5 year old Laptop - downgrade OS?

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Feb 17th, 2021 1:09 pm

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Feb 10th, 2021 1:20 pm

krishnasty [OP]: Jr. Member; Mar 21, 2015; 186 posts; 110 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 10th, 2021 1:20 pm

5 year old Laptop - downgrade OS?

Hi Guys,

I have a 5 year old Acer laptop lying around which I hardly use. The biggest reason why i dont use this one is its slow. I have removed majority of software in it (MS Office, etc) and its basically a stripped down Windows 10 machine.
I was wondering if downgrading the OS might make the system better. I am thinking of installing and running CS:GO.
Current config:

Chip: Intel i5-3337U @ 1.80Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: Intel HD 4000
Current OS: Window 10

If you think i should downgrade OS - to maybe Win 7, do you think it will become faster?

Cheers

27 replies

Feb 10th, 2021 1:21 pm

sexyj: Deal Guru; Feb 10, 2007; 13662 posts; 5021 upvotes

Feb 10th, 2021 1:21 pm

the cpu is pretty poo

install a ssd if it doesn't have one already

The sweetest gyal

+5

Feb 10th, 2021 1:31 pm

aaron158: Deal Addict; Nov 25, 2004; 4333 posts; 3202 upvotes; London

Feb 10th, 2021 1:31 pm

i would not downgrade to windows 7 its not supported anymore. as the last person said grab an ssd its a great way to make things load faster. if that don't help ud probably be better off switching a version of Linux os i'm not a Linux user so can't recommend one but i always hear people saying how installing Linux is a great way to give an older machine a bit more life.

Feb 10th, 2021 1:35 pm

alpovs: Deal Fanatic; Sep 16, 2013; 8624 posts; 6288 upvotes; SW ON

Feb 10th, 2021 1:35 pm

I find that Win10 runs faster than Win7 on old devices. I have an even older laptop with slower CPU and it's OK for what it is. As others said if it doesn't have an SSD yet it would be the best upgrade it could get. You might change your mind about installing a different OS.

+3

Feb 10th, 2021 4:04 pm

kramer1: Deal Addict; Apr 29, 2018; 3153 posts; 2429 upvotes; Vancouver

Feb 10th, 2021 4:04 pm

Try it out and run some benchmarks. You can always reinstall Win 10 if you don't like it

Can't Stop. Won't Stop. Game Stop

Feb 10th, 2021 4:46 pm

M1K3Z0R: Deal Fanatic; May 11, 2009; 8320 posts; 5279 upvotes; Trudostan

Feb 10th, 2021 4:46 pm

A SSD will make booting and loading files way faster, unfortunately it won't help gaming or processing performance.

A 5 year old laptop is actually fairly new, shouldn't be too bad as long as you check your expectations.

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+2

Feb 10th, 2021 5:30 pm

middleofnowhere: Deal Addict; Dec 6, 2020; 1158 posts; 1346 upvotes

Feb 10th, 2021 5:30 pm

krishnasty wrote: ↑ Hi Guys,

I have a 5 year old Acer laptop lying around which I hardly use. The biggest reason why i dont use this one is its slow. I have removed majority of software in it (MS Office, etc) and its basically a stripped down Windows 10 machine.
I was wondering if downgrading the OS might make the system better. I am thinking of installing and running CS:GO.
Current config:

Chip: Intel i5-3337U @ 1.80Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: Intel HD 4000
Current OS: Window 10

If you think i should downgrade OS - to maybe Win 7, do you think it will become faster?

Cheers

Outside of a few corner cases that don't seem to apply here, once a computer has booted, the OS has virtually no impact on performance levels. How fast things run is entirely dependent on hardware. This is especially true for CPU/GPU bound tasks, like gaming.

Installing Win7 won't help; if the laptop is too slow for your workload then you just need something faster.

Do your research before buying, however. An i5-3337u is not an especially slow laptop processor by contemporary standards. Check carefully (e.g. by using Passmark or Userbenchmarks scores) that anything you might buy is actually faster than what you have.

Feb 10th, 2021 5:43 pm

alpovs: Deal Fanatic; Sep 16, 2013; 8624 posts; 6288 upvotes; SW ON

Feb 10th, 2021 5:43 pm

krishnasty wrote: ↑ Hi Guys,

I have a 5 year old Acer laptop lying around which I hardly use. The biggest reason why i dont use this one is its slow. I have removed majority of software in it (MS Office, etc) and its basically a stripped down Windows 10 machine.
I was wondering if downgrading the OS might make the system better. I am thinking of installing and running CS:GO.
Current config:

Chip: Intel i5-3337U @ 1.80Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: Intel HD 4000
Current OS: Window 10

If you think i should downgrade OS - to maybe Win 7, do you think it will become faster?

Cheers

Big question: if it's stripped of virtually all software what do you use it for? How do you judge that it's slow? And what do you want to use it for?

+2

Feb 10th, 2021 5:49 pm

elgros4: Deal Addict; Sep 13, 2011; 1800 posts; 1457 upvotes; Québec

Feb 10th, 2021 5:49 pm

krishnasty wrote: ↑ Hi Guys,

I have a 5 year old Acer laptop lying around which I hardly use. The biggest reason why i dont use this one is its slow. I have removed majority of software in it (MS Office, etc) and its basically a stripped down Windows 10 machine.
I was wondering if downgrading the OS might make the system better. I am thinking of installing and running CS:GO.
Current config:

Chip: Intel i5-3337U @ 1.80Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: Intel HD 4000
Current OS: Window 10

If you think i should downgrade OS - to maybe Win 7, do you think it will become faster?

Cheers

Try windows 10 LTSC, it's very lean.

+1

Feb 10th, 2021 5:53 pm

Quentin5: Deal Expert; Feb 8, 2014; 31155 posts; 14642 upvotes; Socially Distanced

Feb 10th, 2021 5:53 pm

Are you sure its not caused by malware? Or simply Windows rot?
I would get any data you want off it (pics, vids, whatever) and wipe the HD and reinstall windows. But from an install CD/flash drive.
If it has specific drivers see if you can get your hands on them before you reinstall.

I would not try downgrading to Win 7 as others have stated.

If you are going to install an SSD simply take out the present HD and install Windows fresh on the SSD prevent any "cross contamination"

In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people

+2

Feb 11th, 2021 5:30 pm

lo23HH: Banned; Mar 13, 2019; 330 posts; 215 upvotes

Feb 11th, 2021 5:30 pm

That thing just needs a good cleaning, follow along closely

Feb 11th, 2021 6:42 pm

coilz: Deal Fanatic; Jul 26, 2004; 5321 posts; 2316 upvotes

Feb 11th, 2021 6:42 pm

SSD + fresh install of windows will make your computer feel brand new again. My daily driver is an even older laptop (2nd gen i7 mobile dual core) and it runs windows 10 just fine.

+1

Feb 12th, 2021 8:30 am

darethehair: Member; Jun 10, 2006; 485 posts; 149 upvotes

Feb 12th, 2021 8:30 am

How about trying a 'live' lighter version of one of the popular Linux distros?

Feb 12th, 2021 10:15 am

georvu: Deal Fanatic; Feb 4, 2015; 9839 posts; 6197 upvotes; Canada, Eh!!

Feb 12th, 2021 10:15 am

W10, Ubuntu mate or similar, Neverware cloudready

Actually typing on a more then 10 year old laptop using NW CR.

Have W10 Pro on a laptop like 15 years old... mainly used for banking and MS office, no gaming or streaming.

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2017,2018: BOC raised rates 5 times and MCAP raised its prime next day each time.
2020: BOC dropped rates 3 times and MCAP waited to drop its prime to include all 3 drops.

Feb 12th, 2021 2:44 pm

Loco: Sr. Member; Aug 7, 2003; 663 posts; 75 upvotes

Feb 12th, 2021 2:44 pm

I agree a SSD refreshes the old Laptop feel.
You could look at a Win10 debloater

https://christitus.com/windows-10-optim ... 0-settings

Hope it helps

If I could go back in time, I would change this signature!

Feb 12th, 2021 3:16 pm

Mulder and Scully: Deal Fanatic; Aug 3, 2006; 5291 posts; 2370 upvotes

Feb 12th, 2021 3:16 pm

You may have had it for 5 years, but any laptop with those specs would've come out 8 years ago in 2013.
Windows 10 performs better than Windows 8.1. Downgrading would harm not help performance. Downgrading to Windows 7 would be even worst.
The i5-3337U and Intel HD 4000 can run CSGO in 720p at 30 fps without issue. Whether or not this would be a good experience for you is a different issue.

Feb 12th, 2021 3:19 pm

eldiablo: Deal Expert; Feb 24, 2007; 15164 posts; 2738 upvotes

Feb 12th, 2021 3:19 pm

krishnasty wrote: ↑ Hi Guys,

I have a 5 year old Acer laptop lying around which I hardly use. The biggest reason why i dont use this one is its slow. I have removed majority of software in it (MS Office, etc) and its basically a stripped down Windows 10 machine.
I was wondering if downgrading the OS might make the system better. I am thinking of installing and running CS:GO.
Current config:

Chip: Intel i5-3337U @ 1.80Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: Intel HD 4000
Current OS: Window 10

If you think i should downgrade OS - to maybe Win 7, do you think it will become faster?

Cheers

Product description

Acer Aspire M5-582PT-6852 Specifications

Display: 15.6-diagonal, 10-finger multitouch input support, 1366x768 resolution

Processor: Intel Core i5-3337U dual-core “Ivy Bridge” 1.8GHz – 2.7GHz, 3MB cache

Graphics: Intel HD 4000 integrated

Memory: 6GB DDR3 at 1,600MHz

Storage: 500GB 5,400rpm hard disk

Optical drive: DVD burner

Webcam: 1.3MP

Audio: Stereo speakers, Dolby Home Theater v4 audio

Network: 802.11N wireless, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth 4.0 + HS

Input: Isle-style backlight keyboard with num-pad, multitouch touchpad

Ports and Slots: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 1 x SD/MMC media card reader

Battery: 3-cell 4850mAh lithium-polymer, up to 6-hour battery life

Dimensions: 1 x 14.8 x 10 ihches

Weight: 5.3 pounds

Operating System: Windows 8

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product ... _id=120021

Go with one of these and install a fresh copy of Win OS. Your other option would be to go with a Linux distro and keep the hardware unchanged (if you do not wish to spend $$$).

Feb 12th, 2021 4:34 pm

TehRFDAnomaly: Deal Addict; Dec 6, 2017; 1842 posts; 1278 upvotes; Manitoba

Feb 12th, 2021 4:34 pm

+1 on SSD, fresh install and a stripped down windows 10. That's what I did to my old laptop.

Feb 13th, 2021 12:22 am

lo23HH: Banned; Mar 13, 2019; 330 posts; 215 upvotes

Feb 13th, 2021 12:22 am

And while you're in there installing an SSD clean the dust out of the fan and replace the thermal paste under the heat sink - best things you can do for an older laptop

+2

Feb 13th, 2021 4:50 pm

tebore: Deal Guru; Feb 9, 2006; 13238 posts; 8158 upvotes; Brampton

Feb 13th, 2021 4:50 pm

That ain't running CSGO. Sure it's a 10 year old game but an HD4000 isn't going to give any kind of playable frames.

It's a browsing, netflix, YouTube and Office(which you ironically removed) Machine

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