How To Make A Computer Faster

By: Mack Collins

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Learn how to make a computer faster with just a few simple steps. Your computer might be on its last legs or just out of breath. These tips can breathe new life into any computer.

  1. Remove spyware and malware. This is among the top reasons why computers become slow. Using spyware removing programs like Ad-Aware can help get rid of malicious files and programs that can bring your computer to a crippling halt.
  2. Defragment your hard drive. Data stored on your hard drive will eventually become fragmented as time goes on. Fragmentation is when a file is broken into pieces because there isn’t enough space on the drive where the file was originally saved. Since the hard drive has to hunt down these data fragments, performance slows noticeably. Defragmenting can bring these files back together, improving hard drive performance.
  3. Clean up your hard drive. You may have extra files on your computer that are no longer needed, taking up space while reducing performance. Use a utility like Piriform’s CCleaner to get rid of unneeded files and free up hard drive space.
  4. Upgrade your RAM. You will have to know what type of RAM your computer currently uses, as well as the maximum it will hold.
  5. Swap for a faster processor. Upgrading your computer’s processor is another way of giving your computer a well-needed speed boost. It’s not the cheapest way making your computer faster, but if you know to swap one and know what to swap one with, it can be done. However, you can only replace your processor with one that has the same socket type; otherwise, you will have to replace the motherboard.
  6. Upgrade to an SSD. A solid state disk drive not only offers blistering performance over regular hard drives, but it also contains zero moving parts, eliminating worries about wear and other damage. At over $300 for an 80GB drive, SSDs can be a very expensive option to take.
Posted on: Sep. 09, 2010