how do i improve pc performance? click for specs and argument details.?

Question

I have:
Pentium 4 Asus Motherboard 2.66GHz
512 MB RAM
256 MB Nvidia Video Card
80 GB Hard Disk (Mainly for software)
40 GB Hard Disk (Partitioned-this is where i put my files)

My boyfriend has:
Pentium 4 MSI Motherboard 2.80GHz
512 MB RAM
128 MB ATI Radeon Video Card
80 GB Hard DIsk

I just bought my pc last month and boyfriend's pc is 2 years old without internet connection so he doesn't get any updates. But for some insane reason, he can play high requirement games like Hitman (the new one) and Oblivion on his pc!!! Meanwhile, I can't play them on mine because they run extremely slow! But it runs so smoothly on his.

Why is this so?
What should I do to improve my pc performance?

Answer 1

When playing 3D games, video card makes a big difference. If your bf has a better video card than you do, obviously your computer won't be able to keep up with his. What you really need to tell us is what kind of chipset your Nvidia card uses and also what kind of chipset your bf's ATI card uses. It might explain why his PC is faster playing games.

And make sure you try to check what resolution he's running his games in. If your resolution is higher than his then it will be slower than if you were playing it at the same resolution as him. Lower resolution allows you to run the game faster.

Answer 2

need to know what motherboard and what cpu if you have the 805 and the p5wd2 or p5wdh you can run a gig or 2 of 667 mz or higher memory and change the fsb speed to 200 and the cpu will run at 4gz but you will need to get water cooling but after you spend all that money you could just build a dual opteron server with sli you can use 1 cpu and 1 graphic card and upgrade to 2 for twice the performance using 2 slowest cpu the 242 is equal to the fastest single core fx cpu and you can still up grade frys has on clearance the 242 and the 244 $39 and 69 each the sli boards start at $300 id recomend the tyan

Answer 3

The speed of a computer is not solely based upon the clock speed of the CPU (but you knew that, you seem smart)

If you bought your computer from a big-box place (Dell, HP, etc.) with Windows already installed, chances are you have about 200 billion pieces of "bundle" (read "useless") software mucking up the computer. First thing: get rid of it all.

Now, download and run Everest Ultimate Edition ( http://www.download.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition-2006/3640-2086_4-10505799.html ) which is a benchmarking program. Run the tests and see what it recommends.

Another possibility is overclocking you video card. Nvidia very kindly included an overclocking feature in its drivers. Trouble is, you have to activate it. Visit http://articles.networktechs.com/39-p1.php to learn how (really easy, though). Once you've unlocked the utility, try overclocking the card by about 10-15%. I can't recommend going over 20% but it's your computer!

You may also want to check what programs are running in the background while you're playing the game. Antivirus, firewall, and other programs that start automatically can drain system resources at an alarming rate. Run the msconfig utility (Start->Run type 'msconfig' without the quotes and press enter) and disable all the programs you don't want starting automatically with Windows. Visit http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ for an extensive database of programs know to start automatically and which ones are safe to disable (or unsafe to allow to run!).

I how some of this helps. You can also ask more questions about things like this at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/

Answer 4

Obviously there are several areas where one computer could be slowed down.

The first thing I would check after you turn off all background programs and anti-virus stuff, is the 3d settings. I do not know these games well enough to tell what their settings should be, but do this: first write computers 3d settings down carefully (or save the profile if possible). Now turn the settings all the way down. (You should be able to keep the resolution as high as or higher than you boyfriends. ) See how that works.... Next try with them down but where possible set all settings to application preference. See how that works... I have had excellent luck with triple buffer on, force 24 bit, and enabling every option like dithering etc.... I also turn off v-sync i think...

Answer 5

Also, you may want to check your game settings. Turn your settings down and see if that helps any.

You can also try to bump up your virtual memory.

I have to say, I'm a little shocked that Oblivion runs smoothly on a comp with 512 MB of ram and a 128mg Video card.

Answer 6

I don;t this will work, but try once; Try to over-clock the CPU speed. Here are the steps.

Get into BIOS. Select "linear an frequency control" increase the CPU speed by the factor of 2-5 only not more than that. Save and exit BIOS.

This will increase the CPU speed.

NOTE :if your computer doesn't boot after CPU speed increase then reset the BIOS.

Answer 7

The first one is a good answer. GO with that one for sure! The video card does make a difference.

Answer 8

maximum in all probability your hard force needs defragmented. were given to: commence->All courses->upload-ons->device equipment->Disk Defragmenter. that ought to look after the issue. yet when no longer, then i ought to attempt a free/free trial registry purifier next, yet be very careful. some cleaners will eliminate registry keys that you nevertheless choose. If neither of those artwork (it isn't going) then a very last ditch selection must be to re-format. yet with any success you mustn't might want to attempt this. wish this helps! :)

Answer 9

more ram, faster cpu, possibly motherboard upgrade, video card upgrade. try 3dMark to benchmark your computer to see if your mods are increasing performance.