<p>The personal computer as we know it today consists of a few well-defined components. Some process or transform information, others just store it, but each of the computer’s parts is replaceable with any of the hundreds of compatible parts available on the market with different qualities.
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Computer manufacturers (not computer part manufacturers) come up with optimal system configurations after thoroughly testing and benchmarking available components.Because not all manufacturers optimize their computers for speed, it is up to you (the user) to find ways <strong>how to speed up your computer</strong>.

Let’s start with Apple computers (or other brands with embedded processors) that permit you the change a very small number of components, because most of them are soldered onto the mainboard, except for the Mac Pro that lets you change the processor, memory modules, hard disks, optical drives and graphics card(s). The latest Mac Pros are based on Intel’s fastest Xeon server processors built on Nehalem technology, which don’t leave much room for improvement, but still can be replaced with future models that perhaps come with a higher clock speed.

The CPU (aka the processor) has the biggest influence on the computer’s speed, so this would be the first component we want to upgrade to achieve higher computing speeds.

Depending on the type of tasks we usually run on our computer, loading times may prove to be very long. Loading usually refers to the process that reads data from a storage unit and puts it into the RAM (random access memory) for fast access. Usually the speed of this process can be improved by adding more memory or upgrading the hard disk to a higher RPM mechanical drive or SSD (solid state drive) that is basically one big flash memory with very high read and write speeds.
These two components can be upgraded in almost all computer systems available today. Memory speed also depends on the number of channels, so we have to make sure that the right number and size of memory modules is installed in the right slots (according to information found in the mainboard’s manual). Basically the same strategy can be applied to the hard disk by putting more drives in RAID mode that multiplies the hard drive’s read/write speeds (just like the multi-channel RAM vs. single channel).
The hard disk and the system memory are in another strange relationship on the level of operating systems. Something called the <em>swap file, page file </em>or <em>swap partition </em>is created by default on the hard drive for dumping less frequently used data from the memory (or any least used data when the system memory is almost full). Considering the fact that the hard disk is hundreds of times slower than the system memory it’s easy to deduce that this data dumping process takes time and drastically reduces overall system performance.
The best solution is to simply disable the page file or swap partition and/or install more than sufficient system memory to reduce the number of unnecessary data dumping and (re)loads. This way all programs will only use the system memory for operations.
3D performance depends on both the processor and graphics card. There are different 3D game/application engines that use these two components in different proportions, so it’s hard to say which will improve the overall system performance. The only way to give a correct answer is to try out the software while monitoring the CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) loads. One will always be close to 100% use while the other at a lower percentage. Needless to say that the component closer to 100% needs to be upgraded to improve the performance of that specific application.

Another <strong>way to speed up your computer</strong> is to overclock the CPU and/or GPU. Today most mainboards permit at least a 10% overclock, while a few go as far as 100% in some situations. By overclocking we increase the clock speed of the CPU or GPU, and usually voltage has to be increased too. Overclocking is not recommended, because with these increases components may permanently be damaged.










