windows 7 then I suspect that Windows 10 ought not be a problem.

Perhaps there are driver problems? The SSD drive replacement will help, but I don't think that will be the fix-all.

If this were your main, go-to PC I suggest replacing it. Old computers (especially old laptops) just aren't worth the trouble to fix or to upgrade.
But if it's only for occasional use that's a tough call.

margrave55 said:

You say that it's painfully sluggish with Windows 10. But, was it painfully sluggish with Windows 7?

This is a low-end laptop. It's interesting that it has 12 GB of RAM, yet has only a feeble 5400 RPM disk drive.
But if it performed well with Windows 7 then I suspect that Windows 10 ought not be a problem.

Perhaps there are driver problems? The SSD drive replacement will help, but I don't think that will be the fix-all.

If this were your main, go-to PC I suggest replacing it. Old computers (especially old laptops) just aren't worth the trouble to fix or to upgrade.
But if it's only for occasional use that's a tough call.

Good question. It was my late wife's laptop so I don't really know how it was on Win 7. From a Specs perspective, what specs would be required in a new laptop, with an SSD and Windows 10 Pro need to have to ensure health speed. I'm not gaming or anything, but browsing, Office, and Photoshop photo and video editing (not hardcore stuff, basic.) Thanks!