You don't know slow... (C-70 APU, Win10 64-bit)

[Arachnotronic]

It wasn't so bad when I first got it. I actually ran Skype and web-browsed on it at the same time, and for a while it was my HTPC, except for the fact that it was "eating" SSDs. (Due to thermal issues - it's completely passively cooled.)

I should have picked up the 1.1Ghz Celeron 847 version, but I missed out on that one.

But I agree, it didn't age well. My Z3735F laptop and tablets are faster. But not the MeegoPad T02, because it throttles down to 0.49Ghz, which is slower than the 1.00Ghz of the C-70.

Z3735F will become junk soon too.

Seriously, buy a proper Core i5 or Core i7 laptop and you won't have to keep giving Intel and the PC makers more of your money for a good long while.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm surprised you're ethically ok with selling these to somebody for, like, actual money.

Shrug. I was going to advertise them as "Slow computers (mini PCs!)".

 

[siriuus]

I've got a notebook with an e-350 lying around, and can can absolutely understand what you have to go through.

Its not even an exclusive win10 problem, these processors are super slow even when using win7 with a few background processes...

The notebook was originally planned as a fast fix after my main one was stolen, I miss it to this day :\. In fact, I switched to a 4 years OLDER core 2 midrange notebook because I couldn't bear it any longer (no unexplainable slow downs at all).

 

[monstercameron]

I have a AMD E-350 system that uses over 90% all the time running nothing and I threw it in the trash.

Never another AMD system.

Why never amd? Have you never used first gen and pre baytrail atoms!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Seriously, buy a proper Core i5 or Core i7 laptop and you won't have to keep giving Intel and the PC makers more of your money for a good long while.

TBH, I'm afraid to buy a high-end laptop, as I figure it will end up (physically) trash, within a year or two. (Not performance trash.)

I spent list price ($350), on a nice Acer 1007U laptop, upgradable, dual-band Wifi, Windows 7, the works. It fell apart, and the charger has issues, after little more than a year.

I buy extreme low-end, because I figure regardless of how high I buy on the performance scale, they just won't physically last, so I might as well buy a new one every two years or so, that's minimally-acceptable for my usages.

 

[sm625]

The problem with these chips, and with windows in general, is that several svchosts can and will run for trillions of cycles after bootup before they finally stop. An example of one is a svchost.exe which hosts the windows update service. It takes WAY longer than it should. I have several machines that are reasonably fast (Core 2 Duo) and they each spend on average 2 hours a day just crunching windows updates and it takes one whole core. Add another process like that and a dual core feels hopelessly bogged down. On my own machine I can keep an eye on this crap and stop it from happening. But on a machine I'm giving to someone else? No I wouldnt do that to them. That is why I recommend at least 4 threads for them even though I myself run a G3258.

 

[mysticjbyrd]

I've got a notebook with an e-350 lying around, and can can absolutely understand what you have to go through.

Its not even an exclusive win10 problem, these processors are super slow even when using win7 with a few background processes...

The notebook was originally planned as a fast fix after my main one was stolen, I miss it to this day :\. In fact, I switched to a 4 years OLDER core 2 midrange notebook because I couldn't bear it any longer (no unexplainable slow downs at all).

My old slow 1ghz amd dual core runs just as slow with Win7 as it does with win10. Though, I could perhaps optimize win 7 some more. I turned everything I could find off on windows 10, and the browser would still max out the cpu.

I plan on installing a linux OS later. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Piroko]

TBH, I'm afraid to buy a high-end laptop, as I figure it will end up (physically) trash, within a year or two. (Not performance trash.)

I spent list price ($350), on a nice Acer 1007U laptop, upgradable, dual-band Wifi, Windows 7, the works. It fell apart, and the charger has issues, after little more than a year.

I buy extreme low-end, because I figure regardless of how high I buy on the performance scale, they just won't physically last, so I might as well buy a new one every two years or so, that's minimally-acceptable for my usages.

But at least some high-end laptops are quite the uptick in robustness as well... My Yoga has survived being carried around everywhere mixed in with other luggage for several years now and the only damage it took are scratches and paint chipping. It does have a metal casing going for it, that helps a lot. And its performance is still great (excluding gaming). Battery life is still great. No stability issues either. And even if I stop using it, it'll definitely find a second life with one of my family members. A laptop that needs no maintenance to run for five years straight is worth a lot as well.

 

[monstercameron]

The problem with these chips, and with windows in general, is that several svchosts can and will run for trillions of cycles after bootup before they finally stop. An example of one is a svchost.exe which hosts the windows update service. It takes WAY longer than it should. I have several machines that are reasonably fast (Core 2 Duo) and they each spend on average 2 hours a day just crunching windows updates and it takes one whole core. Add another process like that and a dual core feels hopelessly bogged down. On my own machine I can keep an eye on this crap and stop it from happening. But on a machine I'm giving to someone else? No I wouldnt do that to them. That is why I recommend at least 4 threads for them even though I myself run a G3258.

This is exactly what is happening.

 

[Zodiark1593]

But at least some high-end laptops are quite the uptick in robustness as well... My Yoga has survived being carried around everywhere mixed in with other luggage for several years now and the only damage it took are scratches and paint chipping. It does have a metal casing going for it, that helps a lot. And its performance is still great (excluding gaming). Battery life is still great. No stability issues either. And even if I stop using it, it'll definitely find a second life with one of my family members. A laptop that needs no maintenance to run for five years straight is worth a lot as well.

I've an HP DV7 from 5 years ago still running strong with just an SSD upgrade when the HDD finally died last year

 

[LTC8K6]

I have a AMD E-350 system that uses over 90% all the time running nothing and I threw it in the trash.

Never another AMD system.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-E-350-Notebook-Processor.40941.0.html

 

[Essence_of_War]

TBH, I'm afraid to buy a high-end laptop, as I figure it will end up (physically) trash, within a year or two. (Not performance trash.)

I spent list price ($350), on a nice Acer 1007U laptop, upgradable, dual-band Wifi, Windows 7, the works. It fell apart, and the charger has issues, after little more than a year.

I buy extreme low-end, because I figure regardless of how high I buy on the performance scale, they just won't physically last, so I might as well buy a new one every two years or so, that's minimally-acceptable for my usages.

Friend A's 2008 macbook pro is still in excellent condition.

Friend B's low-end 2012 Toshiba laptop essentially fell apart in mid 2015.

Why have you convinced yourself that all portable machines have destruct at the same rate regardless of price point? If this is true, you have to also think that build quality is constant on laptops across all price points. Think about that for a second. Are T-series thinkpads built anything like the low end junk that the various OEMs pump into the 300-500 space? Are macbooks?

I don't actually think that you think that more expensive devices will fall apart at the same rate. You're a knowledgeable consumer who can read reviews. You know that all laptops aren't made with the same quality. I think you KNOW that you'll get tired of them and want a new toy, but you don't like saying that out loud so you're making a post-hoc rationalization to justify the additional purchases from an economic perspective rather than a "want new toy" perspective. I totally understand wanting new toys, or having a hard time parting with tools or toys that are still useful or in good shape. Moreover, given that most people don't have infinite money, buying low end stuff and getting a new one every year or so is sort of a reasonable option if you know that you'll get tired of it and want to replace it. Let's not pretend it has anything to do with build quality, though.

 

[LTC8K6]

This is exactly what is happening.

Some people have no patience.

I have a friend who was really upset with Win10 because it was so much slower than Win7.

Well, it wasn't slower than Win7 at all.

It was just doing a lot of background processing after he updated, plus he updated right around the time of one of the larger update packages to Win10, which just took a while to complete.

To compound the problem, he kept getting upset and shutting the computer down after a few minutes of trying to benchmark it and internet speed test it, leaving it no time to ever finish installing and updating.

All he needed to do was leave the thing alone for a while.

I finally convinced him to just leave it on and forget about it overnight, which magically solved all the problems with it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I don't actually think that you think that more expensive devices will fall apart at the same rate. You're a knowledgeable consumer who can read reviews. You know that all laptops aren't made with the same quality. I think you KNOW that you'll get tired of them and want a new toy, but you don't like saying that out loud so you're making a post-hoc rationalization to justify the additional purchases from an economic perspective rather than a "want new toy" perspective. I totally understand wanting new toys, or having a hard time parting with tools or toys that are still useful or in good shape. Moreover, given that most people don't have infinite money, buying low end stuff and getting a new one every year or so is sort of a reasonable option if you know that you'll get tired of it and want to replace it. Let's not pretend it has anything to do with build quality, though.

There's the "new toy" factor too, I suppose, but I was in fact talking about build quality. Maybe I got burned just because I bought an Acer, or perhaps because I didn't buy an $800+ laptop. But I guess I have zero experience with "durable" laptops, other than I've heard that a ToughBook is that. Are there other options besides a ToughBook that don't fall apart after a year or two?

There's the other factor too, I know how poorly I treat mine, so there's that. I leave it plugged in, while tossing it around on my bed. Or at least, that's how I think that the charging port / cable went on the fritz with the Acer.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Some people have no patience.

I have a friend who was really upset with Win10 because it was so much slower than Win7.

Well, it wasn't slower than Win7 at all.

It was just doing a lot of background processing after he updated, plus he updated right around the time of one of the larger update packages to Win10, which just took a while to complete.

To compound the problem, he kept getting upset and shutting the computer down after a few minutes of trying to benchmark it and internet speed test it, leaving it no time to ever finish installing and updating.

All he needed to do was leave the thing alone for a while.

I finally convinced him to just leave it on and forget about it overnight, which magically solved all the problems with it.

I think that's basically what happened with that E1-2500 AIO that I sold someone, that they got frustrated with (Windows update, Windows 8.1 upgrade), and returned.

 

[Essence_of_War]

There's the "new toy" factor too, I suppose, but I was in fact talking about build quality. Maybe I got burned just because I bought an Acer, or perhaps because I didn't buy an $800+ laptop. But I guess I have zero experience with "durable" laptops, other than I've heard that a ToughBook is that. Are there other options besides a ToughBook that don't fall apart after a year or two?

There's the other factor too, I know how poorly I treat mine, so there's that. I leave it plugged in, while tossing it around on my bed. Or at least, that's how I think that the charging port / cable went on the fritz with the Acer.

I mean, it's possibly you treat your laptops so badly that you'd destroy anything. Seems doubtful though, and maybe your treatment of them has something to do with their perceived value to you. Like, if you know it only has to last a year until it gets replaced by a new toy, maybe that consiously or unconsiously affects how you treat it.

I seem to know a lot of people with 2009-2010ish Macbook Pros that still seem to be in excellent shape. I have been extremely impressed by the build quality of T-series thinkpads, and with the build quality of the recent UX305 from Asus, especially given its price point.

 

[coercitiv]

I have several machines that are reasonably fast (Core 2 Duo) and they each spend on average 2 hours a day just crunching windows updates and it takes one whole core.

Just had the chance to work on my dad's old laptop, a C2D dual core system I recently updated to SSD + Win 10: the machine works very well and showed no noticeable lag after boot. In fact, it never felt faster. Also, I remember no particular problems while installing the OS a while ago, it was faster than installing Win 8 + updates on a Haswell i7 ULT.

Also, for the OP, Win 10 idle CPU usage:
Haswell i7 quad @ 800Mhz - 1%
Kabini quad @ 1600Mhz through Remote Desktop - 1-2%

 

[LTC8K6]

I have a Dell laptop from 2009 with a T8300 and 4 gigs of ram. WD black drive.

It is never noticeably slow with Win10.

It's certainly not as fast as newer stuff, but you'd never complain that it was too slow doing general day to day stuff and web surfing/youtube watching. It's fine for that.

The only problem it has is with the old graphics being unable to deal with anything high def, but it had that problem long before Win10. Up to 720p it still does okay, but at that point you can notice it struggling.

 

[phantom404]

I have no problems running full windows 10 on my Dell Venue 8 pro and its fully updated. Has about 500 MB of free space left

 

[cbn]

Are there other options besides a ToughBook that don't fall apart after a year or two?

I would think Business class laptops fall in this category, although I am sure it depends on how rough they are being used.

 

[waltchan]

AMD E1 2100 is far worse... it can even lags on an NES emulator on Windows XP with 2 gigs of RAM. I quickly tested the VIA C3 and it was way smoother than the E1...

Actually, the E1-2100 is a huge improvement over C-50, C-60, and C-70 I think. I can't complaint. C-50, which doesn't have turbo, is mentioned and listed in worst CPU thread page.

 

[Magic Carpet]

There's the "new toy" factor too, I suppose, but I was in fact talking about build quality. Maybe I got burned just because I bought an Acer, or perhaps because I didn't buy an $800+ laptop.

Talking from experience Larry. If you want good build quality, you do have to shell out about that amount of money at least. Those cheaper deals you frequently lay your eyes upon, are cheap junk from inside-out. These quality issues you have experienced are quite common in your favorite price range, regardless of manufacturer, be it Acer or Lenovo. Years ago, I owned the top of the range Acer Ferrari F4005 laptop, the build quality of the chassis was great. Still, speaking strictly of build quality, I have valued "the more expensive" Sony VAIO the highest though..

But Panasonic Toughbooks are the best, if you need to work in the field somewhere. Might give it a shot?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

There's the "new toy" factor too, I suppose, but I was in fact talking about build quality. Maybe I got burned just because I bought an Acer, or perhaps because I didn't buy an $800+ laptop. But I guess I have zero experience with "durable" laptops, other than I've heard that a ToughBook is that. Are there other options besides a ToughBook that don't fall apart after a year or two?

There's the other factor too, I know how poorly I treat mine, so there's that. I leave it plugged in, while tossing it around on my bed. Or at least, that's how I think that the charging port / cable went on the fritz with the Acer.

I have a 15" rMBP. I treat it similarly to how I treated my last girlfriend, (I give it a toss on the bed once in a while, but I clean it regularly and don't smack it around, and have "protection" in the form of a Speck case) but it's two years old and looks like new.

So, in that sense, it's lasted longer than she did and cost less, making it an excellent investment overall.

You might want to look up the Samuel Vimes "Boots" Theory Of Economic Injustice and figure out how it applies to your situation. Those cheap laptops really are garbage.

 

[justanotherboy]

I seem to know a lot of people with 2009-2010ish Macbook Pros that still seem to be in excellent shape. I have been extremely impressed by the build quality of T-series thinkpads, and with the build quality of the recent UX305 from Asus, especially given its price point.

Indeed, I still have a working T21 Thinkpad, this is a 2002 laptop, it is just very very slow.
I still use a T400 (replace HDD with SSD), that's the 2008 model.

 

[superstition]

Gave a 2005 AMD 3100+ Sempron (e6 stepping) CPU with ECS motherboard to friend. Upgraded the system from 1 GB to 2 GB so it could run 64-bit 8.1.

Machine runs just fine for his needs and is a noticeable improvement, in terms of speed, over the Athlon 2400+ system he was using prior. I think it's pretty amazing how well what was a cheap Microcenter box at the time has held up.

For the Athlon, I had changed that from XP (since security updates with discontinued) to Linux (Kubuntu) but it was very sluggish. It only had 768 MB of RAM, though. Lubuntu wouldn't boot, probably because of the lack of SSE2.

The E series AMD mobile CPUs are like first generation Atoms. They're very slow. But, despite all the complaint about Atom I installed OS X 10.6.8 on a Lenovo S10 for another friend and she is fine with its speed.

If you want to really experience slow... try an Apple Lisa. After using that with LisaWrite you'll think anything else flies. And that isn't bashing the Lisa. It was an incredible system for its time.