Upgrade or buy new?
Upgrade or buy new?
I own a 2021 Dell XPS 8940 with 16 GB memory and an Intel i7-11700 processor. It has worked well for me. The main issue I face is using Corel Photo Paint, which becomes very slow when editing large images. Recently, I worked on a picture measuring 11"X15" at 1200 dpi, and every time I make changes, it takes a long time for the program to respond before I can continue.
I’m checking the Task Manager to understand what’s happening. The only thing visible is that memory usage is between 50-70%, while the GPU and CPU are at low levels.
I’ve checked the Dell website and found that newer XPS models with an i7-13700 processor and 32 GB of RAM are available. This chip is roughly twice as fast as mine.
My instinct is that adding more RAM would improve performance, and since this laptop isn’t very old, it might be a cost-effective upgrade.
This setup includes both SSD and HDD storage devices. Adding more memory would be beneficial.
How much space is occupied on your SSD and where is your "scratch drive" situated?
SSD indicates 174GB used space. To address the "scratch drive," you should check its purpose and remove any unnecessary files or partitions.
For Windows, virtual memory is found in the system settings, and the temp folder for Corel Photo Paint can be accessed through the application settings.
My setup is using the C drive (SSD) for that. The link refers to an older Corel version. The Corel 2023 menu system doesn't display that information anymore. I discovered this in a Corel help forum: "In older CorelDraw versions, users could increase the amount of RAM allocated to CorelDraw, but that feature no longer exists."
It appears this might be a DRAM issue, and while any DDR4 model should function properly if you wish to ensure compatibility:
https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgra...l/xps-8940
belongs. Most likely, any upgrades offered by Dell will come with a notable cost increase.