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Interested in community experience with speeding up Quicken

Greg Lampe

Quicken Classic Subscription user since DOS days.

I need to buy a new laptop because my old Lenovo 520 can't upgrade to Win 11. Since I retired I don't need a high end laptop anymore. Quicken is the most compute/memory/disk intensive program I use these days and it's getting pretty slow on my second gen Pentium. My data file is huge and I have lots of investments in multiple accounts that I track daily.

I'm wondering what CPU/memory systems that other heavy users have that have that they would call "zippy" performance. I probably will end up with another Lenovo 14 with the full travel keyboard and high res screen. Just trying to figure out the CPU and memory to buy.

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Comments

Quicken Carlos

Hi @Greg Lampe,

Thanks for reaching out to the Quicken Community for more information about the system requirements needed for optimal Quicken performance.

I recommend reviewing our support article on Quicken System Requirements. For Quicken for Windows, the minimum requirements are:

Computer: 1 GHz processor or higher
Operating System: Windows 11 (not compatible with Windows 11 in S mode)
Memory: Minimum 1 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: Minimum 450 MB of free disk space (1.5 GB if .NET is not installed)
Monitor: 1024 × 768 or higher screen resolution (1280 × 1024 minimum when using Large Font settings)
Internet Connection: A high-speed internet connection is recommended for downloading the product and using online services. Internet access is required for activation.

To view your computer's system specifications:

Right-click the Start button.
Select System.

I hope this helps!

Greg Lampe

Thanks. I already have the minimum requirements and Quicken is very slow. I'm looking for suggestions for what types of configurations users have that get quick responses. For example- with my current laptop it can take 10 to 15 seconds for the background thread that updates the sidebar to finish. I would like to see everything responding in a second or two.

mikek753b

The only thing that can speed up the Quicken, I'm aware of, is to trim the data file.

Make 2 full back up files, just in case, before the trim!
https://info.quicken.com/win/creating-a-partial-template-file-or-year-end-backu

Select I only want transactions* in my current data file starting with this date:
This trims your current file so it keeps transactions on and after the date you specify.

Getting new Laptop with the fastest CPU will NOT address this issue. You might get 10%-30% speed up at the best IMHO.

Make sure that your laptop has or will have enough Memory to avoid the SWAP, this Windows Memory swapping / starvation is the most performance drag.

Make sure you have above 100 MB Available Memory when running the Quicken. Close other Apps as needed to get more avail memory.

Greg Lampe

Thanks. It looks like I have plenty of memory available.

mikek753b

you may check in Windows Power settings for The Best performance Power Mode

I set it for when on AC power and Balanced when on Battery
but, I override many time while on Battery to Best performance mode to push CPU to use full speed 4Ghz+, instead on low 1GHz power savings

Just try to create new data file with the Trim for this year data and test for Quicken performance, that will tell if this is due to large data file or something else

@Greg Lampe

When I buy a new laptop, I focus on three things:

CPU: Getting one of the latest Intel processor in a none-gaming laptop. Doing so gives me long-term performance. They are various speeds and select the one based on your budget.

Memory: Tho 16GB of DDR5 memory is adequate for most of us, my next one will have 32Gb LPDDR5X, as I am using Virtual Machine (VM) more frequently and I have experienced what a difference it makes.

USB Port Speed: One of my biggest needs is having very fast USB ports because it allows me to backup/transfer large files & folders to an external drive in a blink of an eye - seconds, minutes vs an hour. So today I would look for Thunderbolt5 or USB4-v2. If you don't transfer/backup large files to an external drive frequently or the time it takes does not matter, then pick the prior versions to save some $.

Notice I didn't mention GPU: Any laptop with such good specs has a more than adequate integrated GPU for my needs since I do not play games. That's where I can save money without any sacrifice.

All these specs are available on various well-known brands including the Lenovo that you like at a ~$1K price point.

Hope this helps.