4 replies to this topic

[DarkSerge]

Greetings everyone.

General inquiry of curiosity.

What browser might be good for an older system? I have an older laptop - Windows 10, 2.1 GHz Dual core Pentium x64, 4 GB RAM. I usually switch between Chrome and Firefox depending on what I want to do. Does anyone have an opinions on what's good for an older system?

[raymac46]

You should be fine with any browser. The only memory challenged machine I have is an Atom-powered 2 GB laptop running Arch Linux. I have used Midori there and it's OK. I'd prefer to use Chrome or Firefox but they don't run well with that little RAM. However, I don't think Midori is all that well optimized for Windows 10.

https://mashtips.com...rs-for-windows/

Edited by raymac46, 15 September 2018 - 08:05 AM.

[Digerati]

Quote

Does anyone have an opinions on what's good for an older system?

The one you like best. If your computer is running W10, it cannot be that old. While 4Gb of RAM is not considered a lot, it is still a nice chunk. If your Windows is 64-bit, you are taking maximum advantage of that RAM too.

I use Pale Moon (forked from Firefox) as my default but also like Chrome. While Edge (already built into your Windows) had a very rocky start, Microsoft has made a lot of improvements to it in the last 3 years to make it leaner, faster, stable and very secure. Give it a try too.

[DarkSerge]

Thanks for the input. It runs pretty well, just sometimes I switch browsers for different sites because they seem to run better and was curious if anyone had preferences or ideas. For example, watching movies on Vudu.com ran better in Firefox for a while on it, though after the last Chrome updates it seems to be about the same now.

[Digerati]

DarkSerge, on 15 September 2018 - 08:50 PM, said:

...sometimes I switch browsers for different sites because they seem to run better

Exactly why I have several browsers on my system.

There is no such thing as a browser that is best at everything, or best at anything all of the time. To make it confusing, just about every browser claims to be best. And to make it more confusing, you can probably find a review that backs up that claim. But that's because every review procedure and/or criteria is different. So Browser A is best - at viewing videos. Browser B is best - at viewing web pages. Browser C is best - at add-on support. Browser D is best at speed. And Browser E is best - at security.

And then tomorrow, after this browser and that browser receive updates, they change positions and suddenly Browser C is the fastest while A is the most secure.

So what do you do? Pick one that works best and "feels" the most comfortable to you. Keep at least one other browser on hand in case you have problems accessing a site so you can verify if the problem is the site, or your browser. Keep your browser, your computer, and most importantly your OS and security solution current. And don't be "click-happy" on unsolicited links, downloads, attachments and popups!