How to Get a Faster PC for Free and Do More in Less Time

Computers are a bit like life - no matter how good (or fast) it is, we always wish that it would be a bit better. In my relentless pursuit to get the most out of my PC, I have come up with a few tips and tricks that will give you a performance boost for free! In this article I will tell you exactly how to do that.

There are mainly two ways (as I have categorized) that you can make a PC faster. The first involves system maintenance (in order to maximize your computer's efficiency) and the latter involves overclocking. Overclocking is not for the faint of heart (or the inexperienced computer user) but if done successfully, can result in a significant performance boost. I will discuss more on overclocking at the end of this article.

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

You would be surprised about how much hidden power lies untapped in that dusty PC of yours, so I guess we should better get working on that.

1. De-fragment your hard drive: As you use your PC on a day-to-day basis the end result is that your system files become scattered all over your hard drive. This is known as fragmentation and can result in slow performance as Windows looks all over the place for a file. So the first thing you need to do is de-fragment your hard drive. Use Windows built-in hard disk defragmenter [START>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter] and click on analyze. It will advise you on which drives to defragment. You should see a modest boost in performance once you have defragged your drives.

2. Clean the temp folder: As you browse the internet and perform tasks on your PC, junk files and other stuff gets stored in your temporary internet files and internet files, respectively. You could manually delete them [C:\WINDOWS\Temp] or use a free tool such as ccCleaner [DOWNLOAD LINK] to do the job for you. Not only will this free up your disk space but you should also see some performance boost.

3. Run a spyware/adware scan: Spywares, adwares and viruses are notoriously known to make your PC slow down to a crawl (as if they didn't already cause much harm). Use Lavasoft's Adaware and AVG's Free Antivirus to eliminate those nasties and you will notice an improvement in system stability and performance. In the future, it is better to prevent your computer from getting infected in the first place. I discuss more of it at How to get rid of Adwares, Spywares, Viruses and other malicous content once and for all.

4. Update your drivers: Update your video card driver - Nvidia and ATI are constantly releasing new drivers to squeeze the last drop of performance out of their video cards. If you are a gamer, then you might notice a significant improvement in your game's framerate.

You might also want to check out PC STAT'S 99 Performance Tips for Windows XP

OVERCLOCKING

All of these tips will help you to utilize your computer's full potential. But if you are looking to gain even more performance for free - and who doesn't want that? - then you should consider overclocking. Still be warned that overclocking might void your warranty and you might even end up with a fried piece of silicon!

1. Video card: One of the easiest to overclock is your video card, in which case a software does it for you. If you have an ATI video card, then download ATI Tool. Use Nvidia nTune if you have an Nvidia card. One tool that I use to overclock my Sapphire Radeon graphics card is Trixx - it automatically detects the "safest" overclocking limit and saves it as a configuration. You can load that configur ation when you want improved performance out of your card or return to "normal" or even "lower" performance! If you want to take video overclocking seriously, then I recommend reading PC STAT'S Beginner's Guide to Overclocking the Video Card.

2. Processor and motherboard: Now this is what overclocking is really about. Most modern processors, motherboard and RAM can be overclocked to a certain degree. But it requires trial and error. One superb guide to overclocking for beginners can be found at PC STAT'S Beginer's Guide to Overclocking the CPU, Motherboard and Memory. Overclocking is a science in itself and will require not one, but many posts to successfully nail it. You could try searching around google and forums for tips. But remember that overclocking means more heat so you have to ensure that your PC is properly cooled. You might even consider water-cooling for serious overclocking (and that's not a joke!).

Here are some overclocking resources to get you started:

Overclocking Forum - Overclocker.net
Google - Overclocking Resources
Google - Beginner's Guide to Overclocking

Overclocking tool:

ATI Overclocking Tool
Nvidia nTune (overclocking tool)
Sapphire Trixx

Benchmark tools:

PCMark05
3DMark06

Recommended Reading:

PC STAT'S Beginner's Guide to Overclocking the Video Card
PC STAT'S Beginer's Guide to Overclocking the CPU, Motherboard and Memory
PC STAT'S 99 Performance Tips for Windows XP

RELATED ARTICLES:

How to get rid of Adwares, Spywares, Viruses and other malicous content once and for all
Online Gaming for the least fortunate

Thanks for reading these tips! Email me your thoughts and comments and your favourite techniques and they might even end up here too!

Discuss this post at our forum.

 

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Get rid of adwares, spywares, viruses and other malicious content once and for all

Internet connection is available to the masses of the Bangladeshi people - anyone can access it from their home, office, school, university, cyber cafes at a cheap flat rate. But due to the huge accessibility to the Internet, virus and other malicious attacks have increased two-fold. A lot of us don't even care to use anti-spyware/adware/virus softwares or don't update them regularly and this results in potentially harmful malicious content on our PC without our knowledge.

Therefore I am proud to present this guide on how to protect your computer from these malicious threats.


1. ADWARE

An adware isn't that dangerous, but it still is a nuisance. An adware is just apiece of bad software which displays ads in the hope that you will click on them - they get their revenues from the clicks you make. Although this isn't serious, but it is annoying as it trashes your computer with tons of advertisement, some of which may be inappropriate.

The best (and free!) adware removal software is Lavasoft's Ad-aware Personal, Spybot's Search & Destroy and Microsoft Defender . You can have multiple adware removal tools (unlike a virus checker) installed on your system with little or no problem. Not a single anti-adware software can catch and remove all, so your best bet would be to have a couple of them installed all together at once. Never install adware removal tools from unknown publishers as these install adwares themselves!

Once you have downloaded the appropriate softwares, run a check weekly (at the least) and remember to update often. New adwares are constantly being released and your PC is sitting dumb unless you update. Updating allows newer adwares to be detected and removed by the adware-removal tools. Most of us forget to update our softwares - thinking that we are perfectly safe, but WE ARE NOT! Don't be one of them!

2. SPYWARES

A spyware is a potentially dangerous form of malicious software. It tracks your every move, every key you press, every passwords that you enter - everything that you do on your PC. That means it can find out all your passwords, credit card details, personal information and send it back to its maker. Thousands of accounts are being hacked, credit cards are being forged and identity theft being done this way.

But you do not need to fret at this! The best spyware removal tools are also free. And yes, ad-ware removal tools also scan for spywares, so that you have a two-in-one software. Use the adware removal softwares that I have mentioned and make sure to run a scan frequently and update your software.

3. VIRUSES

Virus stands for Vital Information Resources Under Siege. This is perhaps the most dangerous form form of malicious software that is out there on the internet. Viruses alone causes billions of dollars of damage worldwide. Think about all the important files on your computer - that you have toiled upon day and night or have them for years. If you catch a virus then it may delete all your files, your operating system, and render your computer useless. Some viruses are known to slow down a computer's performance. So if your computer is behaving strangely - frequent crahses, error messages - or has become slow, then you have, most likely, caught a virus. Included in the many types of viruses are:

A. Trojan horses A Trojan horse is just a computer program. The program pretends to do one thing (like claim to be a picture) but actually does damage when one starts it (it can completely erase one's files). Trojan horses cannot replicate automatically.

B. Worms A worm is a piece of software that uses computer networks and security flaws to create copies of itself. A copy of the worm will scan the network for any other machine that has a specific security flaw. It replicates itself to the new machine using the security flaw, and then begins scanning and replicating anew.

C. E-mail viruses An e-mail virus will use an e-mail message as a mode of transport, and usually will copy itself by automatically mailing itself to hundreds of people in the victim's address book.

To remove viruses, you need a good Antivirus program, such as Symantec's Norton Antivirus, BitDefender or McAfee. If you cannot afford a paid antivirus program, then consider yourself getting a free antivirus program such as AVG Antivirus . It is good enough. Of all the important things, remember to scan and update regularly!

General Guidelines to avoid infection:

1. Always use a firewall, such as Zone Alarm. A firewwall is your first line of defence against malicious attacks as it stops the infection from entering your computer.

2. Use a safe browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, or the recently released Internet Explorer 7. A lot of virus outbreaks occur due to holes in Internet Explorer 6.

3. If using Internet Explorer, double-check before you run any Active X controls.

4. Time and time again, remember to update your softwares!

5. Never visit any illegal/crack/warez/serial/porn sites. These are the most likely sources for virus, spyware or adware infections.

6. Never download anything from sources that you do not trust.

7. Never respond to or open spam mails. Never download any attachments in your email from a person you do not know.

8. Use an antivirus software running in the background. These offer real-time protection and stop viruses the moment they try to enter your PC.

9. Patch your operating system regularly, especially if you are using Windows. Bugs and holes through which malicious content could enter, are continually being detected and patched. To make sure you are receiving the latest patches (in Win XP), go to Start>Control Panel>Security Center and make sure that Automatic Update is turned on.

10. Get the latest updates of all the software that you use - it improves performance, stability and system security.

And the best defense of all is to USE YOUR COMMON SENSE.

It is hoped that with these guidelines, you will be able to stop 90% of all malicious attacks. But in the off-chance that you do catch a virus, then don't tear out your hair yet! Try to remove it using a virus scanner or manually delete the file. If all else fails, you may need to perform a complete reformat of your hard drive. But that means backing up all your data, documents, personal files, reinstalling Windows, reinstalling all your softwares and settings and the like.

If you need help, then post a message at our discussion forum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gamers-world_bd/ where there are lots of eager members to help you. But if all else fails, and you need immediate assistance, then drop me a line.

-Download Links (Free) -
Lavasoft's Ad-aware - Spybot Search&Destroy - Microsoft Defender - AVG Antivirus - Zone Alarm

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Get free reciprocal links

On the hunt to get some quality reciprocal links to boost your page rank? You've come to the right place! We are open for all types of reciprocal link exchanges. Heres what you need to do:

1.Just place our link http://gamersworldbd.blogspot.com with the title "Gamers World Bangladesh Blog" on your web.
2. Notify us that you have put the link and where you have put it.
3. Specify your link details and email us at gamertushar123-linkexchange@yahoo.com!
4. We will have your link up and running!

Another website that I recommend is Noli Control Systems - Save Energy With Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. "We offer a range of quality energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and accessories. We have the most popular and best value energy saving light bulbs in America!"

They maybe a bit off topic, but they sure have some pretty good page rank.

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Online Gaming for the least fortunate

This represents my first how-to article.

All of us Bangladeshis have known it and longed to try it out, that is, online gaming - the major step forward for video games. But every Bangladeshi knows that to attempt such a feat is a complete suicide, with net speeds in the mere single digit kilobytes per second and webpages that take forever to load, online gaming is nothing but a luxury to behold. But we've known it and seen it - the likes of World of Warcraft with over seven million subscribers, many of us have dreamed to divulge in this far-away treasure.

But take heart people! It seems that online gaming is not so far away from our grasp. Today, I will give you some advice on how to play online games even on slow net connections, right now, right here! I've had my own experiences as a successful online gamer in Bangladesh and here is what I've learned to get you up and running.

1. Turn off bandwidth zapping programs: You would be surprised at the increase in your net speeds. Turn off windows automatic updates, your antivirus/firewall updates, etc. during the time of your online play. Look for background apps that require an internet connection and give them the boot - you want to squeeze out the last frop out of your bandwidth. Just remember to turn you updates back on again!

2. Do a spyware/adware scan: No, this isn't your routine security maintenance. All of these notorious programs call back to its creator at the expense of your bandwidth. So, eliminate them!

3. Choose a server closest to you and with the least ping: While inside a game lobby, choose a server that is closest to your location. This reduces the time that it takes for the data to travel and, ultimately, reduces lag. Most games automatically clalculate the time required and displays it as "ping". So choose the game server with the lowest ping.

4. Don't play shooter/action games: Try games, such as racing and strategy, which are still playable under lag. I personally don't recommend playing fps games as lag will constantly get you fragged and pwned - no matter how good you are.

5. Play at off-peak hours: Usually this time is after midnight when more people are sleeping than surfing. So less people are on your ISP's network and, therefore, you will gain a lot of increase in speed. In a couple of times playing online at off-peak hours, lag was virtually eliminated!

6. Switch to a better ISP: It is a common fact that different ISPs provide different speeds at the same price (see my post "The Search for a better ISP" at http://gamersworldbd.blogspot.com/2006/08/search-for-good-isp-fed-up-with-worst.html). So you could get an increase in your net speed by just switching your ISP and you will still be paying the same. One ISP that I particularly recommend is Sirius Broadband. Not only do they have a dedicated gaming server for local play, but they also offer a meaty 128 kbps connection at an affordable price. Note: I was NOT paid by Sirius Broadband to write this post.

If you take care to follow these guidlines that I have mentioned, I'm sure that you will be gaming online in no time. But that also means you gotta own legal copies of your favourite games (sorry, pirated games do not work online). A good and immensely popular online game that I recommend is Savage. It is an interesting blend between strategy, action and roleplaying, so check it out at http://www.s2games.com/savage/downloads.php. And it's only 150 MB in size!

I hope this helps. Just leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out. You can also share your own tip. If you have a 360 and do make it online, then make sure to invite me to yout game. My gamercard is TUSHAR451. And happy online gaming everyone!

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