Speed up a computer with hardware upgrades

After software the most important factors in the speed of a PC are RAM Memory, the Processor, Hard Drive Storage options and the speed of the installed Graphics Card.

For example older PC's may have only shipped with 1GB or 2GB of RAM so the option to upgrade is compelling. And you can never really have too much PC memory, because adding more can make your PC more responsive. However, 32-bit desk top computers and laptops can only effectively use 4GB RAM.

To take advantage of more than 4GB of memory your PC needs to run a 64-bit operating system as 64-bit systems offer direct access to more virtual and physical memory than 32-bit systems and therefore process a lot more data per clock cycle. This makes your PC run faster and perform everyday tasks much quicker. To check what memory upgrades you may be able to do visit Crucial's website and download the Crucial Advisor tool or just ask Crucial to scan your computer.

Installing a new processor is difficult, but not impossible. It's also likely to be quite expensive (and you may reach the point where a new PC or laptop may be a better idea). But it is possible, and my article 'How to upgrade your processor (CPU)' shows you how to do this.

Another possible upgrade is to install a Solid State Drive (SSD) into your PC or laptop - if you don't have one installed. Solid-state storage is much quicker than a traditional spinning hard drive. And if your Windows operating system is installed on an SSD you'll find that your whole PC works faster. Of course you will need to reinstall all your programs as well. It's best to keep all your documents folders on your old hard drive and only install programs on the SSD that will benefit from the increased speed. To learn how to fit a solid state drive (SSD) to your PC read my article 'How to install a Solid State Drive'.

Finally, another hardware upgrade is to improve your graphics card. This can be expensive, but is effective if you want to enjoy faster gaming or better quality HD video. The installation is not difficult but you must make sure the card you buy is suitable for your PC. If your PC is a few years old you might need to find an older AGP based graphic card. A more modern PC will no doubt have a slot for a PCI Express based card. To find out more read my article 'How to upgrade a Graphics Card'.