Hi folks
Would my mother be happy with a 4GB ram computer if she only uses it for internet browsing, Netflix and MS office word? Is it worth the extra cost for 8gb?
Thanks in advance
Is 4GB Ram Ok for Internet and MS Word Only?
David76 on 12/02/2019 - 12:42
Comments
LOL.
You can cache your 20Mb HDD a few times over.
With dos shell if I can think that far back. But I did only have a 286 with 100's of copied games including Larry 5.
short answer - yes (do 1 thing at a time and keep it at 5 tabs in browser)
long answer - need more detail
used/new/upgrade/how much/ssd or hdd/
Yes, it's sufficient for Windows 7, 8 or 10. 8GB would future proof it if it's a little bit more.
For a chrome O/S computer, 2 GB would be more than enough.
If its upgradable, it's not a question to ask. Why not upgrading it.
Just to clarify, its a second hand computer with 4gb soldered-on RAM and no space for an upgrade.
Well I guess it will have to be.
Yes it will be fine. Just don't start opening multiple programs, or opening lots of browser tabs.
My Acer Veriton (i5 3ghz Haswell) HTPC only has 4GB of RAM and is used for 80% Youtubing and 20% web surfing. 4GB is definitely enough.
5200RPM drives however are your biggest bottleneck, as is EMMC memory. If you have a spare SATA port, throw in a cheap Solid State drive and it'll be good enough.
4GB should be fine.
Just make sure you are not going for the cheapest processor as that can make it a very painful experience to use the computer.
Apparently its an 8th Gen i5 processor. Does that help?
That should be fine.
I made the mistake last year of going for a 4GB notebook with the cheapest intel processor going, not even an i3.
Most of the time it gathers dust as it is just too slow for ease of use.
I'll get round to sticking a lightweight Linux OS on it at some point as I think Windows 10 is the problem, not that the hardware is completely incapable.
Spring extra for the RAM. The RAM supports having multiple applications/browser tabs running. If your budget is not tight, spring the extra and enjoy having a faster PC that doesn't require you to be opening/closing things all the time.
Yes
How much does the extra 4GBs of RAM cost? It's not necessary, but it'd future-proof the computer basically for its foreseeable useful life and means you won't have to clean out junk software/etc as often.
Hdd or SSD drive?
Had an old pc with HDD and 3GB of ram and it was slowwwww, recently put in a SSD and reinstalled windows, its so smoooooooooth now so far with basic web browsing etc. So my guess would be it can, but SSD would make a huge difference.
For your use case, I think you'd be fine. It might slow down with Windows updates and if you decide to have lots of Chrome tabs open. A trick I used to preserve the life of my older 4gb notebook was to use the 'Great Suspender' chrome extension.
If you're spending the money on an 8th gen i5 though, I'd certainly opt for 8gb. Even if it is upgradeable, it might not be something you're comfortable with. 8gb will last a few years.
Got 4gb on my 486, runs like a beauty!.