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QuestionPC How to improve it, add Memory or what?

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Looking for advice. I like my current PC, (4yrs old). I’m not any kind of power user, just using the web to view news, check on stock accts, e mail and writing letters etc. Don’t do any “major” video stuff or pact’s just the normal stuff. With all that said what can I do to maybe speed up my PC to keep up with my use at 83yrs old so it will last me ongoing? I might replace the M2 for a 1TB as I’m about full at 237GB & had gone into the red a bit ago until I removed some programs. Any advice is appreciated.

System: Lenovo Legion T5 28IMB05
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400F CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB UDIMM DDR4-2933
10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F CPU @ 2.90GHz up to 4.30GHz
with Turbo Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 12 MB Cache)
Graphics: GEFORCE GTX 1660 Super
MB: CML B460 MATX MB
Storage: 256GB SSD M.2 2280 NVMe & 1 TB HDD
System type 64-bit operating system
Power Supply: Cosair CX650M
I like my current PC, (4yrs old). I’m not any kind of power user, just using the web to view news, check on stock accts, e mail and writing letters etc. Don’t do any “major” video stuff or pact’s just the normal stuff.
Why are you looking at an upgrade/improvement? You should be fine as is. Nothing you do is demanding. Probably upgrade the HDD to a larger capacity drive, leaving the 1TB as is and/or go for a larger SSD but if you have all your apps and launchers on your SSD and your Users folder on your HDD, you wouldn't need a larger SSD either.

System: Lenovo Legion T5 28IMB05
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sy..._T5_28IMB05/Lenovo_Legion_T5_28IMB05_Spec.pdf
I'd leave it as is, save for a larger SSD and HDD.
You might (I say might) be able to upgrade the CPU to an Intel 10900.

That would give you more cores, but given your stated tasks, you wouldn't take much advantage of them.

The single thread performance on the 10900 is maybe 15 or 20 percent above the 10400....your tasks could some advantage of that. BUT....15 or 20 percent is not in the "night and day" category. You may well be disappointed by the degree of improvement in your typical daily tasks.

Not being anywhere near a power user, your PC is likely loafing at a near idle most of the time, where it wouldn't matter if you had a 6 cylinder Ford or a V12 Ferrari under the hood.

Extremely unlikely adding more RAM would make financial sense given your requirements.

And you'd likely run into cooling issues if you went to a 10900 on that Lenovo. I don't know exactly what cooling it has, but I'd expect it to be quite modest.

Maybe you have an urge to spend on the PC regardless. I'd think about a larger SSD or maybe a treat like a new monitor if your eyes would appreciate it.

You could always spend maybe 1000 to 1500 for a brand new pre-built replacement for the Lenovo. That might give you double the single thread performance of what you have now. But even then you'd notice it only when you occasionally stood on the throttle.
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Looking for advice. I like my current PC, (4yrs old). I’m not any kind of power user, just using the web to view news, check on stock accts, e mail and writing letters etc. Don’t do any “major” video stuff or pact’s just the normal stuff. With all that said what can I do to maybe speed up my PC to keep up with my use at 83yrs old so it will last me ongoing? I might replace the M2 for a 1TB as I’m about full at 237GB & had gone into the red a bit ago until I removed some programs. Any advice is appreciated.

System: Lenovo Legion T5 28IMB05
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400F CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB UDIMM DDR4-2933
10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F CPU @ 2.90GHz up to 4.30GHz
with Turbo Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 12 MB Cache)
Graphics: GEFORCE GTX 1660 Super
MB: CML B460 MATX MB
Storage: 256GB SSD M.2 2280 NVMe & 1 TB HDD
System type 64-bit operating system
Power Supply: Cosair CX650M
Just to take a basic look download this.


Close the browser and wait a min.
Run the benchmark.
Post a LINK to the results page.
When your C drive approaches full, things will slow down dramatically.
Time to increase the C drive size.
I assume that your C drive is the 256gb m.2 ssd
Using samsung magician ssd migration tool, you should be able to move the c drive to a larger samsung m.2 ssd.
1tb if you can. You will need a usb connected m.2 adapter to do that.
The original C drive will be unchanged.
When done, swap in the new/larger m.2.
Other brands will require other cloning apps.
Magician app and manual here:

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.
👁 semiconductor.samsung.com
 semiconductor.samsung.com

Your options for a cpu upgrade are limited, and not much worth it.
A i7-10700K or i9-10900 is the max supported by the specs:
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sy..._T5_28IMB05/Lenovo_Legion_T5_28IMB05_Spec.pdf
Neither is more than a 10% boost in performance.
They are in the $200 range used on ebay.

You likely have sufficient ram now. And... DDR4 ram is very expensive today.
To see if you have sufficient ram, check while running heavy work.
In task manager, open the resource monitor/memory tab.
Look at the hard fault rate column.
If you see anything much more than zero, you can use more ram.
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The advice some give to increase space in your "C:" drive is likely good to heed. You have many options for this without spending a dime. Given that you have the option of storing things on the HDD, this might be an oppportunity to archive things that you don't use on a daily basis, photos, videos, applications that are rarely used, etc.

SSDs perform more slowly as space is exhausted. If you have the desire to upgrade to 1 TB, go ahead, but the specs of your machine are quite adequate for your use case.
I think if upgrade to 32gb ram and get a 1tb ssd. As far as the physical hard drive, maybe remove that or get an enclosure and make it an external to use just as needed.

See if that helps then I guess you could toss in an i7.
Keep the existing drives and add another SSD. Offload what you can from the NVMe to the new drive and point all new apps and programs to the new drive. You should be fine for quite a few years, and if needed, add more storage. Keep the drives less than 75-80 % full to keep them from slowing down.

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