Have you considered swapping out your hard drive for an SSD? I did that with my ten plus years old laptop and it transformed it. Now it boots up in seconds, not minutes and is perfectly functional for the things I do. Happy with the result. Also, more RAM always helps. If you're annoyed with long boot times, you could just put in in sleep or hibernation. I almost never turn off my computers. Jay
Re: Your poll, I don't think there is a best, just what works best for each individual.