How Do I Make My PC Faster?

A novel concept - "Make My PC Faster."

There are a few ways to do it, some cost money (sometimes a lot), some are [gulp] free!

Lets start with the ones that cost the least money - memory. You gain almost the most bang for your buck by increasing the amount of physical memory in the computer. However if you are running a 32 bit Operating System (OS) and already have the memory at 4 GB then you either move up to a 64 bit OS or go to the next step.

Note: If your computer uses shared memory for the video then increasing the memory by twice what the video uses (normally 64 MB to 1 GB) you would see an increase in speed.

Going to a 64 Bit OS will help you in the fact that the maximum memory the OS can utilize is over 128 GB (I priced eight 8 GB memory modules for a server I was designing, you can buy a car for that amount of money...1995 USD)

Make My PC Faster?

The cheapest (free) way to get more speed is to Optimize the OS...

Insuring that the run keys (in the registry) and the Startup folder have the minimum of programs starting at startup will also increase the amount of memory your OS and programs have to use. Cutting down on the unnecessary services and disabling those that are not needed decreases the amount of memory that the registry and drivers use when the computer starts. To save hard drive space and programs from grabbing resources if you are not using them is simple: uninstall them!

The fastest way to an increase in speed but is detrimental to the physical well being of the memory, processor, and motherboard is to increase the memory FSB and processor clock speed through the BIOS. However unless you have superior cooling you really don't want to go this route.

Some cooling solutions are expensive to say the least, if you are adamant that this is the way to a faster PC, I cover the topic in the Self Computer Repair Unleashed 2nd Edition Manual Chapter 10.

Don't want to pay someone to "Speed Up You PC"?

It is all in this book: Self Computer Repair Unleashed 2nd Edition Manual

And the winner for how to make your PC faster is either upgrade the motherboard, memory, and processor to the latest and greatest (that will run you about $1000 and a reload of the OS) or buy a new computer with all the latest and greatest already built in to it, that will run you in the neighborhood of $2000-$5000... (If yer gonna buy the latest and greatest get all the goodies that go with it I always say: Who wants a Yugo with a $2000 stereo?)

There you have my take on makin yer PC faster. Personally I upgrade, optimize, and when it gets slow (and it will believe me!) then Overclock ...  :)

P.S.

A while back I wrote an article about using one of those on line 'speed up my pc' services, in a few words: "They don't work!"

I have had a few experiences fixing what the "Make My PC Faster", "Speed up my PC", and "Fix my PC" online remote repairs have done to computers. Once the "tech" finished trashing the Operating System, charged a large sum of money the computer was still not fixed. Fortunately for two of the victims they had decent credit card companies and were able to cancel the charges the others weren't so lucky.

A remote control program can only do minor Operating System and software repairs.

Hardware takes a hands on approach - someone has to touch the computer to fix the problem: you or a tech!

You need to read the fine print: "Your results will vary..." ahhh, ya

You will have better results by doing your own work, it will be cheaper, and you don't take a chance on becoming a victim of fraud, theft, or viruses... Just sayin'