Is there a cost effective way to increase an older laptop’s performance?
Our old laptop has 4gb ram but appears to use a chunk of this just operating (virus software, Microsoft gubbins running in the background etc).
My kids would like to use it for gaming but it hangs/glitches even though it meets the minimum specifications.

My kids would like to use it for gaming but it hangs/glitches even though it meets the minimum specifications.

I’m not a gamer, but games typically need high-end graphics and fast CPUs. Average laptops are very weak in those areas.

increase RAM, add an SSD and reinstall windows,
Use MS antivirus not 3rd party but before you start do a check on the game requirements

Also, be wary of the minimum specs, on some games these are the minimum specs for having an ok-ish gaming experience, on others they are basically the specs for delivering a pretty slide show.

IME, the cheapest way to improve performance on an older laptop can often be to blow the fluff out of the cooling duct!

SSD made a huge difference to my old laptop. Well worth doing. Also clear any background processes like 3rd party virus checker, cleaners and online backups.

Our old laptop has 4gb ram but appears to use a chunk of this just operating (virus software, Microsoft gubbins running in the background etc).

If it’s Windows 10, it will fill its memory with cached stuff just in case – because there’s no point in having it sat there unfilled. So just because the memory looks nearly full doesn’t mean it is.

I’m not a gamer, but games typically need high-end graphics and fast CPUs. Average laptops are very weak in those areas.

Depends on the game. Big titles need lots of power, but stuff like Minecraft and Roblox don’t.

SSD is the best bang for buck, next is memory upgrade but unless there is a free slot you can add a DIMM (i.e. add a 4 to take it to 8 total) too it’s probably not worth it economically. You’ll have spent nearly a hundred and still be stuck with the original graphics and CPU. 4Gb with SSD would be fine for Minecraft et al.

You can’t do anything about it gaming wise, don’t waste money trying.

If the laptop is hanging/freezing that would indicate that it is overheating and you need to clean out the fan / air intakes / cooling fins.

As others have said, extra memory is always the first place to start to increase performance.

I have found Mr Memory to be good.

If you are running Windows 10 there are scripts you run to remove all the default windows apps that take up resources and nobody ever uses. Just search for ‘Windows 10 debloat’

If the laptop is hanging/freezing that could indicate that it is overheating and you need to clean out the fan / air intakes / cooling fins.

FTFY. It’s good advice, but it could be a hundred other things also.

As others have said, extra memory is always the first place to start to increase performance.

The first place to start is wherever your bottleneck is. Task Manager / More Details / Performance will give you an idea rather than guessing.

On a W10 machine with 4GB of RAM you’d almost certainly get more return on your investment by fitting an SSD.

If you are running Windows 10 there are scripts you run to remove all the default windows apps that take up resources and nobody ever uses. Just search for ‘Windows 10 debloat’

Any performance impact this will have is somewhere between “nominal” and “none,” and advising people who aren’t sure what they’re doing to go Google how to randomly uninstall stuff often doesn’t end well.

General use improvement = SSD – don’t go bonkers on size unless you need it. Replace like with like if existing drive ok.

SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD

OK – but what are you trying say?