Speeding up my desktop?
08 November 2015, 06:41 PM
#1
Speeding up my desktop?
More RAM? ( It has 4GB DDR3)
Better processor? (Intel Core i3).
There's not a lot on it, but it's noticeably slower than my France use laptop which has an i5.
Not worth doing?
Acer AX3960, about 3 yrs old.
Better processor? (Intel Core i3).
There's not a lot on it, but it's noticeably slower than my France use laptop which has an i5.
Not worth doing?
Acer AX3960, about 3 yrs old.
08 November 2015, 09:55 PM
#2
More that 4GB RAM will not be addressable by a 32bit operating system
Is it slower at boot time - or less responsive in use - lag when opening apps etc
I would reinstall your OS, and consider installing a SSD as the boot disk, should give you some improvement.
There are some other safe performance tuning steps, but I would do the above first, then look at disabling un-needed services, review what runs at startup - check your AV settings and which AV product you are using.
I guess what I am saying badly is, you need to identify where the performance bottleneck is, to properly address it - anything else is guess work, which could add unnecessary expense.
Is it slower at boot time - or less responsive in use - lag when opening apps etc
I would reinstall your OS, and consider installing a SSD as the boot disk, should give you some improvement.
There are some other safe performance tuning steps, but I would do the above first, then look at disabling un-needed services, review what runs at startup - check your AV settings and which AV product you are using.
I guess what I am saying badly is, you need to identify where the performance bottleneck is, to properly address it - anything else is guess work, which could add unnecessary expense.
Last edited by tarmac terror; 08 November 2015 at 09:58 PM.
09 November 2015, 08:56 AM
#6
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SSD Alka, and buy a little more Ram...
if you go to crucial ram online they have a tool that sniffs your Computers and tells you what you can order and fit, prices are fine also...
SSD will make it fast though if its app opening times, and the time it takes you to do anything once you've logged in...ie slow getting warmed up, SSD help with that warm up vastly...
if you go to crucial ram online they have a tool that sniffs your Computers and tells you what you can order and fit, prices are fine also...
SSD will make it fast though if its app opening times, and the time it takes you to do anything once you've logged in...ie slow getting warmed up, SSD help with that warm up vastly...
09 November 2015, 09:31 AM
#7
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i3 & 4gb RAM are fine. Most of my workstations here are that spec.
An SSD will boost times massively. probably no point going for a really fast one as your motherboard wont support it.
Will suffice
An SSD will boost times massively. probably no point going for a really fast one as your motherboard wont support it.
Will suffice
Last edited by BlkKnight; 09 November 2015 at 09:34 AM.
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09 November 2015, 10:23 AM
#8
Thanks for the advice.
How difficult would it be for a keen amateur to install an SSD as boot disk?
It's running Windows 7 64 bit.
Also: How do I know which RAM to buy, there seem to be many similar and all compatible, plus the SSD hard drives seem to be only 6GB? Mine is 2 x 500GB?
How difficult would it be for a keen amateur to install an SSD as boot disk?
It's running Windows 7 64 bit.
Also: How do I know which RAM to buy, there seem to be many similar and all compatible, plus the SSD hard drives seem to be only 6GB? Mine is 2 x 500GB?
Last edited by alcazar; 09 November 2015 at 10:31 AM.
09 November 2015, 10:26 AM
#9
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Do you have the rescue disk or windows 7 DVD?
If not the only other way is to clone your current drive onto the SSD which can be a bit hit or miss.
Physically it's just a case of opening it up - give it a good hoover out while you are in there - and unplug the original disk, and swap it with the SSD.
You might want to get a caddy so you can get to your old stuff on the original disk.
If not the only other way is to clone your current drive onto the SSD which can be a bit hit or miss.
Physically it's just a case of opening it up - give it a good hoover out while you are in there - and unplug the original disk, and swap it with the SSD.
You might want to get a caddy so you can get to your old stuff on the original disk.
Last edited by BlkKnight; 09 November 2015 at 10:28 AM.
09 November 2015, 11:03 AM
#10
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That's the exact pc I have.
I fitted another 4gb of ram, making 8gb in total and noticed it started and shut down faster. Well worth doing in my opinion.
09 November 2015, 11:23 AM
#11
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Thanks for the advice.
How difficult would it be for a keen amateur to install an SSD as boot disk?
It's running Windows 7 64 bit.
Also: How do I know which RAM to buy, there seem to be many similar and all compatible, plus the SSD hard drives seem to be only 6GB? Mine is 2 x 500GB?
How difficult would it be for a keen amateur to install an SSD as boot disk?
It's running Windows 7 64 bit.
Also: How do I know which RAM to buy, there seem to be many similar and all compatible, plus the SSD hard drives seem to be only 6GB? Mine is 2 x 500GB?
click scan my system it will tell you exactly what u need... and even give you the option to buy it......there cheap too, unless your a real tight wad then buy it from them, ssd they sell too...
if you want simpleton cloning then buy acronis.... but there are ways for you to do it cheaper if your pretty competent
09 November 2015, 12:57 PM
#13
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I'm looking at getting this.
Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Gets some great reviews.
Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Gets some great reviews.
09 November 2015, 01:06 PM
#14
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Tiz €90 odd cheaper from Amazon.de.
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB 2,5: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB 2,5: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör
09 November 2015, 01:33 PM
#15
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No it isn't, it is €162 on amazon.de and $275 on amazon.com.
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB (6,4 cm (2,5 Zoll), SATA III) schwarz
von Samsung
|
Preis: EUR 162,00 Kostenlose Lieferung. Details
Alle Preisangaben inkl. MwSt.
The German link won't post, the address is in german but when you click on it it defaults to the US website.
As you can see from my initial link it clearly says amazon.de.
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB (6,4 cm (2,5 Zoll), SATA III) schwarz
von Samsung
|
Preis: EUR 162,00 Kostenlose Lieferung. Details
Alle Preisangaben inkl. MwSt.
The German link won't post, the address is in german but when you click on it it defaults to the US website.
As you can see from my initial link it clearly says amazon.de.
Last edited by Wurzel; 09 November 2015 at 01:43 PM.
09 November 2015, 02:02 PM
#16
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No it isn't, it is €162 on amazon.de and $275 on amazon.com.
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB (6,4 cm (2,5 Zoll), SATA III) schwarz
von Samsung
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-MZ-75E500B-EU-interne-schwarz/dp/B00P73B1E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447075962&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+ssd#customerReviews" target="_blank"> 1,205 Kundenrezensionen
| <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-MZ-75E500B-EU-interne-schwarz/dp/B00P73B1E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447075962&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+ssd#Ask" target="_blank"> 83 beantwortete Fragen
Preis: EUR 162,00 Kostenlose Lieferung. Details
Alle Preisangaben inkl. MwSt.
The German link won't post, the address is in german but when you click on it it defaults to the US website.
As you can see from my initial link it clearly says amazon.de.
Samsung MZ-75E500B/EU EVO 850 interne SSD 500GB (6,4 cm (2,5 Zoll), SATA III) schwarz
von Samsung
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-MZ-75E500B-EU-interne-schwarz/dp/B00P73B1E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447075962&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+ssd#customerReviews" target="_blank"> 1,205 Kundenrezensionen
| <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-MZ-75E500B-EU-interne-schwarz/dp/B00P73B1E4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447075962&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+ssd#Ask" target="_blank"> 83 beantwortete Fragen
Preis: EUR 162,00 Kostenlose Lieferung. Details
Alle Preisangaben inkl. MwSt.
The German link won't post, the address is in german but when you click on it it defaults to the US website.
As you can see from my initial link it clearly says amazon.de.
It's £115 on Amazon UK
10 November 2015, 07:39 AM
#18
The only problem I had initially with cloning my original hard drive was that it had errors so the process would fail. I ran chkdsk and told it to repair bad sectors. Once these were repaired cloning went perfectly. Or you could do a fresh install on ssd then copy files and reinstall programs. You can see why cloning is more popular!
Last edited by andy97; 10 November 2015 at 07:47 AM.
10 November 2015, 08:25 AM
#19
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A few sites say the the Aver AX3960 can handle 16GB RAM but I'd take that with a pinch of salt as many others say that they can only use 8GB of it.
To see what's in your pc this little tool will scan and tell you.
https://www.piriform.com/speccy
11 November 2015, 11:33 AM
#23
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This is what I bought and fitted to my X3960.
2 of these:
http://uk.crucial.com/ProductDisplay...&storeId=10153
13 November 2015, 04:24 PM
#24
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Fitted my SSD the other day and after a complete ballache of a day finally got it to be the boot disk. My advice to anyone thinking of doing this is get some other bugger to do it for you. 
My pc will now do a restart in under 30 seconds.
My pc will now do a restart in under 30 seconds.
15 November 2015, 11:52 AM
#26
This is what I bought and fitted to my X3960.
2 of these:
http://uk.crucial.com/ProductDisplay...&storeId=10153
2 of these:
http://uk.crucial.com/ProductDisplay...&storeId=10153
Or is there the usual mystical jiggery pokery to go through?
15 November 2015, 01:21 PM
#27
You should consider buying matched pairs wherever possible, rather than adding to existing RAM. Will be more expensive that way though.
Whilst you can never have too much RAM, not all RAM is created equal. As with CPUs, RAM modules can be different speeds and thus performance.
Have a look here http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-r...iew-33140.html and here http://www.dabs.com/category/compone...80000-52270000
Of course, RAM may not be the bottleneck in you system - it could be your CPU or your graphics card. Difficult to say without knowing exactly what you are running on it and where it appears "slow".
However, and SSD will make a big impact regardless. You don't need to get a huge drive for all your data - ideally you just want an SSD to install your OS and programmes on, as this is what you will be running and accessing all the time. All your data can sit on normal HDDs. A single 120GB SSD wil be fine.
If you have a single HDD with a system partition and a data partition, then you can just clone the system partition to the SSD and either change the boot order to the new drive or just physically swap them over. If you just have a single partition, you'd be better installing a fresh version of your OS onto the SSD.
Installing as SSD will breath new life into a system, so I'd do that first before looking at RAM & CPUs etc. But again, depends upon what exactly is going "slowly". If you are using Photoshop or converting video files, it's going to be CPU/RAM issue. If you are playing games, it's more likely that your GPU is the issue.
15 November 2015, 09:32 PM
#30
I'd always insist that anyone fitted RAM to their PC downloads and runs memtest86+
Not only does it make sure its compatible and configured correctly, but also that both the existing and new RAM aren't faulty.
I've personally endured random corruption (including the registry) that panned out to be a faulty stick of RAM. Its a big headache and a big mess to sort out than can be easily avoided by testing the RAM.
Just download it and install it as a bootable USB stick and set the PC to boot off it: http://www.memtest.org/download/5.01....installer.zip
Not only does it make sure its compatible and configured correctly, but also that both the existing and new RAM aren't faulty.
I've personally endured random corruption (including the registry) that panned out to be a faulty stick of RAM. Its a big headache and a big mess to sort out than can be easily avoided by testing the RAM.
Just download it and install it as a bootable USB stick and set the PC to boot off it: http://www.memtest.org/download/5.01....installer.zip