Speed Up Windows 11 on an Old Laptop: SSDs, Debloat Tools and LTSC Caveats

What the author actually tested​

Dipan Saha installed two fresh copies of Windows 11 on one Dell Inspiron 7320. One was a tweaked Windows 11 LTSC install. The other was a stock Windows 11 Home install with everything left at defaults.

He reports three figures, each given as two values:

The article never says which value belongs to which installation. The text claims the debloated LTSC install "fares a lot better". Read in the order given, the RAM and CPU figures would favor the other install. The boot-time gap is plausible, but the idle numbers don't clearly back the claim.

The article also leaves out several details:

• the laptop's CPU, RAM size and storage type
• the Windows build
• how many runs were done
• exactly which tweaks were applied

Treat this as one person's observation on one machine. It is not a benchmark, and it can't tell you how much each change contributes.

Change 1: Power mode and CPU boost​

The author suggests switching to the Best Performance power mode. He warns that it costs battery life and adds heat. He also suggests disabling CPU boost to recover battery life, and says compile-heavy work will suffer.

Microsoft's developer documentation says Windows ships with three power modes: Best Power Efficiency, Balanced and Best Performance. It adds that the chosen mode works as a vote from the user, and other system signals can override it. So picking Best Performance doesn't guarantee a particular speed.

Microsoft's processor power-management documentation lists a boost-mode setting among the tunable performance-state options. It doesn't say what disabling boost does to battery life on this Dell, and the author gives no measurements either.

Practical advice:

• Try Best Performance while plugged in, and note heat and fan noise.
• Treat disabling boost as an advanced trade-off, not a first-line fix.
• Compare battery life before and after rather than assuming a gain.

Change 2: The Chris Titus Tech utility​

The author's debloat step is to open an elevated PowerShell window and run the launcher command irm [url]https://christitus.com/win[/url] | iex. He then uses the Tweaks tab to turn off telemetry and automatic app installs. He also sets the Windows Update policy to "Recommended".

The project's own documentation describes WinUtil as an open-source PowerShell utility. Its tabs cover installing apps, tweaks, fixes and update management. It says nearly every tweak can be reverted from the same panel, and it uses the same launch command.

Several cautions apply:

• It is third-party code. Piping a download straight into PowerShell runs whatever the server returns, with admin rights. You are trusting the publisher.
• Not every tweak is fully reversible. WinUtil's Tweak Explorer shows each tweak's registry and service changes and what Undo restores. It warns that some tweaks can't be fully undone. For example, Undo can reinstall Microsoft Edge but can't recover a browser profile deleted by the removal tweak. WinUtil recommends creating a restore point first.
• The test doesn't isolate the script's effect. LTSC, power settings and the script were all changed together, so the benefit can't be credited to any one of them.
• "Spyware" and "mandatory" are the author's rhetoric. The comparison doesn't demonstrate either.

Be careful with the update advice. Don't turn off routine security updates to stop driver overrides. WinUtil itself offers full, security-only and paused update modes, so security-only is the safer middle ground.

Change 3: An SSD​

Replacing a mechanical hard drive with an SSD is the least controversial tip. The author says it helps most on machines with 8 GB of RAM or less, and he suggests reusing the old drive as external storage.

The article doesn't say what drive either test install used, so it offers no SSD-versus-HDD comparison. The SSD advice is reasonable general knowledge, not something this test measured. If you try it, check which drive type and size your laptop takes before buying one.

Change 4: LTSC​

This is the claim that needs the most context. The author says LTSC is lighter, has fewer background services and lets you set up with a local account. Microsoft positions LTSC as something else entirely:

• Purpose. Microsoft describes Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 as designed for specialty devices where functionality and features stay constant for the life of the device. Its documentation also says that edition is for special-purpose, fixed-function devices.
• Licensing. It's available through OEMs and volume licensing, with a 90-day evaluation download. Reporting on the Enterprise edition says it's only available to Volume License customers or with an MSDN subscription.
• No Store preinstalled. Microsoft's FAQ says IoT Enterprise LTSC doesn't come with the Microsoft Store app. Store apps can be fetched via the web or WinGet.
• Support dates differ by edition. Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 has a five-year lifecycle, with mainstream support ending October 9, 2029. The IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 edition keeps the traditional 10-year lifecycle, with extended support ending October 10, 2034. Date listings differ by a day depending on the source, because of time-zone display.

The article doesn't say which LTSC edition was tested, so you can't attach either support date to the test. The local-account claim is also unverified here for any specific edition or setup path. Treat it as the author's experience.

Change 5: Cleaning and repasting​

The author recommends opening the laptop and cleaning the fans. He then removes the old paste from the CPU, GPU and heatsink with rubbing alcohol, applies fresh paste and reassembles. He also mentions PTM7950, a phase-change thermal pad, as an alternative.

Overheating and thermal throttling are real causes of sluggishness on older laptops. The article gives no before-and-after temperatures, though, so "noticeably cooler" is an expectation, not a result. This is also invasive work:

• Disconnect power and the battery before opening the laptop.
• Look up your model's service manual, because screw layouts and heatsink designs vary.
• Skip it if you're not comfortable working inside a laptop. Dust removal alone often helps.

The support risk on unsupported hardware​

The article hints at bypassing Windows 11's hardware checks, such as the TPM 2.0 requirement. Microsoft's support page says installing Windows 11 on ineligible hardware isn't recommended. It says such devices aren't guaranteed to receive updates, including security updates, and that damage from incompatibility isn't covered by the manufacturer warranty. If you go this route, plan for that risk.

Bottom line​

1. Do the reversible things first: power mode, a restore point, and a careful look at what a debloat tool changes.
2. Buy compatible hardware, such as an SSD, if the machine still has a hard drive.
3. Clean the cooling system before you repaste anything.
4. Don't read LTSC as a free lightweight Windows for everyone. Check the edition, license and support dates before committing.

The author's boot-time result is plausible. The rest of the numbers are too thin, and too ambiguous, to treat as proof of anything.