Increasing computer performance

Spongey1975

My computer at home is getting very slow these days and is getting increasingly frustrating. Its not used for games but instead mainly for internet, watching films, and other basic uses. I know its more due to the fact that i've a few programs open at the same time. I want a bit of advice in whats the best way to increase the speed of my computer. My computer currently has a Celeron 3.06 GHz processor and 248MB RAM

I seem to think i have 2 options

1. Change the processor, if so whats the best alternative for my needs and any advice on installing it.

2. Upgrade the RAM, if so whats suitable for me and advice on how to instal it

Am aware of the komplett.ie website and know all components can be bought there (have previously installed a second hard drive and a dvd drive from komplett)

Would appreciate any input

Ruu_Old

Don't know how you managed with that amount of RAM, it is probably the best and cheapest way to go. Try crucial.com/eu for good prices on RAM, it has a configurator that tells you what RAM you need and installation instructions.

cgarrad

248 is not right, maybe 2048 or 256

Check here:

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

and get back.

Windows will tell u the amount also (press and hold windows key and press pause/break) but not the type

A clean reinstall WILL DO WONDERS i promise!!!!

Anima

Reinstall the operating system would be a good idea. Could try defragging the harddrives and sorting out MSCONFIG (services and startup programs).

And if you actually only have 256mb ram, get a ram upgrade.

Ruu_Old

cgarrad wrote: »

248 is not right, maybe 2048 or 256

Check here:

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

and get back.

Windows will tell u the amount also (press and hold windows key and press pause/break) but not the type

A clean reinstall WILL DO WONDERS i promise!!!!

Could be shared memory with 8MB going to the on board graphics, that is what I figured anyway.

Spongey1975

cgarrad wrote: »

248 is not right, maybe 2048 or 256

Check here:

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

and get back.

When i went in to system properties in Control Panel it said 248MB RAM but when i did the scan above it gave me 256MB. Not too concerned why there is a difference. Gonna get the RAM upgrade and see how it is after that.

Thanks

Effluo

I have a very similar computer at home and it was diabolicly slow untill.....

Go nuts with the deletion of unused files and folders, all the documents that you have used in years! If there's more than one profile on the pc you should get rid of them and have everything in the one.

Then run ccleaner from downloads.com it's free and the pc i have at home now is really working great! Or at least a lot better than before.

If you're only gonna do one of those things i'd recommend getting ccleaner it gets rid of all the unused registry files, which especially on a pc that's been around for a while is slowing it down majorly!

Get ccleaner!

If you want to go upgrading ram would be good but my pc at home now could do all those things you want it to do really easily!

An Fear Aniar

Considering you use it only for browsing, movies etc, you could try out a lightweight Linux distro - e.g. Puppy Linux

http://www.puppylinux.org/home/overview

You can test it from a USB - using Unetbootin put Puppy on a USB and boot from that to try it out.

It's another option to try if you feel adventurous.


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blackgold>>

An Fear Aniar are you having a laugh?
He doesnt want linux, he wants to use his computer.:)
ram is the answer to his question, not puppy nerd linux...Ram is practically free these days.. kinda like linux ....

cpu-dude

Spongey1975 wrote: »

My computer at home is getting very slow these days and is getting increasingly frustrating. Its not used for games but instead mainly for internet, watching films, and other basic uses. I know its more due to the fact that i've a few programs open at the same time. I want a bit of advice in whats the best way to increase the speed of my computer. My computer currently has a Celeron 3.06 GHz processor and 248MB RAM

I seem to think i have 2 options

1. Change the processor, if so whats the best alternative for my needs and any advice on installing it.

2. Upgrade the RAM, if so whats suitable for me and advice on how to instal it

Am aware of the komplett.ie website and know all components can be bought there (have previously installed a second hard drive and a dvd drive from komplett)

Would appreciate any input

For basic needs, a reformat and 1GB of RAM would do your PC wonders.

If you want this for more power (like games, photoshop, video editing), I suggest an upgrade. You can get computers so cheap these days.

An Fear Aniar

blackgold wrote:

An Fear Aniar are you having a laugh?
He doesnt want linux, he wants to use his computer.
ram is the answer to his question, not puppy nerd linux...Ram is practically free these days.. kinda like linux ....

No, not kidding it's an option. Puppy is famous for breathing new life into old hardware and it's really easy to use.

If he didn't want to add RAM it was another option - especially considering he just uses the thing for browsing and films.

Most Linux distros aren't really nerdy anymore, they're designed to be used.


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blackgold>>

Why in gods name would you want linux when 1 gig or ram costs 9 euro?
We use 3ghz cpu also, Not 100mhz..

spartacus93

If you're just going to keep using it for the basics i'd suggest you upgrade the RAM and do a fresh install of windows. This will make a huge difference to performance.

no real need for a major upgrade. I'd do the ram and you should get another couple of years out of it without a problem. Use the memory selector on the komplett website to find the right ram for your computer.

the_syco

Get http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz_150.zip extract it, run it, goto the SPD taab, and tell us what it says in the "Max Bandwitdh" row. We'll tell you how cheaply your RAM will cost. I'd say €20 would get you 1GB, with free posting.

Oh, and f**k reinstalling Windows. Get Adawre from http://www.lavasoft.com/single/mirror_download.php?f=g2Obc772A install it, run it, and your machine will be lovely again. Pop in a GB of RAM, and you'll think you just got a spanking new PC. Trust me: going from 256MB to 1GB of RAM is a BIG (and cheap) speed increase!

An Fear Aniar

blackgold>> wrote: »

Why in gods name would you want linux when 1 gig or ram costs 9 euro?
We use 3ghz cpu also, Not 100mhz..

Don't be so defensive. Just presenting another option. That's what an online forum is for.

There's lots of good reasons to use Linux, mostly to do with security.

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Voodu Child

I'd recommend upgrading the ram definitely. With XP you don't need a shedload of it, but certainly 1GB won't hurt. If it's cheap enough, just put in as much as possible. It will make a huge difference compared to 256MB.

If your main (OS) drive is a good few years old, i'd also recommend replacing it with a newer (faster/larger) drive, and giving it a fresh install of windows. You could still keep the old one if it's functional, but it's always best to have your OS and applications on a fast drive with minimal wear and tear, sector damage etc.

Once you've made a fresh start, i'd recommend you practice good maintenance - regularly keep an eye on the startup programs (lots of stuff sneaks its way on there), defrag every now and then, keep a good AV suite etc. Research which applications are lighter/more efficient than others.

AlmightyCushion

Reaps - We don't allow discussion of piracy.