Some older computers not capable of upgrading hardware needed to run Windows 10

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Q.: I’ve an ASUS laptop computer with Vista on it that is about 11 years outdated and it nonetheless works very effectively. Is it doable to improve it to Home windows 10 with out it costing me greater than what it will price to buy a brand new laptop computer? (Photograph: WUTWHANFOTO/GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO)

Q.: I’ve an ASUS laptop computer with Vista on it that is about 11 years outdated and it nonetheless works very effectively. Is it doable to improve it to Home windows 10 with out it costing me greater than what it will price to buy a brand new laptop computer? 

— Darren B., Stuart

A.: It’s actually doable to do that however loads will rely on what number of upgrades your 11-year-old system would possibly want so as to accommodate an improve to Home windows 10 from Vista. 

At present, the minimal specs for Home windows 10 are as follows:

• A processor that’s 1GHz or sooner
• A minimum of 1 GB of RAM for a 32-bit system or 2 GB of RAM for a 64-bit system (the latter most popular)
• A minimum of 16 GB of laborious drive house obtainable for a 32-bit system or 20 GB of laborious drive house obtainable for a 64-bit system (please observe: that is solely what is required for set up of the working system, so you may want more room for applications, storage and such)
• A graphics card that’s DirectX 9 succesful or later with a minimum of a WDDM 1.zero driver.
• A show functionality of a minimum of 800 x 600 px

In case you’re system meets or exceeds these specs in the intervening time, then the improve course of needs to be easy and cheap, with the principle prices falling into the worth of the brand new working system in addition to any software program upgrades that may be wanted (because the variations you are utilizing on Vista will most likely not work on 10). 

To carry out the improve from Vista to Home windows 10, observe the directions discovered at this URL: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-upgrade-windows-vista-windows-10

If your system doesn’t meet or exceed these specs, then you will need to look at each bullet point above, identify where you fall short and see what the cost would be to upgrade that specific piece of hardware so that it becomes compliant.

Some older computers are not capable of upgrading their hardware components to a level needed to run Windows 10. (Photo: DORIOCONNELL, GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO)

Keep in mind that in some cases there will be more involved that merely a hardware upgrade. For example, for a larger hard drive, you may need to budget not only for the larger drive itself but also for its installation and the cost to transfer your existing data over to it.

Also worth noting is that some older computers are not capable of upgrading their hardware components to a level needed to run Windows 10. 

Without knowing your make and model, as well as your existing specs, it’s hard to determine if such move is possible or what the costs would be specifically. Thus, it may be best to take the computer to a shop and speak to a technician about what you’re trying to accomplish. This will most likely cost you nothing, or at the very least just a basic visit fee. In doing so, the tech should be able to tell you with confidence whether the machine can accommodate Windows 10 or not and what needs to be upgraded to do so, along with all associated costs, if it can. 

Once you have this information, weigh it against the price of a new basic laptop, which should come in at around $500, give or take, and go with what works best for you and your budget.  

Contact Eyal Goldshmid @ egoldshmid@yahoo.com

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