There are now many different versions of Windows. Older versions of Windows can still be used on both new and old computers. Older computers tend to not be as fast as newer computers, so in this article I will explain if Windows 10 is good for old computers.
As a general rule, Windows 10 is not good for old computers. The best versions of Windows for old computers are Windows 7, Vista, or XP. Independent tests have shown they are up to 3 times faster at loading on old computers than Windows 10. Such as, turning on, logging in, and installing a program.
High end computers are so fast, that the difference in load time isn’t as large, and they can comfortably run any version of Windows without being noticeably slow.
But, for older computers the difference adds up to being very large and it’s worth choosing the fastest version of Windows.
Below, I will provide details about how much faster the different versions of Windows are compared to each other by showing the results of independent tests for many different computer processes, so you can see definitely what version of Windows is the best for low old computers.
Which Version of Windows Is the Fastest for Old Computers
The different versions of Windows require better computer specifications than the newer the version of Windows is. For example, Windows 10 requires more resources than Windows 7. So here’s which version of Windows is fastest for old computers.
Windows Vista is the best version of Windows for old computers. It uses the least amount of computer resources such as RAM, which makes it the fastest for old computers. It also has virtually the same user interface as more modern versions of Windows such as Windows 7.
There are no drawbacks to using Windows Vista, other than if a computer is used to play the latest games – in which case Windows 7 is best. It’s generally not possible to download the most popular PC games for Windows Vista.
But, virtually all of them are available on Windows 7. The good news is, Windows 7 is only slightly slower than Windows Vista.
Independent tests were performed using a reasonable computer. The specs on it weren’t the latest most high end PC. But, it isn’t the oldest slowest computer.
Each version of Windows was installed on it. Then the version of Windows was uninstalled, and a different version of Windows on the same computer. The tests were then performed again.
The tests performed for each version of Windows were:
- Starting up – the time from pressing the power button to when it got to the login screen
- Logging in
- Logging off
- Opening a Microsoft Office program
- Opening a random program
- Opening a website
- Copying a file to a new location
- Opening a game (minecraft)
- Loading a level in a game (minecraft)
- Rendering a video in a video rendering software
- Shutdown time
For each test, I’ve recorded the total time. In some cases the tests were for metrics such as RAM usage, these didn’t have a time but rather has a metric such as 543 MB.
Below is a table that shows the total time for each of the different versions of Windows for each of the different tests that were performed. I’ve ordered them from the smallest total time (fastest) to the longest total time (slowest).
| Version of Windows | Total time to complete all tests |
| Windows 8 | 01:52:00 |
| Windows 11 | 02:01:25 |
| Windows Vista | 02:14:00 |
| Windows XP | 02:27.75 |
| Windows 7 | 02:58:75 |
| Windows 10 | 03:52:25 |
Here a table that shows how much additional time each version of Windows took to load compared to Windows 8:
| Version of Windows | How much slower it is compared to Windows 8 |
| Windows 8 | – |
| Windows 11 | 00:09.25 |
| Windows Vista | 00:22.00 |
| Windows XP | 00:35.75 |
| Windows 7 | 01:07.15 |
| Windows 10 | 02:00.25 |
From the table above you can see that the total time it took to do each of the tests varies by a lot for each different version of Windows. For example, the difference between Windows 11, and Windows Vista compared to the fastest version of Windows – Windows 8 is not very large.
And they’re only 10 to 20 seconds slower. Whereas, Windows 10 and Windows 7 are SIGNIFICANTLY slower taking almost 1 to 2 minutes longer to load overall.
Here’s a table that shows how much longer it takes for each version of Windows to load compared to Windows 8 as a percentage:
| Version of Windows | How much slower it is compared to Windows 8 |
| Windows 8 | – |
| Windows 11 | 8.26% |
| Windows Vista | 19.64% |
| Windows XP | 31.92% |
| Windows 7 | 59.96% |
| Windows 10 | 107.37% |
Windows 8 is the fastest but has the worst user interface
On paper, Windows 8 and Windows 11 are faster than the other versions of Windows. But, there are few issues with Windows 8 and Windows 11, which makes them a bad option for old computers.
Windows 8 has a very bad user interface. It’s much different than the user interface for all of the other versions of Windows.
When it was released it’s widely reported that virtually everyone didn’t like it, and prompted Windows to quickly make some changes to it.
But, as it stands it still has the worst user interface, and uses a tile structure. It also has no start menu at all, which virtually all Windows users find FAR worse to use.
Here’s a really good video that shows why most people didn’t like WIndows 8:
Windows 11 is the fastest but requires better specs
The issue with Windows 11, is that while it is the second fastest after Windows 8, it uses more computer resources when sitting idle. As you may know, a computer uses what is called RAM.
This is a component on a computer that stores instructions that a computer should do. It’s essentially a holding area for a list of tasks. For example, if you click to open a program, each of the different processes required to open the program get copied onto the RAM.
There is a delay in how long it takes to load because of the time it takes to copy the commands onto the RAM, and the time it takes for the RAM to complete the task and remove the instruction from itself.
The more RAM available the more instructions it can hold at once, and the faster a computer is. This frees up processing power from the other components. Otherwise, the other components need to wait for the RAM to empty before they can send more instructions to it.
Here’s a table that shows the amount of RAM, and what percent of the processor, also called a CPU is used by each version of Windows:
| Version of Windows | Percent of the CPU, and amount of RAM when idle |
| Windows XP | 853 MB of RAM, and 0% of the processor |
| Windows Vista | 1.36 GB of RAM, and 1% of the processor |
| Windows 7 | 1.2 GB of RAM, and 0% of the processor |
| Windows 8 | 2.2 GB of RAM, and 4% of the processor |
| Windows 10 | 2.54 GB of RAM, and 10% of the processor |
| Windows 11 | 2.77 GB of RAM, and 25% of the processor |
You can see in the table that there is a trend where each newer version of Windows uses more RAM when idle, and also uses a larger percent of the processor. This has the effect of making a computer slower when more programs are running at once.
For example, if you have Google Chrome open, Skype open, and an Antivirus program running in the background. As you may know, it’s common to have a few programs open at once.
The closer the processor gets to 100% the more common it is for a program to crash. For example, it will freeze and not be usable. When that happens you need to close and reopen the program, or restart your computer.
Windows 11 only works on 64-bit computers – many old computers are 32-bit
Most versions of Windows are available for 64-bit and 32-bit computers. As you may know, 32-bit computers were the norm but were replaced by 64-bit computers.
64- bit computers are MUCH faster. Windows 11, is the first version of Windows that is only available for 64-bit computers (source
).
Therefore, if you have a 32-bit computer which is common for older computers, it’s impossible to install Windows 11 on it.
Old computers typically have less RAM than Windows 11 needs
Old computers tend to have less RAM than newer computers, and have a processor that is not as fast.
Therefore, a version of Windows that requires less resources when idle is the best for old computers. For example, it’s common for older computers to have 4GB of RAM or less. Whereas, on new computers 16GB of RAM is the norm.
The tests performed were on a computer that had 8GB of RAM. Therefore, if you have 8GB of RAM or more then Windows 11 is the best option. But, any less than that and you should install Windows 7, or Windows Vista.
Interestingly, RAM provides the biggest bang for your buck in terms of a speed boost for a computer.
For example, adding 2GB RAM is under $50. The main consideration is whether your motherboard has enough slots to hold more sticks of RAM, and making sure the type of RAM you get is compatible with your motherboard.
There are a few broad types of RAM, and motherboards will either have one of the other.
If you get the wrong type of RAM it won’t fit in the motherboard, or it’s won’t work. This requires a bit of research.
Typically, you can find the type of motherboard you have. And then do a Google search for what type of RAM will work with ‘X’ motherboard. Then, shop around for a stick of RAM that is compatible with your motherboard.
Why Windows 10 Is Not the Best for Old Computers
Windows 10 is not the best for old computers because it:
- Loads a lot slower than other versions of Windows that are the same if not better
- It uses more resources when idle – which makes other programs slower
The best version of Windows for old computers depends on whether it’s used for gaming or not. The best version of Windows for an old computer is:
- Windows Vista – computers NOT used for gaming
- Windows 7 – computers used for gaming
Windows Vista is the fastest, and has virtually the same user interface as Windows 7. But, most games, especially the most popular games such as Dota 2, and Fortnite can’t be installed on Windows Vista. However, they do work on Windows 7.
So, if you intend to play games on your old computer Windows 7 is the best, if not Windows Vista is the best.
Interestingly, it takes the most time to load Windows 10 compared to all the other versions of Windows. This has been shown in independent tests.
For a very new computer, or a computer with very good specifications such as a very fast processor and a lot of RAM the difference won’t be noticeable.
And you can choose one of the latest versions of Windows such as Windows 10 or Windows 11. But, for older computers the speed difference is very noticeable.
Will Windows 10 Make Old Computers Slower
Old computers have a slower processor, less RAM, and a less powerful graphics card than newer computers. For this reason, it’s best to install a version of Windows on it that runs the fastest. Here’s a rundown on whether Windows 10 makes old computers slower.
As a general rule, Windows 10 will make old computers slower. Windows 10 is the slowest of all the Windows versions at doing all of the computer processes such as starting up, logging in, opening a program, and installing a program. It also uses far more resources when idle.
This means it’s worse at running multiple programs at the same time. Windows 10 uses about 10 times more of a processor’s resources when sitting idle, than older versions of Windows such as Vista, XP, or of Windows 7.
It also uses about twice the RAM when sitting idle, which leaves less RAM for opening and running programs, and doing computer processes like shutting down, and starting up.
Does Windows 10 Use More RAM Than Windows 7
RAM is one of the components in a computer that determines how fast or slow a computer will run. The more RAM the faster it will be up to a point, so knowing which version of Windows uses the most RAM is important to be able to determine which version of Windows is faster. Here’s whether Windows 10 uses more RAM than Windows 7.
Overall, Windows 10 uses twice the RAM that Windows 7 uses. When sitting idle Windows 10 uses 2.54GB of RAM, whereas, Windows 7 uses 1.2GB of RAM. However, the minimum RAM requirements given by Microsoft are the same for Windows 7 and Windows 10.
Windows 10 also uses more of the processing power than Windows 7 uses. On average, Windows 10 uses 10% of the processor’s resources when sitting idle. Whereas, Windows 7 0% of the processor’s resources when sitting idle.
This appears to be the main reason why Windows 10 is slower than Windows 7 if they are compared side by side on the same computer.