Computer recommendations, please.....

I would simply take it to a reliable computer store for a cleaning and an upgrade, maybe Best Buy, though I prefer a good local shop. They can R&R parts, which may be less than a new computer, and then there is the hassle of moving files.

What generation is your i7?

Also how much memory do you have?

I would upgrade the Ram if you can. It can be pretty inexpensive.

My desktop has an i5 that is one generation newer than your i7 and I had trouble with photoshop elements slowing things down. I added 16gb of memory because it was only a little more than another 8gb kit. That helped a lot.

I know there were just a bunch of deals for Prime Day and Newegg continued some of the sales after.

scrapnnana You do not need a new computer. I am going to go into Silhouette's issues I want to start with your upgrades.

As everyone has said you need more memory. Max it out. Memory is super cheap right now. Also if you can afford it do get an SSD hard drive.

You have a good computer. You should be getting several more years from it. Those two upgrades alone will give you five more years, probably more.

If you are on a desktop upgrade the graphic's card. You can also upgrade a graphic's card on a notebook. Most notebook computers do not have a standalone graphic's card. All these upgrades will cost 1/3 less than buying a new computer. SSD & Memory should be around $100.

Computer don't outdate like they use too. They are made to last now.

If you do get an SSD you will need to clean install. Clean install with Windows OS and not the bloatware factory install that came with your computer. You can download a clean copy of Windows 10 for free. Here's the tutorial- www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

How far has Silhouette's support has fallen? Your hanging is not because of your computer. It is because of Bonjour that gets installed along with the Silhouette software. The syncing issue is caused by Bonjour. Bonjour is fine for the most part on Mac's because it is in Apple's architecture. You put it on Windows which is not native and you get issues. Research Bonjour issues & I bet you will find yours. The way Silhouette has implemented Bonjour into their software is so buggy. I tend to suspect it is still in alpha stages. Remember when Silhouette Cameo 3 came out and there were Bluetooth issues? I figured out it was Bonjour.

I did a test install one time of Silhouette's newest version of their software at the time. I used my configuration install, (totally legal) to not install Bonjour. I had a wonderful fast Silhouette Design Studio. Installed Bonjour again and SDS bogged down and ate up memory. Who is the offender here? You can try to uninstall Bonjour and see if that helps. I honestly have not seen a use for it unless you are needing bluetooth.

Also you are not alone in reporting this same exact behavior of Silhouette Studio. I know some users have bought a different die cut machine, mainly Cricut. Lo & Behold they don't have that issue. They had the same exact chat you did with tech support that it is their computer. It's not their computer. It is Bonjor not integrating into Silhouette Design Studio. It is a coding error.

You know I like Silhouette. They use to have excellent tech support. Now they seem to be like "Oh, who cares, we will get to it!" ROFL. You know Cricut's software drives me batty but at least the bugs I have reported to them they looked into and acknowledged.

I do think more of these issues will pop up when Silhouette 4 comes out. Silhouette is making their software more powerful. The software also needs to run several Silhouette products each with their own different communication protocols. I am sure it will level out soon but on Windows OS it is going to be buggy and glitchy for the time being. The good news is that with Windows running a Linux kernel natively inside Windows these kind of problems will be an easier fix for developers- www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18534687/microsoft-windows-10-linux-kernel-feature

I know I wrote a book. You know how I hate buggy software, lol. I hope that helps.

I've had both PC and Apple. I used PC for years without a problem. But I always got a good processor and plenty of RAM. Getting a new PC was always a pain when transferring your files and programs over (I don't know if anything has changed).
A couple of years ago, my dh got me a MacAir and I loved the size and portability. Only downside was the RAM, it only had 4 and I would get the spinning wheel when I was looking for fonts (I have LOTS)-- I am not very patient.
So last summer I upgraded to the MacBook Pro and got as much RAM as I could (I also splurged on the TouchBar! I got the credit card they offered for the 18 months interest free. I have no regrets! The thing It was so EASY to transfer my old Air to my Pro! EVERYTHING was transferred over in minutes-- files, programs, etc. It was the easiest new computer transfer I've ever done. I don't know if PC has anything like this now, if it doesn't, it should.

Regardless of platform, get the most RAM you can afford.

This issue is almost impossible to diagnose without more information. Your computer should be able to handle this software according to the general specifications provided by Silhouette. However clearly you are having issues. A few things to note.

1. More memory(RAM) will not make your computer go faster. It can prevent your computer from going slower. Essentially you can think of memory as everything that's active right now in your computer. Like short term memory in humans. So if you look at the task manager(Ctrl + Alt + Del) and go to the performance tab and if you see that physical memory is maxed out, then yes you need more memory. If you see that paging space is being utilized then yes you need more memory. If not then you do not need more memory. A test you can also do is closing absolutely everything else in your computer including background apps which may appear in your system tray (lower right corner). Test and see if this works.

2. Be aware that RAM has different speeds. A faster stick of RAM can help your computer access the memory faster.

3. You mention offline mode being faster. I don't know how the Silhouette software works as far as accessing the internet but I might also suspect that your internet speeds are possibly a problem. Please go to speedtest.net download the app and post your internet speed here. Also if other people in your house are using the internet simultaneously then that can slow down your connection. One test you can try is bringing your computer to another person's house who has faster internet and seeing if the software works better.

4. People are mentioning switching to an SSD hard drive. These are inherently faster because there are no moving parts. They work on the same principle as RAM. One thing you can do if you suspect disk writes to be the problem is to look at the performance tab again and check out the hard drive section to see what your C drive writes look like while you have the application open. If this is close to 100% utilization then that might be the problem.

5. Switching to an Apple computer may be expensive monetarily, but there's also the cost of learning something new, just keep this in mind. Plus Apple likes to keep you in their ecosystem. You can get much more for your money in my opinion with a good Windows computer. Look at the surface lineup for an example versus the Apple Pro.

These are some thoughts off the top of my head.