However, when analysing overall system performance, CPU speed comes second to having sufficient physical memory (RAM) to run these complex applications.

While many of today’s computers have enough RAM to store a small library, modern software and media files do require a lot of memory consuming resources.

Memory-related problems can cause delays and glitches that can drastically hamper software being used with, for example, noticeable slowing down of movies (or delays in playback)and games.

By optimizing all your system settings and by monitoring resource usage more carefully, these problems can be avoided, resulting in a smoother and more stable gaming experience.

Paging Files and Performance:

In comparison to minute integrated circuitry of a RAM Chip, a mechanical hard drive is not very fast. The read/write speed of hard drive is slower than RAM and technology of former is not designed toward accessing small pieces of data at a time.

When your computer runs out of physical memory, Windows will use your hard drive to store information that it cannot place in RAM.

It will indiscriminately create what is called virtual memory or a paging file (or a swap file) that stores data from RAM that hasn’t been used recently to load up and manage more recent applications.

This slows down your hard drive and eventually may lead to a system crash.

The greater number of (or more power-hungry) applications running, more RAM is required and larger paging files may be.

The easiest solution to this problem and perhaps most expensive is to upgrade your RAM. There are, however, less expensive solutions that will greatly enhance your PC memory.

But there are hundreds of products available on market and to find a solution that fits your need can be daunting.

In this week’s article, I will explain what performance optimizers are and how they work while suggesting what you should look for when choosing such a utility.

Performance optimizers are software utilities that allow you to ensure your PC is automatically optimized and its performance maximized.

These tools should also allow you to keep your PC running at peak performance.

When too many of your resources are being occupied unnecessarily or beyond certain levels that you have established.

The software should warn you to take immediate action.

Performance optimizers should automatically fine-tune all your resources: hardware (CPU and memory) and your system settings.

This will help you enjoy a faster, cleaner and more stable environment that will greatly minimize slowdowns and crashes.

Performance optimizers dig into your hardware and free up valuable resources, remove system hogs that slow your computer down or cause it to crash.

By looking at how your CPU is processing information for all tasks or processes at hand. These utilities determine best configuration, so that you can make most of your computer.

These tools also look at whether tasks at hand are accounted for by legitimate programs.

For example, some performance optimizers are able to recognize that CPU is handling a process that is spyware and should enable you to automatically scan your system and remove such threats.

When optimizing memory, performance optimizers look at how your computer is using RAM and how Windows is creating and operating page file (or virtual) memory.

By optimizing RAM memory, these tools help your computer avoid creating virtual memory.

Moreover, they can also minimize size of your virtual memory file.

Many performance optimizers, like SpeedUpMyPC, also have warning messages so that if your memory usage reaches a critical level, you could take remedial action.