Why is my Computer so Slow?
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Slow PC? Two things: CPU and RAM
What makes a computer go really fast? Simple. The processor. Computer processors are called CPUs, which stands for Central Processing Unit. The CPU is the "chip" that must essentially perform logical and mathematical calculations in order for the computer to do its work. The second most important part is RAM.
The CPU controls just about everything in a computer, with the possible exception of some very specialized graphics functions used by game engines. It is up to the CPU to refresh the computer's display, make sure all of the data in memory stays organized, and to respond to user input either through the keyboard or mouse.
The newest computers have processors which can perform billions of mathematical calculations each second. Built in to each CPU "chip" are circuits which have very specific logical or mathematical functions. There are a lot of these circuits on the average CPU, and this allows each chip to do a very large amount of work in a very short time. Even CPUs in less expensive systems are capable of amazingly fast data processing.
There are two problems with this system, however. One is that despite the immense speed of the CPU, the rest of the computer is often far slower at moving data from one place to the next. It is very much like having a really fast race car with a one pint gas tank. Sure, it can go five zillion miles an hour, but only for about 50 yards before it runs out of gas. Well, the rest of the computer is the gas truck that has to catch up to the CPU race car to give it more gas, or data, so it can run.
The second problem is that software in computers now requires the CPU to do a lot of work that really has nothing at all to do with processing any actual user data. In a given second, hundreds of millions of CPU cycles are spent redrawing the display, responding to mouse clicks, playing music, drawing menus, animating banner ads on web pages, and so forth. This is a tremendous weight on a CPU, and it makes the computer slower than it would normally be. Given only data to process, say a list of a billion calculus problems, even an inexpensive slower CPU could complete them all in seconds.
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Speeding up a computer can be easy
It is possible for users to speed their systems up, however, and it is often not all that complicated. One, it is absolutely vital that a system have adequate RAM. On a cost-to-benefit basis, there is no less expensive way to speed up any computer. For current desktop systems, 512MB is probably the minimum for simple things like word processing and e-mail. For anything more complicated, like digital photography, for example, or games, 1GB of RAM is a good starting point. The basic concept is it is never possible to have too much RAM. For maximum performance, maximize the RAM in the system.
Another area to consider is making sure the system isn't bogged down with viruses or spyware. Keeping anti-virus and anti-spyware up to date and keeping the system clear of these two things can often have a dramatic effect on system efficiency. This is an especially important thing to look for if a system seems to be slowing down gradually. All Internet-connected systems should be equipped with a firewall too.
Also, be sure there aren't too many things going on at once, especially stuff that gets loaded when a system is booted. If a system has a browser open with ten tabs of blinking banner ads, a game, a music player, Photoshop, a word processor and an e-mail client open it's probably going to be a little slower than normal. Check the little tray next to the clock for icons. If there is a crowd of icons, each one of them is using CPU and RAM, which is slowing the system down for other programs. To speed things up, close any programs that aren't necessary, or aren't being used at the moment (but leave the anti-virus and anti-spyware running!). This will help improve the performance of the system a great deal.
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To answer jaldeep, you need to add at least another 512 mb of Ram and also check your hard drive to make sure you have 2gig of free space.
After that you should make a total Computer Clean up...
you can follow this Tutorial at
www.computer-repair-tips.com
Really nice info for beginners. Short and sweet, and right to the point.
There's a great product out at the moment with great tweaks and tips on how to sort out your PC if it's running slow. It's by a guy called Kris Mainieri I think.
If you take a look here this is where I bought it from:
<a href="http://www.IncomeAutomator.com/recommends/PCsecret Secret Formula</a>
Well worth a look while it's still available. Peace - Dave
One of the first steps to take with a new Vista Pc, is to clean out all the trialware.
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my cpu is centrino 1.75 ghz but when i right click my comp.>props. i get intel pentiu(M) 1.75 ghz 597 MHZ ,
what is the second number ?
I don't Speak Geek real well yet but I need more info. You mentioned that in the tray by the clock if you have....I have 8 of em. The Printer, Volume, McAfee, Spybot, PC Tools Spyware Doctor, Adobe photo Downloader, Comcast Desktop Doctor & safely Remove Hardware.
Do I leave them all on? How do I keep them off the tray?
START > Run > msconfig > Startup? Services?
Speaking of which I have tons of services going. can I uncheck them and then just click them when I need them?
my system very slow
Hey thanks for the info aout my slow pc it has helped me get some insight to what is wrong and how to fix it.
@Jaldeep, if you're running windows vista you need to upgrade your RAM. Get at least 1GB. If you're running windows xp, check your programs that are running, antivirus such norton can make your computer work slow because it makes real time scanning. Check other programs that might be running, if you suspect programs that are consuming much of the process, removed them. You can remove them by typing MSCONFIG. How? Click START BUTTON->RUN -> Type MSCONFIG -> ENTER.
Once on msconfig, just remove those unnecessary stuff that you don't need during boot up. After doing so, restart you PC and check if there's any difference. If nothing good, try scanning your computer using Antispyware programs I would recommend ADAWARE from LAVASOFT.COM.
Those are some few things you can do. Hope this helps...
MY PC INTEL P4 1.50GHZ,512MD DDR 1 RAM,BUT SLOW PROCESS.ONLY HOME WORK.NOT INSTALL TO ANY ANTIVIRUS.WHAT CAN I DO
Very helpful information, thanks for posting. I also have a website designed to help speed up your slow PC. http://slow-pc.com, I hope folks will come check it out.
slow computer? chainsaw or sledgehammer.
PC moving slow check out www.coastal-connection.com, they can log onto your pc a fix it for you over the internet. They have a really good PC TuneUp deal
pool of info for the geeks. enjoyed and read through the hub. nice work.
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PC moving slow check out www.coastal-connection.com, they can log onto your pc a fix it for you over the internet. They have a really good PC TuneUp deal
I had a slow computer until I went to http://www.compumaid.com and downloaded their software, now my computer is like new!
MY PC INTEL P4 1.50GHZ,2 GB RAM,BUT SLOW PROCESSING...
Please suggest
jaldeep 4 years ago
i have p-4 2.40Ghz pc with 512 mb ram but my pc worl slow.
how can i fast it plz reply me quick.
my pc is 3 years old..