Can an older computer handle the Windows 10 upgrade?

[Windows Central Question]

Upgrading to Windows 10 on old computer

I have an old computer purchased in 2008. I am running Windows 8.1. Now Microsoft has offered a free upgrade to Windows 10. I am concerned that my old computer can't handle Windows 10 efficiently. Specs on my computer: Dell Inspiron 530s, Intel Core2 Duo processor E4500 (2.20GHz 800 FSB) with Dual Core Technology and 2MB cache; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz. Should I upgrade to Windows 10 or just bite the bullet and buy a new PC.

 

[hotphil]

Re: Upgrading to Windows 10 on old computer

Buy a new PC.

 

[Funky Cricket]

Re: Upgrading to Windows 10 on old computer

It will run it, just not well.
I have mine on a Dell OptiPlex 390? first Gen Core i5, 6 GB of ram and it's still a bit pokey. Could be the slow HDD in it.. If you expect to use it as your primary, you won't be happy. Modern browsers alone will use 2 GB of ram. That machine is pretty out of date, getting it along this far, you have definitely got your money out of it.

 

[xandros9]

Re: Upgrading to Windows 10 on old computer

Windows 10 wont be any slower than 8.1.

Actually, it might be lighter than 8.1, since the trend has been making it lighter and less resource intensive since the days of Vista.

I have a laptop from around the same time, and the hard drive is easily the biggest bottleneck. (probably on its last legs too - also disregarding the graphics, which suck, but that's just for games)
I'd upgrade the RAM to 4 GB or more if you can, but it'll work no worse than on 8.1.
Throwing in an SSD will definitely help it fly, but may not be worth it for an older PC.

But currently, the 10 Tech Preview doesn't have much polish on it, performance polish included.