Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop

27 Jun 21 - 03:02 PM (#4111625)
Subject: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: robomatic

I do my work and communications on personal laptops. I have four of which three are currently working on System 10 and 7.

Query: I want to do a software 'teardown' on my most used laptop to clean it of malware and extraneous apps and cookies that have been installed on it over the past years, not all of them with my knowledge. While it works, it doesn't work particularly fast.

So I'd like to run a benchmark on it or if that is the wrong term a performance index program. This will allow me to compare it to new items on the market, but more immportantly it will give me something to compare to when I've finished the cleanup / reinstall of the system.

And, as a by-the-way, not that I need to know, but I'm curious, is there a cross platform method to compare performance of a particular PC using Windows to a PC using Linux or a Macintosh?

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27 Jun 21 - 03:22 PM (#4111628)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: GUEST

PCMark 10 benchmark is one possibility.

Your question is more complex than you appear to realise.

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27 Jun 21 - 03:44 PM (#4111629)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: Stilly River Sage

It sounds like an unnecessary step (if you're going to clean it out the best bet is to dump everything, reinstall the OS, then add back what you want in it.) I wasn't able to do this with my old computer because to keep some of my best software (from work, still in there after retirement) I'd need the original disks and I don't have them here. Even using older versions is okay for my needs vs buying new (because now you rent it month by month.)

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27 Jun 21 - 03:49 PM (#4111630)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: DaveRo

If you clean up your PC it's unlikely to improve its 'performance', as that word is generally used, for example in a benchmark. What it might do is make it start up quicker, be more reliable, and easier to maintain - all if which is 'performance' of a sort in that you waste less time. To make it quicker add more memory (less disk access), fit an SSD (quicker disk access) or a faster processor (generally impracticable on a laptop).

On the last point, the performance of a given application - a spreadsheet say, or a browser - is not much affected by what operating system it runs under. One OS may be easier to use, quicker to load, offer nore features, or be prettier than another, but once you load and run your application there's not much difference.

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27 Jun 21 - 04:10 PM (#4111633)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: robomatic

Thanks. I'm aware that 'performance' is a catchk-all phrase and once you start to define it you are getting down into 'what-do-you-mean-by' territory. But that is where I am.

There used to be a figure of merit turned in on my pre-Wndows 7 laptops that were an overall measure of speed and capability. They seemed to be game related, but not the graphics intensive games of the present day. I was wondering if something like this was available in the present day.

I am looking into getting an SSD for the ASUS laptop, which is four years old now but the most powerful laptop from the point of view of the processor. Unfortunately it is currently blue-screening, not from hardware defect but from some agglomeration of software over the years. Before the SSD goes in, I have to bring the ASUS up. I've also considered turning one of the units into Linux, which is a whole other story. Years ago I had a desktop of mediumm quality and I installed linux and had a grand old time. But that went away when I moved.

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27 Jun 21 - 09:55 PM (#4111670)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: punkfolkrocker

I don't know if this applies to win 7,
but I'll presume it does..

I needed to do a fresh win 8.1 instal on two laptops in the last couple of years.
I followed the correct ISO download and instal procedure from Microsoft site..

Both laptops installed ok,
but the serious problem was windows update then refused to work..

It kept insisting it needed to be updated through windows update...!!!!????

Basically, microsoft have made it near impossible for average consumers to fresh instal Win 8.1

[for obvious reasons...???]

After wasting too much time downloading microsoft official fix patches,
which didn't fix it.
I found a freeware utility which could download all win updates to an offline folder,
then apply the updates required to fix win update.

Since then, win 8.1 has worked ok on both laptops,
and update without problems when I apply manual updates...

I can't remember the name of the freeware update utility,
but I'm fairly sure I named it in a previous mudcat windows tech thread...

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27 Jun 21 - 10:07 PM (#4111671)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: Stilly River Sage

Does this mean Gargoyle agrees with me? Not necessary? Nice!

He seems to know his shit!

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28 Jun 21 - 09:30 AM (#4111710)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: GUEST,#

Mitnick is the guy`s name.

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30 Jun 21 - 07:27 PM (#4111952)
Subject: RE: Tech: Performance Rating for a single laptop
From: ripov

I have found that speed testing hard drives generally leads to their demise- certainly ones that were around with W98/W7 if you've a working W7 machine, leave well alone, the problem those earlier systems had, that of throwing your files in a great messy heap where you only find them years later,has never been rectifiedand and there are(were?)plenty of hacks to avoid other annoyances

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