You Don’t Need a New Computer
| Listed in Steals Exclusive on August 9, 2009 |
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Does your computer drag? Are you thinking it is time to buy a new one? Everyone knows new computers always have WAY more power and cost less than your old one. But consider something before you make the jump….
While it is fun to tell everyone you have a quad-core system with 8 gigs of RAM, you may not realize that even powerful a new system is dramatically limited by something called “PEBKAC“ which means ”[a] Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair”. And there is little you can do about it.
Don’t take it personally, but at any one time, you (and me and everyone else) can only browse so many web pages, type so many documents, listen to so many songs, watch so many videos or play so many games of solitaire. Modern computers breeze through these tasks. Unless you do 3D gaming, video editing or other tasks that are very system intensive, it is unlikely you need the kind of performance a new computer comes with.
But you only want a new computer because your current one is really slow right?
Although it is true that a computer system can get too old to run modern programs, if your system is less than 5 years old, try a few things first:
- Add RAM.
This is easy, cheap and it works! When you bought your computer RAM was expensive so you didn’t get much. But now RAM is one of the cheapest upgrades. You can likely double or triple your RAM for under $50. Try the tool below to find the correct memory for your system:
- Get rid of unnecessary programs and processes.
On a Windows system, open up the run utility (It is under the “start” button or launch it with “windows key + R”) and run “msconfig”. Under there, you will find a “startup” tab. While most of these programs are necessary, several may not be. Remove the checkmark from programs such as Quicktime, Adobe, Real Player and other programs you may have installed. These programs will still work just fine but won’t run unless they are needed. Doing this frees up memory and speeds up your system. Worst case, if you disable a startup program that you needed, just go back to “msconfig” and turn it back on!
Also go to the control panel and uninstall programs you don’t ever use. (This may not improve speed much, but will free up space and get rid of clutter.)
- Restore your system to its initially factory setup.
Sometimes it makes the most sense to restore the computer to it’s original factory setup. This removes everything that is slowing down your computer (Because it deletes EVERYTHING you installed and saved, so backup your important files first! With Windows XP, try the “File and Settings Transfer Wizard” located in “All Programs/Accessories/System Tools”)
After you have everything backed up, you’ll either need to use your factory restore disks or access the restore files on your hard drive. (Because the methods for this can vary a bit, it is best to do a search for how this works on your particular computer.)
- Get a new monitor.
Sometimes your computer only seems slower than it is. If you’re using a relatively small monitor (perhaps 17″ or less), tasks can take longer than with a larger one. With less “screen real estate” (lower resolution) web pages, documents, and just about everything else takes of up more of your screen. This means more scrolling and working with the computer to see and do the same things when compared to a bigger screen. (check out this images below for a comparison.)
smaller monitor (1024×768 resolution)
larger monitor (1440×900 resolution)
As you can see, there are many things you can do to get a significant performance boost from your computer system. These are just a few things that can spare you the expense of a new computer. Please add any other good tips in the comments below.
