Question Please help me prepare for being forced into Win 11

Loren J

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Nov 12, 2014
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I have a couple of HP Intel Core i5-7400 3Ghz 8 GB Ram PCs running Win 10 that are several (between 6-8?) years old and will soon not be supported with Win 10 and of course Microsoft is saying they can not run Windows 11 with this gen processor (7th I think?) but all other specs are fine. I use one of the PCs just for browsing / streaming / movies / music, and the other for basic browsing and office work, no gaming or advanced graphics. I have noticed both of them getting a bit slow and laggy lately (although sometimes I suspect these terrible "Smart TV" monitors as being part of the problem). I don't need amazing performance but would like them to work well and be secure without a ton of messing around. I'm trying to figure out what the best, easiest, and most cost effective option will be moving forward. My tech sophistication is very basic but I can usually figure stuff out when I need to.

Here are the options I'm considering:
  1. Just go ahead and clean install Win 11 and see how they do. I've heard mixed reports and some say updates are a pain because you have to do them manually.
  2. Inexpensive ($150-ish) Mini PCs w/ similar specs but Win 11 & updated processers - again I've heard mixed reviews about the performance of these especially w/ dealing with heat
  3. Refurbished older PCs w/ better specs off eBay or a similar site for about $125-150 that have Windows 11 installed - although the processors look like they aren't officially supported for Win 11 so curious if I'll have similar updating issues?
  4. Bite the bullet and just try to find a good deal on some proper new nice-ish PCs that are compatible with Win11 and have decent specs (probably $300-ish)
Again, my goal is just basic good performance for basic tasks without too much fuss. I appreciate any advice or input. Thanks!
 
We still have a few months before Windows 10 EOL.

You could just buy a cheap 512 GB SSD. Take one of you computers and unplug all the drives and with that new SSD test out installing Windows 11. I suggest 23 H2 for better compatibility and see how it runs.

You don't even need to buy a Windows key to use 11 and see how it goes.

If you get it all working great. If it's a pain and it does not fit your expectations you will get that worked out now and than you can decide your next move.
 
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