21 Essential Steps to Make Your PC Better/Faster/Stronger
Posted 05/28/09 at 11:30:40 AM by Gordon Mah Ung
Comments
Print
Email
17. Overclock Your GPU
GPU overclocking isn’t for the faint of heart and doesn’t always give you significant results. That’s because most GPUs, especially high-end ones, are sorted at the manufacturer, so you can bet a bucket of KFC Original spicy thighs and legs that the majority of parts capable of running at hyper-clocked speeds are already being sold that way.
Still, why not take what you can get? As with CPUs, GPU overclocking poses the threat of breakage, but at least you don’t lose data—you just might have to crank the clocks back down, or worse, replace the card.
One of the most popular tools for GPU overclocking today is RivaTuner (www.guru3d.com). Download and install it. You’ll also want to run the latest reference drivers from either Nvidia or ATI before continuing. After you’ve started RivaTuner, select the Customize option in the Main tab and select Low-Level System Settings. Check “Enable driver-level hardware overclocking.” For Nvidia cards, there’s a drop-down menu that lets you set the standard 2D, low-power 3D, and performance 3D. Select performance 3D. Begin increasing the clock speeds of the core clock, which will also increase the clock speeds of the shader clock. Bump up the memory clock, as well. How far you can go will depend on your card and the cooling in your system. Click Apply and fire up a game you like and play for a bit. Look for visual artifacts such as corruption of textures. This will indicate that you’re on the edge of stability. Go back to RivaTuner and back it down a bit and click Apply. Rinse and repeat. For ATI cards, it’s a bit simpler with RivaTuner; simply select your core speed and memory speed overclocks and proceed with the same methods.
Once you’re at a stable speed, you can check the “Apply overclocking at Windows Startup” checkbox. This will overclock your card whenever you start Windows. Again, the bang-for-the-buck proposition of GPU overclocking is debatable, but for some folks, every penny and megahertz counts.
18. Optimize Your RAM
If you paid the kid next store to build your PC, do you really know if he or she built it the right way? One very common mistake is to misconfigure the RAM modules. Phenom II and Core 2 CPUs both support dual-channel modes for the highest bandwidth, while the new Core i7 supports tri-channel mode. The easiest way to tell what mode you’re in is to download CPU-Z (www.cpuid.com). Decompress it and launch the executable. Click the Memory tab. Under Channels # it should list Dual or Triple. If it lists Single and you’ve got two or more DIMMs installed, they’re misconfigured on the motherboard. (If you have only one DIMM, you’ll need another stick of RAM to run in dual mode.)
Go to the SPD tab. You should see a drop-down menu labeled Slot #. It will give you information about every DIMM installed on your PC and their respective slots. To properly configure your RAM, refer to your motherboard manual and read the section on which slots to put your RAM in for dual (or triple) mode, power down your machine, unplug it from the wall, and rearrange the memory modules. Note, this likely won’t give you any kick-in-the-pants kind of performance boost, as the large on-die cache of most new CPUs ameliorate memory-bandwidth issues, but on an older CPU, such as the Pentium 4, going to dual mode would add as much as 10 percent in bandwidth-intensive applications.
You’ll also want to make sure your RAM is running at the correct speed. Most boards will properly configure RAM, but some won’t. Again, go to CPU-Z, click the Memory tab, and look at the DRAM Frequency. This shows the base clock speed. To compute the DDR/DDR2/DDR3 speed, double the number shown. For example, 333MHz is DDR2/667. If you were expecting your RAM to be set at DDR2/800 speeds, you’ll have to reboot, go into the BIOS by hitting DEL, F1, or F2 during boot, and look for a section that will let you specify the memory speed.
19. Change Your Boot Order
Even if you boot your PC just once a day, you can save six or eight seconds of time spent waiting by changing the boot order of the devices in your machine. Instead of the PC checking on an old floppy drive or CD drive to see if it can or should boot from those devices, it will go straight to your hard drive.
To do this, go into the BIOS (hit DEL, F1, or F2 during boot) and search for the boot order. It’s usually plainly labeled as “Boot” or the like. Make the primary hard drive that the OS resides on the first thing to boot. Now, just relish the thought of what you can do with the time you save.
20. The Mother of All Upgrades: Overclock Your CPU
Overclocking your CPU is the surest way to gain PC performance for free — although it comes at a risk
Have you seen this forum post: “There’s a secret Microsoft doesn’t want you to know. The company intentionally slows down the OS at the request of Intel, AMD, and Cyrix so the chip companies can sell faster CPUs. But by adding the setting PC = “go fast” to the speed.ini file, you can increase the speed of your PC by 1,000 percent!!!”?
That’s a crock of Bantha dung. Very few OS tweaks ever guarantee performance gains for everyone. There’s only one guaranteed performance enhancer: CPU overclocking.
It’s dangerous, could corrupt your data, and can kill hardware, but it’s the only way to get “free” performance in just about every application you use. Fortunately, modern CPUs almost always offer some overclocking capability.
Even if you didn’t buy into overclocking previously, you may be more inclined now because a) your system is older and you’re not as protective of it, and b) you just plain don’t have the cash to get performance in a safer way.
CPU overclocking runs the gamut from hyper-complex to stupid-easy. The easiest way to get your feet wet is to use the built-in overclocking tool on your motherboard. Any MSI, Asus, or Gigabyte board worth its salt will include an overclocking applet that runs in Windows. More advanced boards will also feature it in the BIOS.
If your board doesn’t have an app you can use, you can still overclock it from the BIOS (unless you have a standard cheapie PC from HP, Dell, or Gateway, which prevent any form of overclocking).
Go into the BIOS by pressing the DEL, F1, or F2 key during boot. You should be in a DOS-like text environment. Since 95 percent of the world uses locked CPUs, there’s only one way to increase the proc’s clock speed: Pump up the front-side bus (Core 2 / Celeron / Pentium / Pentium 4), the base clock (Core i7), or the CPU Frequency clock (Athlon 64 / Sempron / Phenom / Phenom II).
Find the setting for the FSB / bclock / CPU clock in your BIOS and begin increasing it. Start by overclocking the CPU by around five percent. Remember, the clock speed of the CPU is generated by multiplying the FSB / bclock / CPU clock by the multiplier. For example, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 has a fixed multiplier of 7.5. This is multiplied by the base clock of the front-side bus, which is 333MHz for an overall speed of 2,500MHz, or 2.5GHz. You cannot change the 7.5, but you can increase the 333. To get a five percent clock boost, you would need to increase the front-side bus to about 350MHz. To get a 10 percent clock bump, you would need to increase it to about 366MHz. The same basic overclocking method applies to Phenom II and Core i7.
How much performance gain should you expect? There’s no guarantee, but it’s safe to say you should be able to gain five percent at a minimum, with 10 percent quite attainable on stock equipment, and many folks reporting much higher speeds. Remember, this is not for the faint of heart, but you will achieve real performance gains in anything that’s limited
by your CPU.
There’s obviously a lot more to overclocking. For details, check out our own Core i7 overclocking guide here.
For other CPUs check out this guide.
Thanks
Submitted by philippecote3 on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 6:34pm
Very helpful, thank you.
Submitted by cchriskaufman on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 5:51am
Your approach of "freeloading" the DriveAgent information and doing your own driver locating is by far the best. I shelled out the $$ and was given drivers that were older than what I had on my system, drivers that weren't for my hardware at all. In general, save your money and just freeload!!!!
On the other hand, the Secunina PSI is great!!! And for home use, it's FREE!!!
CK
Submitted by mtjepkema on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 7:47pm
Get an antec 1200... they are bigger and you can fit your GTX2XX's in there. The Antec 900 is exactly 10.5 inches deep - just enough for your GTX cards with no HDD's in the way. The Antec 1200 has more depth for your 11 inch GTX295.
Submitted by themodefanatic on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 6:20am
Before the first subject there is a picture of a computer. What kind of computer is it. Does anyone know? I believe its a Dell but not sure.
If your talking about
Submitted by Mr.Pooney on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 7:44am
If your talking about the cover picture of the story its an Antec 900 (one) if im not mistake
I've been thinking of replacing my Thermaltake M9 for one of thoes
i had to advance the hard drive cage a good 2'' to fit my 9800gt
so now the fan its way out in front and not covered...
Havent had a toe cut of yet but.......... "stuff" happens
Intel C2D E7200
ASUS P5K/EPU MoBo
BFG 8800 GT OC2 Video Card
4GB Kingston HyperX 1066 DDR2 Ram
5 W.D 500GB HD
2 LG G22N 20x DVD±RW DL
CoolerMaster 650Watt PS
I'll ask again... as far as
Submitted by yogurt80 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:04pm
I'll ask again... as far as compressing files goes, I have a 1tb drive that is almot
completely full from my backed up DVDs and Blu Rays.
Can I compress
these files on the hard drive without damaging the quality?
Submitted by johnnymegabyte on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 8:19pm
Compressed Air ... in a can ?
Use a balloon pump from the dollar store. Also "green" ... take that environMENTALists
Submitted by nightkiller on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 5:50pm
The genius who dreamed up this strategy should be made to sit in a single pair of Attends without removing them for a week. They are either not respectful of their clients who put their money upfront AND in good faith with the expectation that it will not be used to finance freetards or they are simply showing that they are intellectually bankrupt in what they consider to be original content.
Perhaps this is a subtle signal to move on to arstechnica or anandtech for the real deal.
You choose a flightless bird as a mascot and wonder why it doesn't take off?
Submitted by jsmithstate on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 4:38pm
Two tips to make your older computer run faster than new.
-Uninstall Vista
-Install Damn Small Linux (whole O/S runs in ram)It will make your pentium 2 feel like a new quad core CPU.
even better
Submitted by johnny3144 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 9:06pm
-uninstall whatever OS you have
-run DOS
the speed of outprint scrolling will make your pentium 2 feel like a quad core
Submitted by ericbrow on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 1:58pm
I disagree with the large majority of these suggestions. Most of this stuff is crapware itself, and will only integrate itself into the OS thereby slowing it down. The few suggestions I would not mark as bad I would also suggest that they do not need to be done on a regular basis (defragging, for example, only needs to be done on occasion unless you have been installing/uninstalling lots of software). Compressing folders may gain some space, but ALWAYS slows down a computer. Many of these programs may be decent if installed and ran once or twice, then uninstalled. I can't tell you how many machines I've had come through my shop that have not only the software listed here, but 4 or 5 others of the same type of software gumming up the system.
Submitted by lhatten on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 1:48pm
This may or may not be the place for this, but the Mr Pooney has a point here (not well written but a point). It has bothered me when I am reading my new mag and realize that I have already read the article online. It seems that it would be a good idea to delay the online content slightly. Also, I think it would be a good idea to have a subscribers portion of the web site. You could put in your subscription number and then access "extra" material. As far as I know, the model of giving away your content while trying to sell your publication is not working for newspapers, why should it work for magazines?
2nd Notion
Submitted by FenixSS on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:13am
I agree, should be printed for great bathroom reading material :D
Submitted by foamcup on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 8:55am
Glad to see it get mentioned. I've been using it for years, it's worth the money. It's probably not necessary on my Vista machines, but eh.
Submitted by aplc0r on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 8:47am
Just as others have said, the problem with using a vacuum isn't
capacitors being damaged (you have a better chance of doing that with
using compressed air too close), its the static electricity that can
build up and jump onto your board. I used to use a compressed air tank
out in the garage, but once I moved to an apartment this wasn't an
option. 3M makes a small electrostatic safe vacuum (labeled ESD safe)
for about $150 which is great for large cases, and doesn't make a huge
mess.And a quick note about SMART warnings. Most BIOSs and Vista will warn
about a SMART failure, but usually only when there is imminent failure.
Usually turned on by default, the BIOS runs a quick SMART test during
POST. It hardly slows down boot at all. Vista will actually warn you
via a system tray notification telling you to back up your data
immediately.
Submitted by mls067 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 8:25am
I have to say that I like having a hard copy maxpc lying around as well as having it online. I guess I am just old school like that. I have another tech magazine (like I need another besides maxpc...ok I'll remove my lips now) that went to just digital and while it works well, I am not going to renew my subscription. If I am going to have to connect to read it I can probably find everything in just a few sites for free.
Submitted by PhelanPKell on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 10:53am
Three words: Bathroom Reading Material.
Given, my MaxPC mags go into my backpack and come everywhere with me for about 6 months after they came out, but it's nice to have something good to read in the bathroom either way. ^^
Submitted by Mr.Pooney on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 8:07am
So.... i got my mag 2 days ago... taking in to acount that i live in northern canada it may take a few days longer then most but what do i see today on the site? THE F**KING COVER STORY TO THIS MONTHS MAG!
SO YOUR TELLING ME THAT I COULD HAVE KEPT MY BUCKS AND STILL GOTTEN THE WHOLE STORY "For FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"? that is just BS! i mean! atlease wait till the next issue comes out `s|-|it!
---------------------------------------------
Intel C2D E7200
ASUS P5K/EPU MoBo
BFG 8800 GT OC2 Video Card
4GB Kingston HyperX 1066 DDR2 Ram
5 W.D 500GB HD
2 Samsuns SH-S223 DVD±RW
CoolerMaster 650Watt PS
Submitted by schmitty6633 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 9:23am
That's pretty much what the magazine is. You can get all of it a month ahead online and the mag is mainly outdated. Pretty much the mag is just what's been posted on the site with a few extra goddies. Ripoff to me.
Submitted by linkmaster6 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 7:32am
Driver Agent is a piece of crap you have to pay for, do your own driver homework
My tip for a faster computer
Submitted by MAXPCreader07 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 7:09am
My tip for a faster computer is to use a faster/lighter OS.
For example: instead of Windows Vista, try Windows 7, or instead of Ubuntu, try CrunchBang Linux.
Submitted by pglasc on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:36am
I really do not advise using a vacuum to clean out the pc. The vacuum can build up static electricity.I have an air tank with electic motor on it. I put it up to about 30 psi and go after it. Alot cheaper than buying compressed air all of the time plus I use it for a million other things. As inexpensive as hard drives are get a 1TB hard drive for around $100 and be done with it.
Submitted by inmate365 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:14am
I quit using copressed air years ago. I have been using my electric leaf blower to clean PC's.
Looks like a mini A-bomb with all the dust being blown out of the case. Just be sure you know
where all the wires go!
Why an electric leaf
Submitted by wherryj on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 12:07pm
Why an electric leaf blower? I always go with gas. This is MAXIMUM PC after all. Yout can't really get the horses out of the electric blowers.
Sure, cleaning the fumes out of the house is a hastle,and there's always the risk of asphyxiation or the occasional oil spill, but since when is over the top not a good thing?
Submitted by lancethepants on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:31am
I just hook up a nozzle to my air compressor, and blast the innards of my pc 's. Get's the job done good, and will even get all the junk out in the cpu heatsink fins. At first I wondered if it wouldn't be good for it, but I've been doing it for years now, and it's never rendered any computer inoperable. Works like a charm
Dont bag on Gordon...
Submitted by hiremenow on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 5:02am
Gordon is badass and the reason he is using the default disk cleanup is probably to keep you from having to spend money he's a genius.
Submitted by ptmcannany on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 4:27am
There is alot of other product that do a much better job than disk cleanup. I can’t be believe that someone in the IT field wrote this article.
And yet you didn't name a
Submitted by Cache on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:26am
And yet you didn't name a single one. Ample space here in the comments field, I believe; name a few.
Submitted by yogurt80 on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 11:58pm
And the 1mm thick dust build up on your fans is easily cleaned with some swabs and alcohol.
I use a series of
Submitted by Denis63 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:16am
I use a series of paintbrushes, mainly a 4-inch horsehair badboy. it cleans everything and dosn't push capacitors around, plus it was 10 bucks and it'll last forever :) -Denis
Submitted by yogurt80 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 6:53am
Ooo- that's good advice!! I like that idea!
Submitted by Denis63 on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:26am
Thanks! i only use cans of air for my PSU's. and the massive paintbrush gets deep down in the fins of a heatsync! i should of mentioned that... -Denis
Submitted by Captain on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 11:28pm
i learned recently that blowing compressed air onto electronics with dust on it can significantly damage it, so i advise against it. Use a vaccum, its much much safer.
Really?
Submitted by Havok on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 7:05am
And the static generated from a vaccum is much safer? Hey everone, lets have some CPU fried rice! I'll get the vaccum, you bring the Phenom! Quick tip to the unwise: don't push your spray nozzle right up against your equipment when you blow it out. Leave an inch or two gap 'tween the nozzle and surface and you won't 'damage' your gear.
OMGWTFBBQ
So, instead of blowing
Submitted by Caboose on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 7:04am
So, instead of blowing dust off of electrical sensitive components which is much safer, we'll create a static charge which can cause even MORE damage, to the point of frying a component which will render the part dead. Hmmm, me thinks your method is flawed!
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
Submitted by yogurt80 on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 10:24pm
What's so bad about Smart Defrag? I've rarely had a file that didn't defrag. Also, how does Defraggler fare? I use it ocassionally, and haven't had any issues.
Also, as far as compressing files goes, I have a 1tb drive that is almot completely full from my backed up DVDs and Blu Rays. Can I compress these files on the hard drive without damaging the quality?
Submitted by yogurt80 on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 9:49pm
Let me add a tip- if you use compressed air regularly, (as Ido), make sure you POWER DOWN YOUR STUFF FIRST!! First, if the can is shaken or inverted, the chemicals come out freezing, which could cause damage.
Second, the air is VERY FLAMABLE!! Components get very hot and can ignite! I once used air on my running projector, only to hear an ignition and have flames shoot out of the air vents, leaving charred film on the lens.
Sorry but I am just going to
Submitted by D.E. on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 9:37pm
Sorry but I am just going to skip out a number of these tips. Mostly because it involves installing more apps than I really need. Like do I really need an app to tell me which bits of software need updating-- I think I can be on top of that. =/
Submitted by almax on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 9:06pm
These two tips I don't get,
4. Compress Your Files
9. Archive Your FilesOld school tips about optimizing limited ram have gone to the wayside due to cheap prices. Have we not yet reached the same point with hard drive space??
You linked to www.cupid.com
Submitted by Netram on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 8:20pm
You linked to www.cupid.com instead of www.cpuid.com.
Funny thing is, PCGUK did the same thing but in their printed mag :P
Submitted by norman on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 8:27pm
ha, good catch. link and text is fixed. thanks!-- Norm
Submitted by willmonke on Wed, 06/03/2009 - 11:18am
must have been extra lonely when making link.
Must Read Articles
Feature
Review
Feature
Feature
Feature
This Month's Issue
FEATURE How to Get FREE Programs, Services, Software & MoreFEATURE Digital Photo Printer RoundupHOW TOBuild a 3D CameraFEATUREDIY Arcade PCWHITE PAPERHow TRIM Works
Technology News
Computer Cooling Fans
Computer Cases
PC Game Controllers
PC Games
Computer Hardware
Headphones
MP3 Players
Stream Video
Computer Mouse
Monitors
Motherboards
NAS Storage
Networking
Laptop Computers
DVD Burner
Digital Cameras
Portable Storage
Computer Accessories
Smartphone
Antivirus Software
Sound Cards
Speakers
Computer Systems
Thumb Drives
Video Cameras
Video Card Reviews
Water Cooling
Gadgets
- Keyboards
© 2009 Future US, Inc. All Rights Reserved.