Five Tips to Speed Up a PC

Aug 26

10 min read

TL;DR - For the Skimmers:

There’s never been a better time to find ways to extend the useful life of your existing PC hardware.

Upgrade to a Fast SSD
Disable Unnecessary Programs
Install Updates Regularly
Keep Free Space on your Boot Drive
Adjust Power Settings
Bonus
FAQ
Search for Church Computers

Here are five things we believe will provide the greatest improvement to your PC performance for the effort and expense involved.

Tip #1: Get (or upgrade to) a Fast SSD

This is hands down the single most helpful way to speed up a computer that has been booting from an ‘old-school’ hard disk drive (HDD). If you’ve read our previous post about RAM, you should already be familiar with the reason why this is true. But for those of you who don’t already know, modern operating systems use the boot disk to constantly read and write data that is being swapped in and out of memory, so the speed at which this happens can dramatically affect your user experience. If your computer is currently booting from an HDD, you need to upgrade to an SSD right away. Unfortunately, SSD prices are also affected by current component shortages, but if you shop wisely and get a good SSD set up as your boot drive, I highly doubt you will regret it! But notice that I said to get “a good SSD”. That is an important distinction.

Not all SSDs are created equal or are equivalent! The SSD you may have upgraded to five years ago, or that was provided by the manufacturer, might not fully reflect what is available now. As with anything, there are certain ‘grades’ of parts, and SSDs are no exception.

In addition, there are at least two common ways that SSDs communicate with the rest of your system (SATA and NVMe), and one is significantly faster than the other, so it might be worth consulting a local PC shop to install if you’re not especially tech-savvy. Whether it’s installing your very first SSD or upgrading your small, slow OEM SSD to a faster Samsung or SK Hynix model with more storage and blazing-fast performance, the difference can be amazing!

Tip #2: Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs

If you have never looked into this, you might find yourself dismayed at the number of utilities and other software that have decided that it’s really important for them to be launched immediately when you boot your computer and stay running in the background at all times—just in case you need them.

Hot take: This is often not the case! Every app that runs at startup adds to the total boot time, making your system feel slow, and it also occupies or reserves a block of memory for the entire time you are using your computer. That can reduce the resources available to other applications, which in turn can affect your performance. And while most of these startup apps do not have a huge effect individually, the cumulative effect of many of them loading at boot time and consuming memory can quickly lead to sluggish performance.

There are several ways to get to the appropriate settings on different systems, but in Windows 11 you can simply type Startup in the Start menu search box, then go to the Startup Apps settings. Once there, you will see a list of all the things that are (or are not) configured to start when the system boots. What you leave enabled or disabled is subjective, and you can always go back and change the settings later if you find that an app you turned off is really needed in the background all the time. The most important thing is that you look through the list and make those decisions consciously, rather than letting the apps decide for you and drain your performance.

Tip #3: Install PC Updates Regularly

It’s doubtful that anyone really looks forward to installing operating system and software updates, but the hard truth is that, in most cases, the time spent downloading and installing is more than made up for by the improved performance and features they provide. There are occasional issues, but most of the time it’s a relatively painless process. The benefits of running improved, optimized software should be fairly self-evident, but there is another, less obvious reason to install your updates promptly.

When your operating system or an application automatically updates, it usually downloads and processes those update files in the background. So the entire time this is happening, that internet traffic and disk usage are detracting from how responsive your system feels. And as long as you continue using the computer after the alert that updates need to be installed, performance will typically suffer somewhat. While we would never suggest installing updates right before you run a presentation or do other critical, time-sensitive work, it’s still important to run them as soon as the opportunity arises.

Pro Tip: One exception to this suggestion is that you should probably put off installing updates with the word ‘Preview’ or ‘Optional’ in the title. Windows will often offer you a Preview update package in the middle or late part of the month, which is essentially an opportunity to beta-test features they plan to release the following month. So unless you enjoy being a ‘guinea pig’ for a software company, you may want to skip those.

Tip #4: Keep 10-15% of the Disk Space Free on Your Boot Drive

This is somewhat related to our #1 tip to get a (better) SSD, but it’s also a distinct suggestion regardless of your drive type, age, or performance. As a boot disk gets nearly full, there are a number of reasons performance can take a nosedive, but the primary reason is that the operating system has less and less room for the Page File it uses to manage memory contents. The less room available on the disk, the more frequently the OS has to compress the contents of RAM and the more often it has to move files back and forth to keep up with software needs.

If you are running Windows on a disk that is beginning to fill up, it will help warn you about the importance of keeping some free space by turning the disk ‘used space’ bar red once you only have 10-15% remaining. If you see this, it’s definitely time to empty the Trash can and run the Disk Cleanup tool to free up space for your storage to ‘breathe!’

Tip #5: Adjust Your Power Settings

While it may sound obvious, many PC users have never gone to the power settings to change how the system manages power. On Windows 11, go to Settings and search for Power Mode. This will take you to the place where you can tell Windows whether you want it to run in High Performance, Balanced, or Best Power Efficiency mode.

High Performance mode will use somewhat more electricity, so be prepared for that, but if you really need performance, this setting might help. Keep in mind that it might be difficult to determine how much of an effect a setting like this has on your performance. Most experts recommend leaving it on the Balanced setting, as Windows usually does a good job of maximizing performance while minimizing unnecessary power usage and heat. But if you are desperate to squeeze every last bit of performance from your system, this might help.

Bonus Tip: Upgrade Your Internet Service

We promised five tips, but this one isn't something you change on your computer—so it really doesn’t count. And this is something that is easy to overlook while attempting to make your computer usage smoother and more efficient. As an increasing amount of our day-to-day PC usage involves software and services tied to the internet, it can be easy to forget that internet speed itself can have a tremendous effect on the quality of our experience and our perception of the computer’s performance.

Not everyone has multiple good options, but for those who do, it can often take as little as a threat to cancel and switch to another service to prompt your provider to suddenly offer a better service level at little or no additional cost. You may already be locked into a contract or not have an alternate provider, but if you do have options, it might be worth checking them out.

FAQs: How to Speed Up a Slow PC

1. What's the single best upgrade to speed up a slow PC?

Upgrading to a fast SSD (solid-state drive) for your boot drive is the most impactful change you can make. If your computer still boots from an old-school hard disk drive (HDD), your OS is constantly reading and writing data as it swaps information in and out of memory — and an HDD is a major bottleneck for that process. Swapping in a quality SSD is the change most likely to make an old PC feel new again.

2. Are all SSDs the same?

No. SSDs come in different "grades," and not every drive delivers the same performance. There are also two common ways SSDs connect to your system — SATA and NVMe — and NVMe is significantly faster. If you're not comfortable identifying compatible parts or installing hardware yourself, a local PC shop can help you choose and install the right drive.

3. Do startup programs really slow down my computer?

Yes. Every application set to launch at boot adds to your total startup time and reserves memory for as long as your computer is running — whether you're actively using that program or not. Individually, most startup apps have a small effect, but the cumulative load of many programs launching at once is a common cause of sluggish performance.

4. How do I disable startup programs in Windows 11?

Type "Startup" into the Windows 11 Start menu search box, then open Startup Apps in Settings. From there, you'll see every program configured to launch at boot and can turn off the ones you don't need running in the background. You can always re-enable an app later if you find you actually need it.

5. Should I install operating system and software updates right away?

Generally, yes. Updates typically improve performance and add features, and delaying them means your system continues to devote background internet traffic and disk activity to reminders and pending installs, which can drag down responsiveness. The main exception is updates labeled "Preview" or "Optional" — these are often beta features and are usually safe to skip unless you don't mind being an early tester. It's also wise to avoid installing updates immediately before a presentation or other time-sensitive task.

6. How much free space should I leave on my boot drive?

Keep at least 10-15% of your boot drive's total capacity free. As a drive fills up, the operating system has less room for the page file it uses to manage memory, forcing it to compress RAM contents and shuffle files more frequently — which slows the whole system down. Windows will typically flag this by turning the drive's "used space" indicator red once free space drops into that range; running Disk Cleanup and emptying the Trash can help restore breathing room.

7. Which Windows power mode gives the best performance?

Windows 11 lets you choose between High Performance, Balanced, and Best Power Efficiency in Settings under Power Mode. High Performance mode can boost speed but uses more electricity, and its real-world impact can be hard to measure. Most experts recommend sticking with Balanced, since it's designed to maximize performance while minimizing unnecessary power draw and heat — but if you need every bit of speed you can get, High Performance is worth trying.

8. Can my internet connection affect how fast my computer feels?

Yes. Since so much day-to-day computing now relies on internet-connected software and services, a slow connection can make even a fast PC feel sluggish. If you have more than one internet provider available in your area, it's often worth comparing plans — simply mentioning you're considering switching providers can sometimes prompt your current provider to offer a better deal.

9. Is it better to upgrade my current PC or buy a new one?

It depends on your system's age and condition. Many computers can get meaningful extra life from an SSD upgrade, startup program cleanup, regular updates, freed-up disk space, and adjusted power settings. But if a system is very old or was low-performing even when new, it may not be worth the cost of upgrading, and replacement may be the more practical option — especially worth discussing with a PC specialist who can assess your specific hardware.

10. How much can these five tips actually improve PC performance?

Not every tip applies to every system, but even implementing just a couple of these changes — such as adding an SSD and freeing up disk space — can be enough to extend a computer's useful life by a year or more, which is especially valuable when new PC prices remain elevated due to ongoing component shortages.

Church PC Computer Systems for Every Need

In many cases, the suggestions presented here can help you get through this computer supply chain madness using the system you already have with just a few tweaks. In other cases, the old system is simply too far gone, or it cannot be upgraded enough to warrant the effort or expense.

In either case, please let us know if you have any questions about your upgrade options or if you would like more information about the computer systems we have pre-configured for a variety of use cases.