I currently have no opportunity to upgrade my laptop, but I need to perform resource-intensive tasks on it. The real bottlenecks are the CPU (Ryzen 3250U 2,6GHz) and the RAM (8GB DDR4). The core problem is the RAM amount. 8GB is nothing, and 2,3 of it is statically reserved by the integrated GPU, while GPU does not actually matter for my needs, so I have only 5,7GB available no matter what. I also think that the CPU is actual junk. But as I said, cannot upgrade rn, but need some performance.
Sooo, how do I actually reduce the RAM amount reserved by the GPU? I have no such option in BIOS.
Also, does Windows 10/11 choice matter, considering that I will use a solid debloating script? UPDATE: I can not use Linux. Even though I want to. The programs I need have no Linux alternatives and are very tricky under wine.
Any other advice on optimizing the existing hardware and Windows are welcome.
Not sure if you got your answer yet, but Windows 11 should be off the table. I don’t believe your CPU supports it at all. Therefore you get Windows 10, which is off security updates. If you must use your laptop and Linux is off the table, run Windows 10 (or even 7) offline.
Keeping it off the internet and just for your resource intensive tasks is your best bet.
Otherwise, install Linux on it to use it as a remote desktop and rent a VPS to run your stuff on it. It’ll run whatever latest distro you want and your laptop will stay cool as the VPS will do all the computing. That subscription can be very cheap, free even with some providers.
Don’t run windows 10 online. Same advice for outdated MacOS versions.
A pro trick for optimizing Windows is to look at all your startup tasks and prevent ANYTHING from booting when you reboot your system that isnt strictly necessary. Running it offline will also let you purge a ton of processes and applications that take up RAM idling in cache.
I mean, this sounds like a perfect job for Linux but if that’s not what you’re looking for then I’d stick with Windows 10.
It also sounds like a swap partition might help with your memory issues. Set aside a couple gigs from your ssd to use when your ram is maxxed out. Not sure what the process is in Windows but certainly wouldnt hurt to try.
That would be manually setting the page cache for each disk partition in windows.
I can not use Linux. Even though I want to. The programs I need have no Linux alternatives and are very tricky under wine.
You should really have started with that. Welcome to Lemmy.
At the very least, it may be worth saying what programs.
Sounds like your real question is “how can I turn a low-spec laptop into a reasonable DAW without spending money “?
It wouldn’t use your current plugins, but you can run a decent DAW setup on a 2005 Mac running OS 9. So it can definitely be done on your current laptop. But to make it really work well, you’ll want to use period-appropriate software. So set up a state of the art DAW from 2011.
If you want modern tools, you’ll need modern hardware to run them; minimum 16GB RAM for starters. Linux is unfortunately probably a non-starter for you. Windows 11 or macOS will be necessary for working with the DRM’d components you’re accustomed to.
just install lunis and stick to openoffice and retro gaming.
Unless you positively have to use excel due to macros, i stronkly suggest going the tricky path with wine.
If you’re soul-bound to windoge, yes the choice between 10 and 11 matters (10 is better) and do your own debloating (uninstall the fluff yourself. don’t use a tool). I don’t trust those script debloaters and you shouldn’t either.
I assume the answer is no, but do you have access to a more powerful desktop? If so, you could potentially work remotely on the desktop to have the benefit of portability with your laptop and more capability with the desktop. That’s how I play more demanding games on my laptop.
Since you don’t need a powerful GPU, if you have a little cash available, you could potentially get a more powerful refurbished desktop for that purpose for $300-500 (in the US). The low end of that range would get you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage; the high end would potentially get you 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. If you don’t have a monitor, you could potentially plug it into a TV for setup and then just remote into it the rest of the time. (or grab a cheap refurb monitor)
