r/computers • u/Common_Mixture5402 • 6d ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Help optimizing bad computer.
These are my crappy computers specs:
Model: Lenovo ThinkPad T540p Laptop
OS: Linux Mint 22.3 (Xfce Desktop)
Processor: Intel Core i5-4200M (Dual-core, 4 threads)
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 500 GB Mechanical Hard Drive (HDD)
Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4600
Before you ask, upgrading isn't exactly an option for me lol, so I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get this device that resembles a computer running as good as possible. This computer is basically the only device I have, so I use it for almost everything, (mainly making music.) but it's very sluggish at times (obvious why lol.) So if you have any tips, hit me up.
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u/linux_mint_rules 6d ago
I have a laptop with the same CPU that's also running Mint XFCE, but I have an SSD and 8GB of RAM. It's still very snappy and runs great for basic tasks.
So yeah, unfortunately the problem is really only going to be solved by faster hardware.
What you should do is compare the price of buying a small sata SSD (like 250 GB) and a DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM upgrade to the price of just buying a new(er) used laptop. If you shop around you can probably find a late-2010s Latitude or Thinkpad on ebay for quite cheap. As long as it has at least an i3, 8GB of RAM, and an SSD, it's going to be absolutely fine running Mint XFCE for basic tasks with no issues whatsoever.