I have an older Dell computer w/ 498 mhz. 256 mb of ram, what is the best way to increase its speed?

Answer 1

If you dont want to upgrade hardware,There are some softwares you can download to speed up your computer.
First,You should Fix Corruption and Errors within your registry.The registry is a main part of your computer's Operating System. With time, as you use Windows and install and uninstall programs, your registry will get congested and full of errors. So your computer could slow down. So, if you can clean it up this problem can be solved.Sometimes you can speed computer up by 300%. To clean up registry,You can download a software called regsitry cleaner---Clean registry,remnant,corrupt files and temp files,history,cookies,etc.. This site:
http://fix-slow-computer.info
lists top 5 registry cleaner,you can download and scan for free.
Second,Get rid of spyware/adware in your computer.spyware/adware hamper your computer's performance.It use system resources and slow your computer down.

So, to speed up your slow computer, use a registry cleaner software and clean your registry files first. It will make all the difference, and provide you with the immediate fix you need for your slow computer.Then,download a good anti-spyware to get rid of spyware/adware in your computer.

Answer 2

I wouldn't bother spending money on upgrading it unless you have computer parts just lying around. If you do have parts, try upgrading the RAM and the CPU. But remember, the manufacture who made the motherboard will only allow so much to be upgraded. My guess is that your max won't get more that 512 mb or ram and 566mhz of a CPU. But in all reality, this computer is very old. You could buy the cheapest computer in any computer outlet store for around $200 and still be better than what you have right now.

Now as far as speed; what makes a system fast is everything and how well it's all matched together. I will say that a full drive can cause other problems, but that's not what you wanted to know.

The major components are as follows: Power Suppy, Processor, Motherboard (the platform itself), RAM, Video Subsection, Hard Drives. The rule of thumb is; if you have to upgrade any three of them, you should get a new one.

The reason is this: To upgrade means you'd want to go to at least a 3.0 P-4 or an Athlon 3500. Since the Athlon uses a 533 front side bus, you'd need the platform changed (motherboard) and RAM to match it. I have very little doubt the power supply you now have, wouldn't even light it up.

Then I'd recommend a new hard drive because the standard is 8mb 7200rpm. I'm guessing that old computer has a 256kilobyte 5400rpm hard drive. The 8mb hard drive will make your computer run much faster.

We haven't even looked at the video yet.
See what I mean?

You will not see any significant difference in speed if any one of these old components is the bottleneck.

I think it's time for a new one.

Answer 3

In all honesty, this is so old it is just best to buy a new comp.
Ways to increase comp speed - defrag hd, clean out temp files, add RAM.

Answer 4

add more ram and a decent video card, but you wont see much improvement,,, by a newer computer for about the same cost of uprading the old 500mhz you have

Answer 5

It's time to buy a new machine. Past time, actually.