When it comes to using a computer, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as a slow one. Does yours take forever to boot up? Or maybe once it’s booted up, you’re always waiting for something to happen? It shouldn’t be like that. At the very least, computers should make life easier, especially when we rely on them for everything in this day and age. They should also provide enjoyment and entertainment being how multifunctional they are. If your computer isn't up to speed the chances are you're being less productive and not enjoying anything about it and we can help.
There are three solutions to this issue
- First solution is to replace your computer with a new one, but quite often that isn’t necessary depending on budget.
- Second solution is we can upgrade the components of your computer, replacing main components like RAM/Memory, Storage and Graphics Card.
- Third solution is we can get fantastic results by tuning up the software and your operating system. Quite often enough speed issues are related to software, perhaps some that you don't know are installed and running background processes.
First Solution
If you do decide that you would prefer to completely replace your computer for a new one, we have plenty of options via our website. Feel free to browse from the following below and if you cannot find something or would prefer us to help feel free to contact us directly.
Desktop PCs - Click Here
Laptops - Click Here
Second Solution
Two key components which are related to the speed of your computer are its RAM (Memory), and its Storage Drive. Not having enough memory and a slow Hard Disk Drive (HDD) can slow your computer down significantly. Especially when applications and games are also requiring more resources to run them.
Every task performed on your computer uses RAM (Memory). This can be anything from simple things like moving the mouse, to writing an e-mail, to opening a web page, playing a game, and anything else in between. A RAM Upgrade will allow your computer to do things faster, and do more things at once. That's why you'll see editing PCs requiring a high amount of RAM. The good news is, it isn’t as expensive as it once was and could be a small change that can make a huge difference to your computer. It is suggested that 16GBs should be the minimum with 8GB not quite cutting it anymore.
We’ve pointed out earlier that a slow Hard Disk Drive (HDD) can significantly slow down your computer, which isn’t all that surprising for a technology that was first introduced over 50 years ago. Recently we’ve seen the introduction of new technology in Solid State Drives (SSDs), which have changed the game entirely. There are two types of SSDs, NVMes and 2.5" SSDs. SSDs are more efficient. They’re faster, consume less power, produce less heat and make less noise. They’re also less prone to failure and magnetic damage. However, despite the many benefits, they do cost more than HDDs, however in recent times they're not much more expensive. HDDs should only be used as a backup solution.
We’ve seen the introduction of more PCs and Laptops equipped with SSDs, but a considerable amount still have an older HDD installed. This includes many that are on sale today. If you’re having performance issues, or you purchased your computer more than 3 years ago, it is likely that it contains an HDD.
In terms of performance gains any modern SSD will be several times faster than a standard HDD, and in some cases, the improvement will be even greater, and up to 20 times. With an SSD upgrade you can expect:
- The Windows boot-up and shutdown procedures to be much quicker.
- Applications such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Word will be faster to load.
- The time taken to open files and photos will be reduced.
- It will be much faster to save your work and copy data.
- Backing up your data will be quicker.
We can also upgrade any component in your system, whether that is the Graphics Card to improve FPS in games, the CPU/Processor which may also require a motherboard change, the CPU works with the RAM to improve running multiple processes at the same time. Finally we can also upgrade cooling, cases, power supplies and anything that a computer can fit.
Pricing is quoted based on the upgraded component and our hourly rate of £48 to install them depending on how long it will take.
Third Solution
The problems often start in the factory, and it may surprise you to learn that the manufacturer is to blame. When you buy a PC that’s been made by a mainstream manufacturer like HP or Dell, it’s usually pre-loaded with what’s called ‘bloatware’. These are applications that most people won't use and are installed in the factory due to the manufacturer and software vendor having an agreement. Bloatware doesn't directly contribute to the downfall of a computer but it does compete for system resources, so it certainly contributes to any system slowdowns.
We all overtime download and install programs that we never use, or forget to uninstall the ones we’ve stopped using, or didn’t start to use in the first place because they didn’t do what we thought they would.
Another issue is, that when we do remove applications, files often get left behind. It isn’t just the programs we’ve uninstalled that leave unnecessary files behind though, over time, both applications and the operating system create temporary files, and quite often, they don’t get deleted when they’re redundant. When you visit websites, files are often saved to your computer too but never deleted. A large proportion of which add no value to your browsing. Add all this together and it can be a major drain on your computer’s resources, causing significant slowdowns.
We can do the following to help:
- Optimisation of your Windows Operating System.
- Full Scan for Viruses, Malware, and Spyware.
- Removal of any Viruses, Malware and Spyware discovered.
- Removal of any unwanted applications.
- Removal of files no longer used by applications or the operating system.
- Cleansing of the Windows Registry.
- Unfortunately, in more extreme cases, a full system reset will be necessary, which will involve re-installing Windows, and restoring the system to its factory settings.
- Re-installation of the Windows Operating System, and chosen applications.*
- Installation of all necessary Windows Updates and Service Packs.
- Removal of any unwanted bloatware.
- Transfer of Files & Photos, and Internet Bookmarks.
- *Subject to the relevant software licenses being in place, and where necessary, the provision of installation software.
Pricing is dependant on the amout of optimisation is required. This is charged based on our standard hourly rate of £48.