Christmas is over, and it’s time to start buying for yourself again. Consider treating yourself with a gift that’ll keep giving for years to come: upgraded computer components. These are minor upgrades you can install yourself (no repair shop required) and will save you so much time over when writing, shopping, or just waiting for your aging PC to boot up, you’ll wonder why you spent so long with a spinning disk in your computer.
Before You Buy, Check the Specs
Before you pay for any components, get a handle on your system’s specifications so you know which components you can purchase. RAM is available in multiple form factors, clock speeds, and latency levels, while storage drives can use different interfaces like SATA, PCIe, mSATA, or M.2. It all gets a bit confusing, so just focus on using the same interface or form factor, while boosting the amount of memory or storage space.
Windows 10
In Windows 10, you can check your system specifications in a few ways—most involving digging through system settings and sifting through every component in your PC, looking for the right numbers and letters in a component’s name to figure out its technical specifications. The easier method involves downloading Speccy, which scans your system hardware to give you the relevant information you need for upgrading your PC. You’ll get a summary of the parts in your PC, and see what kind of memory, storage interface, graphics card, and processor you have. Keep that information handy, as you’ll need it to filter your search for parts online.
If you’d rather not add a new app to your computer, you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del, select Task Manager, then hit the Performance tab to get an overview of your CPU, memory, and disk storage. You’ll see the information you need about your memory, graphics card, and hard disk.
You can also hit the Start menu, and search for System Information. There you’ll get a list of all the hardware that makes up your PC, including the type of RAM, storage, and graphics card in your machine.
macOS
Hit the apple icon in the top-left of your display, then select About My Mac. You’ll see a simplified overview of the hardware in your Mac, including hard disk size, memory, and CPU. Select System Report to see a more in-depth list of all the hardware that makes up your Mac, along with the information about your memory and storage, two upgradeable components depending on the type of Mac you own.
Find Compatible Parts
Once you’ve got the type of components you need down, you can use a site like PC Part Picker, which makes it easy to find the part you’re looking for from whichever retailer has it available. You can browse by individual components, and filter your options based on compatibility with your system. If you’re buying parts for an Apple computer, check OWC, which specializes in Mac components.
Upgrade Your SSD First
Solid-state drives are now cheap enough that there’s no excuse for you to be stuck with an obsolete, slow, spinning hard disk drive. SSDs can nearly triple your computer’s performance by eliminating the moving parts involved when using a hard disk drive. If you have a motherboard with an M.2 slot, make sure you get a compatible M.2 SSD, one using a faster PCIe interface.
Get More RAM
The more memory in your PC, the more tabs you can have open at once, the less time you’ll spend waiting for apps to manage large files like photos or videos, and the more apps you can use at the same time. You don’t need to spend all your cash buying 16GB of RAM (unless you’re doing some heavy video editing); 8GB will do just fine. Ensure you choose the right form factor (look for something like SO-DIMM, or DDR4 in your system’s RAM synopsis) so you buy one that actually fits in your motherboard.
Get a New Video Card for Prettier Games
You don’t need to buy a $300 video card with a robot on the box to play recent video games on your PC on something other than the “Low” quality setting. If your PC doesn’t have one, spending under $100 can get you a graphics card perfect for enjoying fast-paced games in 720p, or less demanding games at 1080p. Your PC won’t be running any VR games, but adding a graphics card also means you’ll be able to drive multiple monitors at once. Because everyone loves being distracted. Original post from: LifeHacker
If your old PC is running slow, here are additional tips with additional details:
1. Uninstall Unnecessary Programs
Over time, your PC may accumulate software that you no longer use or need, which can slow it down.
How to fix it:
- Go to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program and remove software you don’t use anymore.
- Be cautious about uninstalling programs that are necessary for your system to function, such as drivers or system utilities.
2. Limit Startup Programs
Many programs automatically run at startup, which can significantly slow down your PC.
How to fix it:
- Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and go to the Startup tab.
- Disable any non-essential programs that automatically start when you boot your computer.
3. Clean Up Your Hard Drive
A full hard drive can impact system performance. Cleaning up unnecessary files can help your PC run faster.
How to fix it:
- Use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool (search for it in the Start menu) to remove temporary files, old system files, and more.
- Clear your browser cache and delete files you no longer need or move them to an external drive.
4. Upgrade Your RAM
If your computer has too little memory (RAM), it may struggle with multiple applications running at once. Adding more RAM can significantly improve performance. Research your computers make and model, it might not bee too hard to replace the computer electronics hardware (the chip) to improve RAM.
How to fix it:
- Check how much RAM your system has (in Task Manager or System Information) and determine if your computer can support additional RAM.
- Purchase compatible RAM modules and either install them yourself or hire a professional.
5. Switch to an SSD
If your PC still uses a traditional hard drive (HDD), upgrading to a solid-state drive (SSD) can dramatically speed up boot times and application loading.
How to fix it:
- Install an SSD and clone your operating system onto it for faster boot times and smoother performance.
- SSDs are faster, more reliable, and consume less power than HDDs.
6. Run Antivirus and Malware Scans
Malware and viruses can significantly slow down your computer. Regularly scanning your PC for threats is essential to maintaining speed and performance.
How to fix it:
- Run a full system scan using a reputable antivirus program to identify and remove malware or viruses.
- Keep your antivirus software up to date to ensure your PC is protected.
7. Keep Your Operating System and Drivers Updated
Running an outdated operating system or drivers can cause compatibility issues and performance problems.
How to fix it:
- Regularly check for and install updates for your operating system (Windows Update).
- Update device drivers, especially for hardware components like the graphics card, sound card, and network adapters.
8. Disable Visual Effects
Windows includes several visual effects that, while visually appealing, can slow down older PCs.
How to fix it:
- Right-click This PC or My Computer, go to Properties > Advanced system settings > Performance Settings, and choose Adjust for best performance to disable unnecessary animations and effects.
9. Defragment Your Hard Drive
If you still use a traditional hard drive, defragmenting it can help organize fragmented data, making file access faster.
How to fix it:
- Use the built-in Defragment and Optimize Drives tool in Windows to reorganize data on your hard drive.
10. Consider a Fresh Windows Installation
If your PC is still slow after trying other tips, performing a clean installation of Windows can clear out years of accumulated junk and give your system a fresh start.
How to fix it:
- Backup your important files, create a Windows installation USB drive, and reinstall the operating system to start with a clean slate.
By following these tips, you can breathe new life into your old PC and significantly improve its performance!
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