HARDWARE CONSIDERATIONS

If all these changes don't get you the desired result, you could consider upgrading parts of your hardware. Keep in mind there should always be a certain balance in your system. Most important to the performance are order of importance: memory (RAM), harddisk speed and capacity, and processor speed.Windows will require at least 32 MB of memory to run. The more or the larger the programs you run at a time, the more memory is desirable. More than 128 MB is unnecessary in most cases however.


Some applications (games, graphics software), may benefit from more memory. Older versions of windows may have trouble handling this, win98's optimum for example is 64 MB. Adding memory is probably the cheapest way to improve system performance. Depending on the current price of course, memory prices fluctuate tremendously. Your system will always be dependent on the size and speed of your harddisk. Very much so if you find your system does a lot of swapping for its virtual memory.


Your harddisk should not be filled in excess of 75% of its total size to perform at its best. Harddisk technology is evolving rapidly, so a newer harddrive may considerably speed up your system. Raw processor speed is not nearly as important to overall system performance as is often suggested. It is dependent on a lot of factors, like memory, cache, harddisk, bus speed, the software you use, etc. Faster processors are mostly very expensive, and often require other parts in your system to be replaced as well.


You should only consider this as a last resort.Technology is evolving rapidly, prices seem to be dropping ever faster. Keeping up with the latest standards will cost you a lot of money. If you can suffice with the 'previous standards', you'll save yourself a bundle. Replacing only outdated parts in your computer often seems a wiser approach, than simply buying a new system.