Computers have gotten a lot better over the years and can now handle significant data processing compared to years past. Most people assume that since computers are built for massive amounts of data processing that the PC's of today are extremely fast. In most cases they are fast when you first get them out of the box, but then overtime they begin to slow down, sometimes considerably.

If you have a newer computer, or even an older one, and would like to give it a nice little boost in power there are a few things you can do to increase the speed. Some things you can do for free and some you'll need to invest a little bit of money.

Buy More RAM

This is probably one of the first things people think about when they want to increase the speed of their computer, and for good reason. Increasing the amount of RAM you have in your computer can really give your PC some more speed. Replacing or adding additional RAM in your computer is not that hard; even if you are not that technically savvy. Just follow the directions or search online for some instructions. If you do not what to mess with it you could probably get a friend or family member to do it for you, or just pay a tech.

Clean Up Your Startup

Over time as you install more software to your computer you will likely have more items added to your startup list. One of the main reasons is because a lot of software asks you or automatically adds itself to your computer's startup list. This means that each time your computer boots up before you are able to begin working all the software in your startup must first be started up. A lot of this software you may not even realize is starting up because it may run in the background, but it can contribute to you experiencing a slower computer. To remove items from your startup list you can either do it manually for most software, however this is not always the case. The easiest and fasted way to remove items from your computer startup files is to use software that will help you do it.

Clear The Clutter

Over time of using a computer your registry files, which stores information to configure your computer, can get all cluttered up and have missing or corrupt entries. This can be caused from several things such as installing and uninstalling software programs. To clean your registry files you could do some of it manually if you know what you are doing, however this is not recommended for most people as if you make a mistake it is possible to make your computer no longer work. The easiest way to repair or clean up your registry files is to use a specialized software application that will scan your registry and then repair errors that is finds.