If you are looking for answers to the question “Why is my pc is running slow?”, then you have come to the right place.  Throughout this website, you will find tips and solid tutorials to help you solve the issue of a computer running slow.

Today, we are going to talk about your computer components and how they can affect the speed of your pc.  Here is a list of some of the components that may be the cause of a pc running slow:

• Memory
• Processor
• Motherboard
• Power Supply
• Hard Drive
• Network Card/Wireless
• Video

Memory

The quickest, easiest and sometimes the least expensive way to help when your pc runs slow is to max out the memory.  Finding out what memory to use in your computer is the tricky part.  You can usually go to the pc manufacturer’s website and look up your model to find out the max amount of memory for your computer.

Processor

You could also go to the manufacturer’s website to find out what type of processor is in your pc.  I normally pop open the pc and find the name on the motherboard and then look the board up to find out the max processor it can hold.  If your computer came with a Celeron, for instance, you may be able to upgrade it to a better chip and really help out your slow pc issues.

Motherboard

Replacing the motherboard is a more advanced task but installing a new motherboard means it will normally be running on a faster bus speed (how fast data move across the board) and that can really help if you have a pc running very slow.  The problem with replacing motherboards is that it can get expensive because most times will also have to replace the memory and possibly the video card as well.

Power Supply

Now, changing out your power supply for one with more wattage may not fix your slow running pc, but it will provide more power to the pc to operate a number of extra USB Devices.

Hard Drive

If your computer came with a cheap, slow hard drive, then you could give it a boost by installing a larger, faster (rpm) hard drive.  Hard drives come in 5400, 7200 & 10000 rpm speeds.  More info on hard drive can be found in our Increase Computer Speed post which explains the correlation between hard drive maintenance and computer speed.

Network Card / Wireless

If you notice your internet access is moving awfully slow, you could check the speed of your network cards, hubs, routers and firewalls.  With our increased use of the internet, you would want a 100 Mbps card or you could get a 1000 Mbps card but make sure your other equipment matches the speed in order to get the best results.

Video

Gamers and those that watch online videos will want to have better video cards (graphics cards).  Most newer games require 256 mb of memory on a video card but its best to go with at least 512 mb and 1024 mb is better.

Well, that is a quick review of which components are the most important parts of a pc if you are hoping to relieve a pc running slow.  This post has been all about hardware, if you want to read more about start up programs that could be slowing down your pc, check out How to Fix a Slow Computer.

Cheers,

Steve