Which computer should be better

GerryPeters said:

I went out of town recently and used my Laptop for email and browsing. I was surprised at how much faster and better the laptop was especially with my EM Client email program even with the Laptop using my external USB HD for it's database.

The specs make me think the desktop should be faster and better. If so then I likely need to either do a Reset or Clean install to get rid of the garbage. Although, this will take a good while to restore all my APP and OS settings if I do a Clean install. Let me know what you think is the faster computer and what I should do

DESKTOP Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9450 @ 2.66GHz 2.67 GHz
6 GIG RAM
WIN 10

LAPTOP acer Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8145U CPU @ 2.10GHz 2.30 GHz
4 GIG RAM
WIN 11

Neither one is really... that fast. But both would do much better with a minimum of 16GB of RAM.
Also... if they don't already have an SSD switch to an SSD as soon as possible.

Crucial has an SSD and RAM upgrade finder tool...

For any computer: Memory & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com

For the computer you're ON at the moment... it has a scanner.
Crucial System Scanner | Memory Upgrade Scanner | Crucial | Crucial.com


And if you're considering Windows 11, you may want to think about upgrading the whole computer.
You can install Win 11 on just about any computer, but you would need to use the work-arounds.
Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware | Windows 11 Forum

Here's a selection of standard laptops. You can see the filters I used, at the top...
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100006...307248&Order=1


And here are gaming laptops...
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100167...307248&Order=1

GerryPeters said:

The specs make me think the desktop should be faster and better. If so then I likely need to either do a Reset or Clean install to get rid of the garbage.

Gerry,

Don't leap straight into such major procedures.

Try Disk cleanup first. Removing debris can have a significant effect on performance.
Disk Cleanup - TenForumsTutorials


Denis

GerryPeters said:

This laptop and Desktop are primarily for email and browsing. I have a powerful computer for more intense work. And when it gives out it'll be my email and browsing computer and I'll replace it with something new. Since it appears that these computers are close to the same as far as efficiency, so it must be that my Desktop computer is bogged down with old junk.

I run the AVG virus and Internet security every night. So since the laptop seems faster, maybe my desktop computer needs some fixing. I did run the Disk Cleanup a few minutes ago, so maybe that'll help. If it doesn't, what's the next step?

Open a command prompt as Admin, and run the following command...

sfc /scannow

That's Window's System File Checker. It checks for any corrupt Windows files, and repairs them.
It'll take like... 3 to 7 mins to run.

It looks like this...




If it wants to reboot to repair things, let it.

GerryPeters said:

what's the next step?

My suggestions would include
- Ditch AVG & use Defender
- Defrag
- Free Up Drive Space - TenForumsTutorials


Denis

GerryPeters said:

So maybe I don't need AVG and Defender is ok.
What is your complaint against AVG?

Gerry,

I have no complaint.
I just like to keep things simple.

Personally, I'd leave things alone for the time being so you can see the effect of the temporary files being removed by Disk cleanup.


Denis

GerryPeters said:

I went out of town recently and used my Laptop for email and browsing. I was surprised at how much faster and better the laptop was ....
.... Let me know what you think is the faster computer and what I should do

DESKTOP Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9450 @ 2.66GHz 2.67 GHz
6 GIG RAM
WIN 10

LAPTOP acer Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8145U CPU @ 2.10GHz 2.30 GHz
4 GIG RAM
WIN 11

On processor benchmarks alone the laptop's processor is 42% faster that the desktop. Not really surprising, it's 8th gen i3 is 10 years younger than the desktop's Core 2. All things being equal I'd expect it to be the faster machine. But are all other things equal? The RAM at 4/6GB is near enough the same, but do both have an SSD? If the desktop is still on an HDD that would make it seem slower still.

Intel Core2 Quad Q9450 @ 2.66GHz vs Intel Core i3-8145U @ 2.10GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software