{"id":33786,"date":"2019-07-02T05:21:30","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T10:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/?p=33786"},"modified":"2025-03-14T11:21:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:21:23","slug":"how-to-check-the-performance-of-your-pc-and-speed-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/how-to-check-the-performance-of-your-pc-and-speed-it-up\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Check the Performance of Your PC and Speed It Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So your PC is\nrunning slower than usual. What can you do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019d be\nsurprised by the number of factors that contribute to a computer\u2019s\nsluggishness. To really dial in on the cause, you\u2019re going to need to run\ndiagnostics. This is the only way you\u2019ll get to the root of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide,\nyou\u2019ll learn how to perform a benchmark test. We\u2019ll also provide some tips on\nhow to improve your computer\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Windows Resource and Performance Monitor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Windows has a\nbuilt-in diagnostics tool called Performance\nMonitor<\/strong>. It can review your computer\u2019s activity in real time or through\nyour log file. You can use its reporting feature to determine what\u2019s causing\nyour PC to slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To access\nResource and Performance Monitor, open Run<\/strong>\nand type PERFMON<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This will open\nthe Performance Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Go to Data Collector Sets<\/strong> > System<\/strong>. Right-click System Performance<\/strong> then click Start<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This action will\ntrigger a 60-second test. After the test, go to Reports<\/strong> > System<\/strong> >\nSystem Performance<\/strong> to view the\nresults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the report\nabove, Performance Monitor noticed high CPU load from the top process running,\nwhich in this case is Google Chrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lets me know\nthat Chrome is stressing the PC out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diagnostic\ntool can offer more detailed explanations. You just need to dive deeper into\nthe subsections if you need to know more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve\nYour PC Speed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several\nactions you can take based on the results of your speed test. Below are just\nsome of the actions you could take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PC Settings<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you PC\nsettings can get in the way of optimal performance. Take your power settings,\nfor example. Switching to high performance can give your PC the boost it needs\nto run faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open Control Panel<\/strong> and switch to View by: Category<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Go to Hardware and Sound<\/strong> > Power Options<\/strong>. Select High Performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Slow on Startup<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If your PC is\nonly slow during boot up, then it\u2019s possible that it\u2019s being bogged down by\napplications that launch on startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right-click Start<\/strong> and select Task Manager<\/strong>. Go to the Startup<\/strong>\ntab. Here you\u2019ll find a list of programs that run as soon as you start your\ncomputer. You can disable applications you don\u2019t use frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Right-click on an\nunnecessary app and select Disable so it wouldn\u2019t run during startup.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow Internet<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you find that\nonly the internet is running slow, turning off OneDrive<\/strong> could actually help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OneDrive works by\nconstantly syncing your files to the cloud which can bottleneck your internet\nspeed. The same principle applies to other cloud-based services like Dropbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go to your System\nTray and right-click on the OneDrive icon. Click Settings<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Under the\nSettings tab, untick the Start OneDrive\nAutomatically When I Sign In to Windows<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You can also\nchoose to unlink your OneDrive by clicking Unlink\nOneDrive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Hard Drive<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Windows 10 has a\nfeature called Storage Sense. It automatically deletes files that you don\u2019t\nneed so storage never causes your computer to slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go to Windows Settings<\/strong> > Storage<\/strong>. Turn on Storage Sense<\/strong> to activate the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Clicking on Change How We Free Up Space Automatically<\/strong>\nwill give you control over how frequently it deletes files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows Troubleshooter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When all else\nfails, you can use Windows Troubleshooter to figure out what\u2019s causing the\nproblem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open Control Panel<\/strong> and go to System and Security<\/strong> > Security and Maintenance<\/strong>. Expand the Maintenance<\/strong> section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Click Start Maintenance<\/strong> under Automatic Maintenance<\/strong> subsection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So your PC is running slower than usual. What can you do about it? You\u2019d be surprised by the number of factors that contribute to a computer\u2019s sluggishness. To really […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":33798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/wp-content\/pictures\/2019\/07\/fast-pc.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Christopher Jan Benitez","author_link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/author\/cbenitez\/"},"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t