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!

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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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