Is this a waste of time?

[blanco]

I've cleaned out a friend's Emachines all-in-one EZ1601 and I am looking
for ways to speed up the really poor performance (running Windows7).
It has a slow 1.6GHz CPU and will only take 2GB RAM (installed).
Pondering the idea of replacing the SATA HDD with a cloned SATA SSD
to try to speed things up and wondering if anyone out there has done this
successfully. I don't forsee a problem with the mobo accomodating the
SSD unit in the 2.5 inch HDD Sata socket but wondering if this would be a
worthwhile project financially and in performance gain, bearing in mind the
limitations mentioned.
I would be grateful for any comments or suggestions.

[1101]

" 1.6GHz CPU"
Thats a spec from last century :-)

Im guess its an Intel Atom .
Its slow . It will allways be slow.
SSD will certainly help, dont expect miracles

Silk purse, sows ear .
Sometimes, its best to just walk away .

Cloning old HD to new SSD is very commonly done .
Make a up backup with Macrium free , then use that backup to restore to a new drive . That should allways work .

[chiefnz]

Here's your problem...

It has a slow 1.6GHz CPU and will only take 2GB RAM (installed).

[blanco]

Yes, Intel Atom. I am aware of it's limitations and the 2GB RAM
and already described it as 'past it's use by date' to the user
who is an octogenarian, reluctant to let go of his beloved PC
and purchase a newer replacement. Anyway, I can't see the SSD
giving enough % improvement to justify it's use, as you suggest.
I should point out that I am just a hobbyist, retired and in the same
age group.

By the way, I have no experience with SSDs. How much faster
are they than HDDs generally? Thinking of using one on my
own desktop which is a few years old. This video clip suggests
it may be worth considering:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j84eEjP-RL4

[CliveM]

SSD'S are usually a good upgrade for a PC and are generally a good option to go for. Your device will boot up a lot faster. In your friend's case though it would appear to be a waste of money and it would be more sense to put his cash towards a better device.

[piroska]

EZ1601 1.6GHz CPU and will only take 2GB RAM (installed).Is this a waste of time?
.

Yes.

[Agent_24]

Depends what he uses it for.

That system would be fine if all you do is play solitaire.

[1101]

By the way, I have no experience with SSDs. How much faster
are they than HDDs generally?

Windows10 really runs much better with a SSD

SSD's can make an unusable(slow) PC , usable again.
Ive 'fixed" many slow pc's just by installing a ssd
The old mechanical hd drives can get horrendously slow as they start to fail.

[wainuitech]

By the way, I have no experience with SSDs. How much faster
are they than HDDs generally?

They are noticeably faster, while it wont turn a low powered CPU, low memory machine into a gaming machine, there is a difference.

Its not uncommon for results like the ones I do all the time, example: Customers PC was taking approx 3 minutes to boot from Off on a Std Drive, imaged to a SSD, and after the 1st "bedding in" took approx 15 - 20 Seconds to fully up and running. Generally they will run faster over all.

[dugimodo]

really not worth the effort or money IMHO

Maybe a really light OS like a linux distro designed for old hardware might run ok, but it'll never be great.

The difference an SSD makes is both huge and also nothing at all. It makes a PC boot faster, load software faster, and feel more responsive over all which cures what a lot of people perceive as a "slow" PC in a lot of cases. But it does not actually make the PC any faster in terms of CPU/GPU performance so once software is running it may not make a difference at all. It can help a bit with low RAM amounts by making page file access much faster but it still isn't the same as more RAM.