Speeding up a sluggish computer?

Post Reply New Topic

Earlier today I encountered some issue where web pages would not load and it said I had no internet connection even though I was connected. I tried to fix it by turning off computer, unplugging modem, plugging modem back in and restarting computer, but I was still dealing with the same issue. When I ran the troubleshooter it told me the DNS server is not responding. I was using a tablet to google solutions to fix the problem. One of the suggestions to run command prompts to reset DNS settings. I required 4 steps and at the end it required me to restart computer. This finally fixed the issue. Webpages seem to load a little quicker now.

I mainly use my computer to browse the internet, and keep track of my checking account. The apps I mostly use are Google Chrome, Mail, Money, Paint. I am not a gamer. I've thought about uninstalling games that I have on my PC because I never use them. I thought it might speed things up a bit.

Do you know what your machine's specs are?

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-4170 CPU @ 3.70GHz 3.70 GHz
Installed RAM: 4.00 GB
System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

I'm running Windows 10 Home

Windows (C) 433 GB, 67.9 used

Uninstalling games is not going to have a noticeable effect on PC speed unless the games are running processes in the background when you start up and use the computer, and even then it might not be noticeable when uninstalled. But if they are Microsaoft games they are probably calling home (connecting to Microsoft severs to do checks etc) at regular intervals, but I doubt this is what is causing the internet problem.

Last edited by Recidivist on 27 Jun 2023, 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

Uninstalling programs isn't likely to speed up your computer. To accomplish the latter, try using something like System Mechanic instead.

You should also check the drive to see if it is fragmented. Right click on your C drive and click properties. Under the tools tab there is an option to optimise and defragment drives. I doubt this is your issue but it's worth a check.

Find a Linux distro that suits your needs and replace Windows with it.

Well there's your problem - 4GB of ram, ain't quite enough. Not for Win10 AND Chrome.

It's a 4th gen i3, so odds are it's using DDR3. Getting a little harder to find, but if you can, I'd see if I could bump that 4GB up to 8.

Admittedly, I use a lot of tabs, but RN my browser alone is using 8 GB of RAM.

It's also worth mention that a 4th gen i3 is pretty old, and not very robust as far as modern processors go. If it's a LGA115X socket you could probably swap out the CPU as well. 4th gen i5 and i7 CPUs often go for under $100.

PLEASE please please do not use any sort of "System Helper" or "Cleanup Tool". Most do nothing. Some can cause issues. Others are basically scams.

As mentioned, unless your HDD is at capacity, or the program is using live resources by being installed, removing data from the drive will not speed up the system.

However, using an SSD for your boot drive instead of a HDD can potentially give you a lot more speed to your system.

Just a few suggestions.

^ Good spot and great call, I agree, I glossed over the specs

Ditto to this. I've got 8 gigs, and even Firefox (which is Chrome based these days) with NoScript installed still manages to eat it all. It crashed like four times yesterday.

For some of the heavier websites, I used to be able to use the mobile version of the page instead, but now a LOT more website are heavy, and they're putting the sunset on mobile pages. Facebook hardly lets you do anything at all with mbasic now >_<

^

^^

Thanks, both.

I recently had to upgrade a system for a client who wanted something to play some basic games on, but was so slow it was a slog just to use windows at all. It was very similarly spec'd to what OP has now. The most amazing difference was the SSD. It went from a cold boot time of more than a minute, to a cold boot time of about 8 seconds - just from a $25-50 SSD as the boot drive, instead of a spinny-type HDD.

8 GB of RAM is the smallest amount of mem I'd use in a Win10 PC. Also, websites have bloated a LOT over the years, due to the increases in internet bandwidth which can support it.

From what Intel claims, that CPU is in fact LGA1150, meaning it could, in theory, take an i5 4690/K or i7 4790/K (if the motherboard supports it) - either of which, while also old, are robust enough that they can even play modern games. Both are fairly inexpensive these days.

Not sure what OP's level of comfort is when it comes to working on a PC. But old system is old, and isn't likely to be rejuvenated via software. The one caveat I would mention is, if you have any sort of free antivirus like mcafee or norton or avira, or system helpers or similar, do get rid of them. Those can slow systems down, and cause internet issues. Most are fairly useless, some are basically scams, and Win10's built in Defender is pretty good already.

I gather this may be a pre-built machine, and if OP doesn't feel comfortable making hardware changes such as the ones suggested, it might be worth it to upgrade to a somewhat newer machine.

If you've got 3rd party anti virus/firewall installed I would try uninstalling that and just using windows firewall and deferder. Worked for my dad's laptop..