Bridge running very slowly

[seepea]

I am taking Damien's Bridge class and am finding that Bridge is running very slowly.  The main problem is when I am trying to generate 100% previews.  I was working on a folder of 173 raw files and it took somewhere between 15 minutes and an hour to generate the previews (I left the computer and came back.  I'm assuming even 15 minutes is longer than normal).  What do you think my problem might be?  In addition to the information below:  Damien suggested setting up the cache so it is on a different hard drive than the program.  My computer only has one internal hard drive and an external hard drive, so I can't do that.

I have a PC laptop running Windows 10 Home and Elements 11. It is over 2 years old, and has 8GB of RAM. Its hard drive has 103GB free out of 250GB. The last time I shut down was earlier today. I rarely run a cleanup program.

[Damien Symonds]

4 hours ago, seepea said:

I'm assuming even 15 minutes is longer than normal

No, I'd allow that much time for that many files on my computer, and it has twice as much RAM as yours.

[Brian]

You could upgrade the RAM, though as Damien pointed out, he has 16GB and the speed is normal. 

The main problem is today’s camera sensors. Gone are the days of 10MP and 12MP sensors. The more MP you increase, the harder your computer has to work. Just think how much horsepower you’ll need for a camera that is 36, 45 or 50MP  I’ve read that the next batch of sensors are going even higher  

So the real answer to solve your problem?

Purchase a much higher performance laptop or better yet, a desktop computer. You could purchase a gaming laptop to help cut down the time, though that will be more expensive. 

My advice: Upgrade the RAM to 16GB if you can, though that might only help things slightly  You are going to have to live with this problem and that’s the main issue with laptops...upgradability.