With the exception of the central processing unit (CPU), most computer hardware has two numbers that can help determine system speed. The first number is the amount of resources provided, such as the volume of a hard drive or the capacity of random access memory (RAM) chips. The second number is the speed at which the hardware is operating, which can cause other components within a computer to run more slowly if it is set too low. The software also determines the speed of the computer, specifically how many programs, or processes, run in the background and consume power and computer resources. Ultimately, the overall speed of the computer is largely determined by the efficiency of all the software and hardware components working together.
A computer motherboard.
At the heart of a computer is the CPU, which is the main processor that performs most operations on a computer or delegates tasks to other components. The faster a CPU, the faster the computer will be in most cases, although other factors can mitigate the increase in computer speed. Cache memory, which is a buffer between the CPU and hardware such as a hard drive, can cause the CPU to run slowly if it is not fast enough to send information to the CPU or accept it quickly from the hardware. Additionally, circuits known as buses on the motherboard serve as primary paths for reading hardware and must be as fast as the CPU. If these components are not assembled in such a way that they have complementary speeds, the overall speed of the computer will be slower than expected.
A dual core CPU mounted on a motherboard.
The size and rate of RAM can also affect the speed of the computer. RAM is used to store information in a location that can be accessed quickly, allowing programs to run quickly and large data calculations to be performed efficiently. Like other components, RAM has a certain speed that determines how fast information can be read from and written to it. If there is an insufficient amount of RAM in a system, the computer will start using the hard drive as a virtual RAM disk, which is accessed at a much slower speed.
Graphics cards can help improve the functionality of your computer.
A computer’s hard drive, the physical storage device, can affect the speed of the computer. In addition to the speed of read and write operations and the amount of available space, which the operating system uses to temporarily store pages of RAM, a hard drive can experience fragmentation. Disk fragmentation occurs when information, such as a program or document, is not stored in consecutive memory locations, but is spread over multiple areas of a hard drive. This means that the drive must jump to several random physical locations to mount a single file, causing it to perform more slowly. Regular defragmentation of a hard drive can solve this problem.
The space available on a computer’s hard drive affects its speed.
Installed software can also slow down your computer. When a computer first starts up, certain programs and drivers are loaded into memory. Many of them are vital to the operation of the computer, but some are not and simply take up memory, processor cycles, and potentially network bandwidth. Managing the number of processes running at any given time, as well as other programs that may be in the background, can significantly speed up your computer and free up valuable resources for other programs to use.
Many parts of a computer’s hardware affect speed.
Adding RAM, or random access memory, to your computer can increase its performance.
