Which version of Windows is best for my old Dell Latitude D620 laptop?

Fafhrd · 25 Feb 2017

abasitm1993 said:

But with such limited hardware? Windows 10 would run with glitches in it.

You would be surprised how well Windows 10 runs on old and limited, low specced hardware (see mine!), as long as all compatibility criteria are met.

The biggest problem is GPU drivers, and, of course, what requirements your other software has.

If you have just normal internet and office productivity software use, and you don't have dozens of open windows or tabs in your browser, it is hard to tell that it is running on a PC made for XP.

Design considerations in Windows 10 have reduced resource overheads considerably, compared to a "beautifully modded" full aero Windows 7 machine, for instance.

Added to this, some older processors, like my P4 prescott, run at full power all the time, and don't have any throttling features that more modern processors have, so you don't experience slow-downs under high load - just that the room becomes considerably warmer!

If there are cooling issues, then maintenance is the best action, and thorough and regular cleaning of airways and maintenance of fans, and thermal paste etc., as well as external ventilation and cooling.

abasitm1993 · 25 Feb 2017

Steve C said:

It might improve compatibility. I think you should consult the Dell Laptop Forum to ask if other have upgraded and what problems they had. See Forums - - Laptop - Dell Community

I think upgrading the BIOS isn't a reliable solution. But as far as for compatibility, device drivers are somewhat compatible with the new Windows 10. If you look beside the BIOS, what version will you recommend to use on D620 for better performance?

NavyLCDR · 25 Feb 2017

abasitm1993 said:

Is there any particular proven evidence of it, that Windows 10 uses old resources on low-end PCs?

Only my personal experience.

Berton · 25 Feb 2017

The only issue I had with a Dell Latitude D810 in trying to Upgrade from Win7 to Win10 was that Intel and Dell did not have drivers that would work with the ATI Mobility RADEON™ X600 video adapter and Win10. And it had only 2GB as a maximum for RAM.

HalS · 14 Mar 2017

Berton said:

The only issue I had with a Dell Latitude D810 in trying to Upgrade from Win7 to Win10 was that Intel and Dell did not have drivers that would work with the ATI Mobility RADEON™ X600 video adapter and Win10.

Well, there are Radeon X600 drivers, that work with Win10, at least on my old desktop system.
ATI Catalyst 12.11 B11 HotFix 11.09 V6 BETA

I just swapped a PCI X600 video card from Dell 51050 tower,
with a single monitor the "Windows Basic Driver" was acceptable,
but with a 2 display setup, I needed to updrade to better drivers.

Under Windows Basic Drivers, my X600 DOES do a dual output to DVI and s-video,
but only if the resolution is set to 1024 or 800x600.
Anything higher, and the S-video can't decode it.

The Radeon X550 drivers worked for me, download, extract, click install, update drives,
bingo, dual monitors.