If you find yourself wondering why your computer is slow, refer to this list of common causes:
- Useless-ware/Malware – Programs may be running in the background that don’t have to be
- Too much anti-malware – (Windows only) You should have only one real-time malware scanner, with no “extra features”
- Slow hard drive – Caused by type (e.g. 5400 RPM), age (>4 years old), or errors
- Insufficient RAM – 4GB is enough in most cases, 8GB is common, more for heavy programs
- Updates – These may be running in the background without your knowledge
- Cloud backups – These may be running in the background without your knowledge
- Processor – Look for CPUs with a benchmark >> 1800 (cpubenchmark.net)
- Internet connection – Use speedtest.net to make sure you are <40ms / >4Mbps / >0.4Mbps
- Browser plug-ins – Browsers aren’t slow or flakey … browser plug-ins can make them that way
- Drivers/BIOS – May be incompatible, out of date, or just broken … fix as necessary
There are other possible reasons for a slow computer, but those are the most common ones. Here are some things you can do to speed up your computer:
- Remove programs you don’t use, or that have questionable value … especially ones that are running all the time; scan regularly for malware with a program like Malwarebytes
- Use only one real-time anti-malware scanner, and avoid the “extra features” like firewalls and other “protections”; also avoid “cleaners” … most of them fall into the category of useless-ware
- Consider upgrading your hard drive to one that is faster (7200RPM or hybrid) or fastest (solid state drive) … but do it before your hard drive completely fails
- Upgrading RAM is pretty easy … get the correct type/size and plug it in
- Manually update your operating system when it is convenient for you, just to get’r’done
- Cloud backups are great, but they can hog your Internet bandwidth … schedule them if possible
- You typically can’t upgrade your CPU, so keep that in mind when upgrading your computer
- Internet speed is measure by ping (40ms is passable, lower is better), download (4Mbps is passable, higher is better), and upload (0.4Mbps is passable, higher is better)
- Browser plug-ins are sometimes called add-ons or extensions; there are very few useful plug-ins, so I tend to remove them
- It’s not worth checking/replacing drivers or BIOS unless there is an issue, but that can fix issues … avoid driver updater programs