6 Tips to Make Your Pc Faster

Have you ever wanted to improve the speed at which your computer processes information? Do you find yourself swearing every time your PC freezes up in the middle of a work project? Are you starting to think about giving up on your PC and making the switch to Mac? Before completely giving up on your pc, take a look at these six tips for pc optimization.

1. Delete Unnecessary Programs

• Delete Unnecessary Programs

You can free up a lot of space on your hard drive by uninstalling programs you don’t need. These programs also run in the background, using up precious memory and resources. Get rid of them, and watch as your PC speeds up significantly. You may also read the best monitor.

Keep in mind that native Windows software will often be a better choice than third-party applications. For example, instead of downloading an Office suite, use the Office Online apps provided by Microsoft (or Google Docs).

To uninstall a program:

• Open Control Panel (hit the Windows key then type “Control Panel”). Click “Uninstall a Program” under “Programs” to view all your installed software.
• Select the program you want to remove from the list and click its Uninstall button. Follow any instructions provided by the uninstaller to complete the process.

When installing new software on your computer:

• Check if you really need it before downloading anything onto your PC; rarely do people need every application they install, so think about whether or not you actually need something before you install it on your computer for good measure. Also be sure to use its latest version; many older versions are slower because they were designed to work with older computers that didn’t have as much processing power as computers today do. Despite this, it’s important not to let yourself get caught up in chasing after tech that’s brand new; new doesn’t always mean better when it comes to computers! It’s important not be too quick to purchase new technology unless there is clear evidence that doing so would be worth it for you or your business–and even then (especially then), carefully consider what exactly would make purchasing new technology worth spending money on now rather than later!

2. Update Your Drivers

• Update Your Drivers

One of the most important things you can do to maintain your PC is to ensure that all of your drivers are up-to-date. If a driver becomes outdated, its software won’t be able to correctly communicate with your hardware and may cause crashes or lag. You can update them manually or automatically, but don’t forget to check for updates regularly. Common drivers that need updating include:

• Graphics card (Intel)
• Chipset (Intel)
• Network (LAN)
• Audio (Realtek)

3. Get Rid of Spyware and Viruses

Spyware, viruses and malware are programs that can slow down your computer. Free spyware removal tools such as Spybot Search & Destroy can remove some of these programs automatically. Most computers have an anti-virus program installed on them, but you can also download one to use instead. The main thing to do is make sure they are always up-to-date so they can catch any new threats.

If you don’t have an anti-virus program, it’s a good idea to get one. Windows comes with a built in defender that is usually sufficient enough for most people’s needs (and is available at no extra cost), but there are other free and effective options available, including AVG AntiVirus Free and Avast! Free Antivirus 2015 .

4. Install More RAM

Random-access memory (RAM) is the next vital step to making your computer run faster. RAM works by temporarily storing frequently used data in a memory bank so it can be accessed faster. If your computer starts bogging down every time you have several programs open, or if Windows 10 is using 90%+ of your RAM, installing more RAM is exactly what you need!

If you don’t know how much RAM you should install, head over to PassMark and search for your processor in their CPU Benchmark Database. Look for the “Memory Value” and copy that number down. This is the maximum amount of RAM that this processor can handle. To get an idea of how fast a particular processor will run with different amounts of RAM installed, check out their Processor Value Chart below that. If possible get as close to this maximum number as possible without going over (16GB seems to be standard these days).

5. Clear the Clutter on Your Hard Drive

• Delete unnecessary programs, files and folders. Every junk file deletes a little bit of the stress from your PC’s memory.
• Compress files which you are not using so often. This does not delete them but makes the computer to have more space on its hard drive.
• Use cloud storage for documents, photos and videos and keep your hard drive free from that clutter.
• Use an external hard drive to store any documents, photos or videos you’re not currently working on. It will be much easier to access those files when you need them than having to go through all of your backed up files stored somewhere in the cloud.

6. Defragment Your Hard Drive

• Defragment Your Hard Drive

When your hard drive gets fragmented, it means that the files are no longer stored neatly in one spot but are scattered in different bits and pieces all over the hard drive. This makes accessing and reading these files more time-consuming for your computer, slowing down its performance. Your computer does have a built-in tool to defragment or optimize your hard drive—follow these steps to use it:

• Search for “defragment” in the Start Menu and select “Defragment and Optimize Drives.”
• A list of drives will appear; select you main hard disk (usually called C) and click on “Optimize.”
• You can analyze your disk first for fragmentation, but this is unnecessary if you haven’t been running your computer properly. If fragmentation is found, Windows will prompt you to schedule optimization. Click on “OK” to do this now or “Close” to run the defragmentation later manually.
• A command prompt window will appear; just leave it open until it disappears, which could take a while depending on how fragmented your hard drive is.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know how to make your computer faster by changing the settings and disabling programs that slow it down. If you’ve tried these tips, but your pc is running slower than ever, there may be a more serious hardware problem. In this case, we recommend taking your machine to a repair shop or contacting an IT professional who can diagnose and fix the issue.

If you’re looking for additional ways to make your computer faster, check out our article 8 Ways to Make Your Computer Faster. For more information on how computers work and other computing basics, head over to Techboomers’ Computer Basics course.