I'm currently playing the role of tech support for my family during the holidays, and I'm working with an old Lenovo Flex laptop from around 2014. It has an Intel i5-4210u processor, a 500GB hybrid SSD, and 6GB of DDR3 RAM. The owner is getting prompted to upgrade to Windows 11, but I'm a bit worried about its performance and compatibility with this hardware. I'm thinking of swapping the hybrid drive for a full SSD since those are pretty cheap now, but I'm unsure if that's enough to make the jump to Windows 11. Should I just stick with Windows 10 and look to buy a new device before support ends in October 2025?
4 Answers
It’s more or less ewaste at this point. If you're comfortable with the budget, upgrading could help, but if funds are tight, just install a Linux distro instead. Just remember, you'll probably be the one giving support no matter what.
Honestly, that laptop is already about 10 years old, and in my experience, laptops last around 4-7 years. If you're considering an upgrade, it's probably a solid idea to just put that money towards a new one instead. It'll save you hassle in the long run.
The end of support for Windows 10 is mostly about security updates, so while you'll still have access to your laptop, it won't be receiving those important patches. If the users aren't very tech-savvy, this could be a concern, since they may face security issues down the line. You might also consider installing a user-friendly Linux distro—it's often just as functional after the initial learning curve.
If they mainly use it for basic tasks like web browsing or videos, you could opt for a lightweight Linux distro that would work just fine. Alternatively, a new Chromebook could also do the trick—simple, efficient, and usually pretty affordable.
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