get in the EFI (BIOS) and reduce shared RAM for graphics down to 1GB. this is entirely dependent on your EFI, I can't really tell you what to click on. If there's a search function in your EFI, search for "shared". Test if you can get away with less if you don't game.

To strip out the most graphical eyecandy press Win + R to open the Run dialog. Type sysdm.cpl and press enter. go to advanced tab. in "performance" section, click settings and select "Adjust for best performance" then apply, ok.

Run the Win 11 debloat script, that will also help immensely.

That's about as good as you're going to get unless you switch away from a toy operating system to Linux. (gottem)

just install lunis and stick to openoffice and retro gaming.

Unless you positively have to use excel due to macros, i stronkly suggest going the tricky path with wine.

If you're soul-bound to windoge, yes the choice between 10 and 11 matters (10 is better) and do your own debloating (uninstall the fluff yourself. don't use a tool). I don't trust those script debloaters and you shouldn't either.

Genuinely, without linux you're pretty much in deep S. A debloated windows is still heavier than linux plus it requires maintenance to be kept debloated.

PS, that is far from a trash laptop

Put Linux on that.

I can not use Linux. Even though I want to. The programs I need have no Linux alternatives and are very tricky under wine.

You should really have started with that. Welcome to Lemmy.

I mean, this sounds like a perfect job for Linux but if that's not what you're looking for then I'd stick with Windows 10.

It also sounds like a swap partition might help with your memory issues. Set aside a couple gigs from your ssd to use when your ram is maxxed out. Not sure what the process is in Windows but certainly wouldnt hurt to try.

Post what programs you use most

I know there are some lighter-weight custom versions of Windows floating around, but I've never used one and I don't know how well they'd work for your needs. EDIT: Tiny10/Tiny11 are examples, here's a source for them.

Sounds like your real question is “how can I turn a low-spec laptop into a reasonable DAW without spending money “?

It wouldn’t use your current plugins, but you can run a decent DAW setup on a 2005 Mac running OS 9. So it can definitely be done on your current laptop. But to make it really work well, you’ll want to use period-appropriate software. So set up a state of the art DAW from 2011.

If you want modern tools, you’ll need modern hardware to run them; minimum 16GB RAM for starters. Linux is unfortunately probably a non-starter for you. Windows 11 or macOS will be necessary for working with the DRM’d components you’re accustomed to.

Can you change how much is reserved for the GPU in BIOS settings?

You might have a chance with ryzen master.

I don't know if your cpu has this option unlocked, but you can tinker with the tdp to give the little ryzen that could some more power. Probably a great way to fry your machine and leave you without.

I did tinker with the linux alternative and it didn't feel faster (or hotter), so your miles may vary from 0 to holy shit I don't have a working laptop with a tiny sliver of it being able to boost more maybe? Oh, and if it does work, you will need some special cooling solution.

Despite how financially unattractive it may currently seem, a RAM upgrade will most likely provide a significant performance increase. You'll have to decide if the cost is worth it to you.

Linux would make more sense but if you're dead-set on Windows then I guess you could try Win 11 Pro (or Enterprise) with whichever debloat tool you prefer. I've had good experience with Win11Debloat (https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat).

Don't expect too much with 8GB RAM but at least you can start out removing the AI stuff, Windows Store apps, etc. to trim down the bloat. Be prepared to have to re-run debloat scripts and/or re-install Windows, Microsoft likes to add new types of bloat post-install.

And keep an eye on any and all apps and services that are configuring themselves to auto-start on Windows boot, you don't need any optional stuff to auto-start and take up memory in the background if you're constrained to 8GB RAM.

Yeah ... Linux would be your friend here.

My laptop is a shitty old chromebook from 2016 that was low-spec even at that time. 2-core CPU, 4GB total RAM, 14GB total storage(!). But I've got a chromebook-specific Linux distro on it, and it works great even in 2026, does everything I need it to, and never even feels slow or laggy. (Also has astounding battery life as well, oddly enough. ~17 hours, with the original 2016 battery.)

I don't know what 'resource-intensive tasks' you need to do, but if you want to free up hardware on an old, low-spec machine, Linux is your best and only friend.

Others have recommended Linux, and for such a machine I generally agree with them.

The question is how do you intend to use this machine? Are there any Windows-based apps that are critical for you? That will help drive this decision.

Even if there are, you may be better off running those apps under Wine (if possible), and switching to Linux equivalents as much as you can.

Tell us how you intend to use this machine, any apps you currently use. Then we can recommend OSS equivalents.

I assume the answer is no, but do you have access to a more powerful desktop? If so, you could potentially work remotely on the desktop to have the benefit of portability with your laptop and more capability with the desktop. That's how I play more demanding games on my laptop.

Since you don't need a powerful GPU, if you have a little cash available, you could potentially get a more powerful refurbished desktop for that purpose for $300-500 (in the US). The low end of that range would get you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage; the high end would potentially get you 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. If you don't have a monitor, you could potentially plug it into a TV for setup and then just remote into it the rest of the time. (or grab a cheap refurb monitor)

Check in your bios if you can reduce the memory allocation to your GPU. On my modern ThinkPad it’s under the display settings, then some confusing words that didn’t make any sense, then when you click on it you can pick to only allocate 1 gig.