As technology advances, speed is a critical factor determining the efficiency of a computer. Compared to the machines in market today, the first computers were slow and sluggish. Competition resulted in manufacturers churning out CPUs with twice and thrice the speed of an existing model and the race is never ending. With the new Intel chip, the market saw new PCs with faster speeds. Speed rating is stamped on all the chips and it is measured in MHz {Mega-Hertz}
The central processing unit or CPU in a computer contains the chip where the speed is measured in clock cycles. Fast CPU chips do not, on their own, make a computer fast. The hard disk drive of the computer should be fast enough. Adding a hard disk cache is recommended because it speeds up the disk drive.
Checking the hardware system in entirety is essential to maintain speedy performance. Many applications run simultaneously on a system. Change process priorities need to be assigned so that more resources could be added to important tasks. Inadequate RAM {Random Access Memory} can also cause performance problems and affect the speed.
Unnecessary programs running in the background could also hamper speed. Experts recommend removing freeware shareware and plugins. Suspect programs like spyware create a slow startup and can hamper the speed. Registry errors and useless programs also slow down the computer. Slow start up is usually due to an overloaded registry.
Speed checks for the Internet will create smoother workflow. Deleting a few unnecessary desktop and shortcut icons also often helps improve speed. Settings in the BIOS can increase the processor speed but care needs to be taken not to let it go faster than what it was designed for. Otherwise, the processor will heat up and the fan may be inadequate to cool it down.
The above factors point out that upgrading the computer or buying a new super speed chip are to be considered only after the above simple options to improve the speed are exhausted. Before spending dollars on a faster CPU, the use and the application of the machine need to be evaluated.
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