Se7en Tech sharing of knowledge about the technological world without borders...

What is it that you mean by a fast computer? Does it mean fast Internet? Fast games? Fast email? Fast graphics? Fast calculations? Fast windows? Fast downloads? Fast installs? Fast boot-up? Fast shutdown? Each of these things can have a speed of their own? I'll try to answer generally in order to cover my bases.

There are many things that contribute to the speed of a computer. Hardware is the main ingredient for a fast machine. Next comes the Operating System. Software is next in line for contributing to speed. Finally, your internet connection plays a significant role. But this doesn't really answer the question.

The hardware that makes a computer fast is tied to a few main components. First is the processor speed. You might hear about such chips as the Duron, Dual Core, Quad Core, Centrino, Pentium, Athalon64, with such things as 1.8Ghz, 3.5Ghz, 700Mhz. These are all types of chips and various speeds and power at which they operate. Next we have the FSB or Front Side Bus, which determines how fast the data gets to the processor. The faster the data gets to the processor; the faster the processor can begin processing.

If that wasn't enough to spin your head around, there is the speed of the memory. We're talking about actual RAM not virtual memory. Memory is a chip that stores information for the processor, but only while the computer is turned on. When you turn off your computer the memory chip is erased! The faster the memory the more often information can be retrieved and manipulated by the processor.

Then there is the Hard Drive, the place where you put your documents, the operating system, pictures, and everything else that is stored on your computer. When this is slow, the other components have to wait for the information to be retrieved before they'll do anything with it. (Oh, and Don't confuse Hard Drive space with Computer Memory. They are completely different things.)

Here is where the software comes in to the speed of your system. The operating system (i.e., Windows) uses up resources (hardware) on the computer to bring you the Internet, e-mail, movies, entertainment, and photos. Some operating systems use more resources than others, but the bottom line is the newer the operating system the more resources it uses up.

Generally, the more software that gets installed onto a computer the slower the computer will operate. This is not true of all software, but most of the popular ones load a little bit of themselves every time the computer is started. This slows down the computer. Having one or two of these little programs will not slow down your system to any noticeable degree, but when you have a dozen or more, then performance lags.

To counter all these little programs eating up resources, it is best to have as much memory as possible in your computer. Memory should not be confused with what is called Virtual Memory, which is not memory at all. It is actually a file on your Hard Drive that pretends to be memory. If you don't have enough memory, your computer will start using Virtual Memory, and it will slow your computer down. Virtual memory has its uses, but it should be used rarely.

Some of the pitfalls of a slow computer: Most windows computers need some sort of virus protection. Mac, Linux, and BeOS have very few worries in the virus department. Virus protection, at least the popular ones, require more and more resources to protect windows from attacks. Then there's spyware, rootkits, spam, and pop-ups that are a constant bane to windows. A slow computer will be slow to catch and remove these sorts of malware (bad-software). To get better performance, use protection that requires less resources. Symantec, Trend, McAfee are examples of protection that require more resources than is absolutely necessary. There are smaller reliable and free alternatives on the internet, like AVG.

This leads us right to the Internet and how it affects the speed of your computer. Dial-up connections, even on a fast computer, are slow. Too much information needs to pass between your computer and the internet to really be of any use to you. Virus protection updates are almost impossible at dial-up speeds. Dial-up inhibits your access to many webpages, causes delays in email, and limits the quality feedback response required for learning to use your computer and the Internet.

Having a fast Internet connection does not mean you'll have a fast computer. If your computer is slow, a fast Internet connection will not make any real difference in your computers performance.

• Slow Computer + Fast Internet = Slow Computer on the Internet. 
• Fast Computer + Slow Internet = Computer Slowed by the Internet. 
• Faster computer + Faster Internet = Quality experience on the Internet.

By http://www.pyattconsulting.com