How To Identify Computer Speed

1492, I switched to Mac but I miss being able to do upgrades other than RAM myself. Seems like Dell went the same route. It's a shame that they went down hill so far in the last decade.

You can get a "general" idea of your computer's performance under Windows by looking at the Windows Experience Index. At minimum, for comparison purposes between systems.

Hold down the "Windows Key + Pause" will bring up the current index rating. You can also find it doing a search from the start menu. The actual performance will depend on your specific application use, which may require additional research. Follow software manufacturer's recommendation for best performance.

But, I also have had my frustrations with DELL which are popular in enterprise environments. Just got issued a new DELL OptiPlex 7020 desktop at work, pre-imaged with Windows 7 Pro. Not a bad processor, Intel i5 quad-core, but still a not too impressive overall Windows Experience Index rating of 5.9.

It's hindered largely by an anemic 280 Watt power supply(PS), using a proprietary power connector to the motherboard. Which limits its expansion options. DELL apparently wants you to buy their much more expensive workstations if you want to expand its performance.

But for less than $200, installed an SSD system drive and a GeForce GTX750 graphics card which can operate on bus power from a 300 Watt power supply. This boost its graphic capability substantially from its integrated Intel chipset.

Bottom-line, these simple upgrades increased the index from 5.9 to 7.6, limited only by the CPU. While 7.9 being the current highest achievable Windows 7 rating.

This allows me to do some quick HD video editing and graphics work without a hitch. Though do have a fast iMAC with Adobe CS6 suite sitting right next to it, so not really an issue.

Where is it causing problems? There may be upgrades you can do that are cheaper than replacing it. Adding RAM can do wonders for a computer's performance at a small price.

Asus Acer Toshiba Lenovo
Core i3 , core i5

Stay away from the cheapies that say quad core
Those will be Celeron or Pentium

The cheapie Dell loaner laptop was a Celeron dual (2) core
Not enough processor for win 8.1 of you want fast boot

Find for email etc..
But you specified fast start up, for that you want a lots of memory and a quad core i3/i5

I. Was very happy with the Lenovo G540 core i5, until the hinged broke

I'm getting used to the new HP pavilion, I like the core i7, but I'm not enamoured with the chicklet keyboard, constant typing double letters

One of the single biggest differences in computer speed is using an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive. The three things I look for/compare:

1) SSD (much faster than HDD)
2) processor (speed/cores)
3) RAM - more is better

And, if you're using Windows, a 64-bit OS is faster than a 32-bit.

Seattle Steve wrote:
Computer processing speeds have far surpassed the average user's needs. The speed hangup is input/output. By far the most noticeable speed improvement most people will see is by using an SSD (solid state drive.) Almost instant boot-up.

Totally agree on the above. Get a laptop with at least a 'moderate' processor chip like the Intel i3 or i5, but get lots of RAM ( at least 4GB and 8GB would be better) - and get a solid state drive!

Dell has a reputation for less than stellar products. I like to look to Toshiba, Asus, Lenovo, for quality products.

from a command prompt run MSINFO32 and compare the outputs from the different machines

Look at Process speed, Ram Size & Disk (type and capacity) SSD are faster than spinning disks

Computer processing speeds have far surpassed the average user's needs. The speed hangup is input/output. By far the most noticeable speed improvement most people will see is by using an SSD (solid state drive.) Almost instant boot-up.

Will this help ?

Identify computer speed & processing power