Benchmark

A benchmark is a test that measures the performance of hardware, software, or computer. These tests
can be used to help compare how well a product may do against other products. When comparing
benchmarks, the higher the value of the results, the faster the component, software, or overall
computer is.

How to measure a computer's performance

Using Windows utilities

Windows Task Manager Performance Tab

Microsoft Windows comes with some basic monitor tools that help you monitor and measure a
computer's performance. For example, open the Windows Task Manager(press Ctrl + Alt + Del) and click
on the Performance tab. As can be seen in the example below of the Windows 7 Task Manager tab the
screen gives you an overview of the CPU Usage, memory, and other good system information.
Windows Resource Monitor

Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 users can open the Windows Resource Monitor from the
Performance tab by clicking the Resource Monitor button, or the Open Resource Monitor link.

The Windows Resource Monitor is a great tool that was first introduced in Windows 7 and gives much
greater detail of the overall system performance of a computer. The Resource Monitor also gives you
disk and network related information.
Using third-party utilities

The Windows utilities listed above are great for giving an overview of the current performance of
Windows and the running programs. However, they are not designed to give you an overall ranking or
comparison. If you need more details about the system performance, we suggest a benchmarking
program. These programs are designed to test the overall system performance and give you an overall
rank that can be used for your own testing purposes or to compete against others.

What makes a computer fast and powerful?

There are several components within a computer that help make it faster and more powerful. Below is a
list of the main hardware components that help contribute to the performance of a computer. Keep in
mind that even the software running on the computer may impact the speed of a computer.
Processor (CPU)

The overall speed or clock speed of the

computer and how fast it is capable of processing data is managed by the computer processor (CPU).
The computer will be much faster and more powerful when it is capable of executing more instructions
every second. For example, the first computer processor was the Intel 4004, which was only a
740 kHz processor and capable of processing approximately 92,000 instructions per second. Today's
processors are multi-core GHz processors capable of processing over 100 billion instructions per second.

Cache
Although today's computers can execute billions of instructions every second, the processor is usually
waiting for those instructions from the slower types of memory in the computer. Because RAM and the
hard drive are slower than the CPU, computer processors and motherboards use cache to transfer data
between the processor, memory, and components in the computer. Cache is the fastest type of memory
and a computer with more L2 cache or L3 cache is capable of storing more instructions and send those
instructions to the processor more efficiently.

Memory (RAM)
A computer with more memory (RAM) will be capable of storing more programs that are currently
running in memory. If your computer runs out of memory, the computer must swap unused data stored
in memory to your hard disk drive until it is needed again. By adding this extra step and because the
hard drive is the slowest type of memory your computer can become much slower if it does not have
enough memory.

BUS speed

The bus speed of the motherboard can increase or decrease the speed at which data is being transferred
between all the hardware components in the computer. For example, a Front Side Bus (FSB) of 66 MHz
is going to be much slower than a 400 MHz FSB. If the computer has a slow bus, the processor has to
wait longer for the instructions, which makes the computer run slower.

Hard drive
 There are several components of a hard disk drive that can make it
slower or faster, which makes your computer run slower or faster overall.

For example, a hard drive can cause a computer to be slower because of the moving parts inside the
hard drive, which results in slower read and write times from and to the hard drive. However, a newer
and faster solid state drives (SSD) have no moving parts, which results in faster read and write times
from and to the hard drive.

Below is a list of different factors that contribute to the speed of a hard drive.

 An SSD drive has no movable parts, which makes it much faster than a traditional HDD.

 Older computers use EIDE (ATA) cables and ports to connect the drives, which have a much
slower transfer rate than the SATA cables and ports used in newer computers.

 The RPM of the HDD is how fast the platters inside the hard drive spin. A 5400 RPM hard drive
will be much slower than a 7200 RPM drive.

 Since cache is the fastest type of memory, a hard drive with a larger cache allows data to be
handled more efficiently when it's transferred between the computer and the hard drive.

Video card

If you play the latest computer games, a powerful video card with its own CPU (GPU) and its own
memory makes the game run faster. These types of video cards help with the performance of the
computer by taking on the responsibilities of processing the 3D rendering and other complex tasks. The
more powerful the video card is, the better it can render the 3D graphics and the faster it can handle the
overall processing of graphics for the game.

The interface of a video card is also a contributing factor to the performance of the video card. For
example, older AGP video cards are much slower than newer PCI Express video cards.
My computer is running slow, what steps can I do to fix it?

Tip: This page only covers an overall slow computer

and not a computer that has a slow boot up or slow Internet.

Below are steps for Microsoft Windows users that can help speed up the computer or determine why
the computer is running slow.

Reboot

If your computer has not been rebooted recently, make sure to reboot it before following any of the
steps below.

Background programs

One of the most common reasons for a slow computer are programs running in the background.
Remove or disable any TSRs and startup programs that automatically start each time the computer
boots.

Tip: To see what programs are running in the background and how much memory and CPU they are
using, open Task Manager. If you are running Windows 7 or higher, run Resmon to get a better
understanding of how your computer is being used.

If you have an antivirus scanner on the computer, spyware protection program, or another security
utility, make sure it is not scanning your computer in the background. If a scan is in progress, it can
decrease the overall performance of your computer. If this is the case, allow the scan to complete, and
the computer's performance should improve.

Delete temp files

As a computer runs programs, temporary files are stored on the hard drive. Deleting these temp files
can help improve computer performance.

First, we suggest using the Windows Disk Cleanup utility to delete temporary files and other files no
longer needed on the computer.
 Unfortunately, the Disk Cleanup may not delete every file in
the temp directory. Therefore, we also suggest deleting temporary files manually. To do this, open
the Start menuand type %temp% in the Search field. In Windows XP and prior, click the Run option in
the Start menu and enter %temp% in the Run field. Press Enter and a Temp folder should open. You can
delete all files found in this folder and, if any files are in use and cannot be deleted, they can be skipped.

Free hard drive space

Verify that there is at least 200-500MB of free hard drive space. This available space allows the
computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size, as well as room for temporary files.

 Determining available hard drive space.

 Regaining computer hard drive space.

Bad, corrupted or fragmented hard drive

 Run ScanDisk, chkdsk, or something equivalent to verify there is nothing physically wrong with
the computer's hard drive.

 Run Defrag to help ensure that data is arranged in the best possible order.

 Use other software tools to test the hard drive for any errors by looking at the SMART of the
drive.

Scan for malware

Today, spyware and other malware is a big cause of many computer problems, including a slow
computer. Even if an antivirus scanner is installed on the computer, we recommend running a malware
scan on the computer. Use the free version of Malwarebytes to scan your computer for malware.

Scan for viruses

If your computer is infected with one or more viruses, this can cause your computer to run slow. If your
computer does not have an antivirus program installed, you can run Trend Micro's free Housecall online
utility to scan for viruses on your computer, as well as remove them. It is also recommended that you
install an antivirus program for active protection against viruses.

Hardware conflicts

 Verify that the Device Manager has no conflicts. If any exist, resolve these issues as they could
be the cause of your problem.

Update Windows

 Make sure you have all the latest Windows updates installed on the computer.

 If you are on the Internet when your computer is slow, make sure all browser plugins are up-to-
date. You can also try disabling browser plug-ins to see if one of them is causing the slowness.

Update your drivers

Make sure you have the latest drivers for your computer hardware, especially the latest video drivers.
Having out-of-date drivers can cause an assortment of issues, including slow performance.

Reboot computer again

If you have done any of the above steps but your computer is still acting slow try rebooting the
computer again at this point.

Memory upgrade

If you have had your computer for more than two

years, you may need more memory. Today, we suggest computers have a minimum of 1GB of memory
(RAM) for 32-bit system and 2GB for a 64-bit system. By having enough memory for programs to run
within memory, your computer will not need to swap information stored in memory to the swap file. If
the hard drive light is constantly active, it can be an indication the computer is frequently swapping
information between your memory and hard drive.

 Determining how much RAM is installed and available.

 How much memory or RAM should my computer have?

  What type of computer memory to use in a memory upgrade?

Hard drive upgrade

One of the biggest bottlenecks of a computer is the hard disk drive. For anyone with a slow computer or
just looking for the best component to upgrade, upgrading from a hard drive to a Solid State Drive (SSD)
can significantly improve the performance of a computer.

Run Registry cleaner

We normally do not recommend Registry cleaners. However, if you have followed all of the above steps
and your computer is still slow, try running a Registry cleaner on the computer.

Computer or processor is overheating

Make sure your computer and processor is not overheating. Excessive heat can cause a significant
decrease in computer performance because most processors automatically reduce the speed of the
processor to help compensate for heat-related issues.

 What should be the temperature of my computer processor?

Dust, dirt, and hair can also constrict proper airflow inside your computer, which can cause a computer
to overheat. Make sure your computer case is clean and fans are not obstructed.

 Steps on cleaning your computer.

Erase computer and start over

If none of the above solutions resolve your issues, another option is to either reinstall Windows or erase
everything and then start over.

Erasing everything and starting over can increase performance by getting rid of old software or drivers
that may be on the computer and causing the computer to be slow. Installing a fresh copy of Windows,
software programs, and the latest drivers help verify there are no software related issues causing your
computer to be slow.

Hardware issues
Finally, if your computer is still slow after trying all of the above recommendations, there may have a
more serious hardware related issue, such as a failing component in the computer. Examples of failing
hardware could include a failing or bad hard drive, CPU, RAM, motherboard, or another component.

You can run hardware diagnostic tests using the Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) utility. This utility provides
many diagnostic tests that you can run and determine if your computer has a bad piece of hardware.

Old computer

If your computer is more than five years old, the age of the computer could be the cause of the slow
performance. As more advanced software programs are released, they are optimized to run more
efficiently on newer computers. Older computers are not able to run these new programs as well, which
can cause them to perform more slowly. We recommend that you consider purchasing a new computer
or accept that your computer is not going to be as fast as a newer computer.