CPU speed is generally measured in MHz and one Megahertz is equivalent to one million cycles per second. But this does not mean that a CPU with 3MHz works faster than a 1MHz CPU. The difference is observed on the quantity of work a CPU can perform in one clock cycle. Technically speaking, a CPU with 1MHz speed could possibly be faster and the 2MHz CPU could probably have high efficiency or perform larger amount of work. The speed of a CPU can be improved using caches as it can provide quicker access to the used information. They can also help in terms of the performance. A larger cache will lead to better performance. They are said to be heart of a CPU and while some may operate at a high speed, others do not.
Another factor affecting the CPU speed is the Front Side Bus (FSB). This is the main joint that connects the CPU to the whole memory system. It operates in a fraction of time compared to the CPU clock speed. Even the performance of a CPU can be judged according to the data transfer speed allowed by the FSB. Besides, speed is also affected by the Random Access Memory (RAM). A faster RAM implies that the CPU does not require much time for data transfer hence will work faster.
Generally speaking, anything included in the system may have impact on the speed of the CPU. They are also the main factors to the CPU performance as well as the whole system such as RAM video speed, speed of rotation and the access time for the hard disk. If you find the acceleration of your CPU to be considerably slow, you can try out the recommended solutions. One of them is to identify the most suitable CPU to complement your existing computer. Buying a new CPU, advancing aback and installing the new CPU into the computer should be pretty simple but beware that you are accurate on altering the CPU as you can cause severe damages if things in your computer are affected by you.
You can actually analyze your CPU performance and its acceleration in your computer by clicking on the start icon, choosing run and typing in “msinfo32”. Such method to improve the speed is highly recommended as they are cost-effective and simple.
Dennis enjoys writing on wide range of topics such as CPU speed and processor speed. You may visit for more details.
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Showing posts with label Vista Speed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vista Speed. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Windows Vista Readyboost and Superfetch
System performance depends on various factors. Microprocessor speed is one thing. System memory or (RAM [Random Access Memory]) is another; cache memory also has a part to play in performance. We have a limit to the processor power, we can’t increase it; we cannot increase also the cache, which resides inside the processor. However, we can increase the system memory and optimize it for better performance. Microsoft Windows Vista has two great built-in applications for memory boosting and high performance. They are Windows Readyboost and Superfetch. These programs of the new Windows are reviewed in this article. In the first part, Microsoft Readyboost is focused on, and the second part is dedicated to Microsoft Superfetch.
Windows Readyboost
In the history of Microsoft Windows, this is the first time that Windows Operating System introduces an artificial RAM addition program. RAM is a very necessary component to boost system performance. And Windows Vista naturally requires a lot of system memory (specifically for its visual appeal, Microsoft AERO). How to supplement this need, when you don’t have enough of system memory? One option is using the virtual memory by configuring the hard drive (it requires a little more technical knowledge!). But the hard disk has limitations in terms of speed and capacity. It is not at all a great replacement to system RAM, and you cannot notice any performance difference by increasing it. In this case, as boon to the low memory systems, Microsoft Windows Vista introduces Readyboost, a memory addition program.
With Readyboost, you can use a non-volatile storage device such as a Flash drive to give more memory to the system. The Flash disk drive, which is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device, can be plugged into the USB slot on the back of your system. USB Flash storage devices are usually very fast with high data transfer rates. So, it can serve as a memory cache, when the normal system RAM is filled up. Since Flash drive is accessible faster than the system hard drives, it is an ideal choice for this purpose. You can also use SD (Secure Digital) memory card.
Using Readyboost is very easy. When you insert a USB Flash drive or SD card, Vista checks whether its performance is good enough for using as RAM. If found OK, you will get an alert asking whether to use the USB storage device as RAM. You can use either the whole drive or part of it for the purpose.
Windows Superfetch
When you work on MS Windows, there may be many background tasks running without your knowledge. These background programs, which usually run from the system tray, use up part of the available RAM, thereby making the system performance lower. In previous versions of MS Windows, these background tasks run randomly accessing the system memory (also the virtual memory). And this can make the system slower.
To fight this issue, Windows introduced a new program along with Readyboost, Microsoft Superfetch. Microsoft Readyboost uses Superfetch to load files and programs into the Flash memory device faster. Superfetch can monitor the user programs and background programs: their memory needs, priority, and frequency of usage.
Superfetch checks which of the applications are used the most by the user, and loads them into the system memory before execution. So, you can get access to them readily whenever you want. Also, Superfetch can make the system performance greater by changing the priority of the programs (user programs have higher priority and system tasks have lower). In this way, Superfetch dramatically increases the system performance by working with Readyboost.
These applications definitely are a welcome addition to Microsoft Vista; they will make working with the system much faster. One major factor is that in Vista, at a designated amount of RAM, the performance you can get is much better than that you can get with Windows XP, at the same amount of memory. So, though Vista is resource-thirsty, it can optimize the performance much better. This is what makes Vista a great OS, in terms of visual appeal (by Microsoft AERO features) and system performance.
Windows Readyboost
In the history of Microsoft Windows, this is the first time that Windows Operating System introduces an artificial RAM addition program. RAM is a very necessary component to boost system performance. And Windows Vista naturally requires a lot of system memory (specifically for its visual appeal, Microsoft AERO). How to supplement this need, when you don’t have enough of system memory? One option is using the virtual memory by configuring the hard drive (it requires a little more technical knowledge!). But the hard disk has limitations in terms of speed and capacity. It is not at all a great replacement to system RAM, and you cannot notice any performance difference by increasing it. In this case, as boon to the low memory systems, Microsoft Windows Vista introduces Readyboost, a memory addition program.
With Readyboost, you can use a non-volatile storage device such as a Flash drive to give more memory to the system. The Flash disk drive, which is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device, can be plugged into the USB slot on the back of your system. USB Flash storage devices are usually very fast with high data transfer rates. So, it can serve as a memory cache, when the normal system RAM is filled up. Since Flash drive is accessible faster than the system hard drives, it is an ideal choice for this purpose. You can also use SD (Secure Digital) memory card.
Using Readyboost is very easy. When you insert a USB Flash drive or SD card, Vista checks whether its performance is good enough for using as RAM. If found OK, you will get an alert asking whether to use the USB storage device as RAM. You can use either the whole drive or part of it for the purpose.
Windows Superfetch
When you work on MS Windows, there may be many background tasks running without your knowledge. These background programs, which usually run from the system tray, use up part of the available RAM, thereby making the system performance lower. In previous versions of MS Windows, these background tasks run randomly accessing the system memory (also the virtual memory). And this can make the system slower.
To fight this issue, Windows introduced a new program along with Readyboost, Microsoft Superfetch. Microsoft Readyboost uses Superfetch to load files and programs into the Flash memory device faster. Superfetch can monitor the user programs and background programs: their memory needs, priority, and frequency of usage.
Superfetch checks which of the applications are used the most by the user, and loads them into the system memory before execution. So, you can get access to them readily whenever you want. Also, Superfetch can make the system performance greater by changing the priority of the programs (user programs have higher priority and system tasks have lower). In this way, Superfetch dramatically increases the system performance by working with Readyboost.
These applications definitely are a welcome addition to Microsoft Vista; they will make working with the system much faster. One major factor is that in Vista, at a designated amount of RAM, the performance you can get is much better than that you can get with Windows XP, at the same amount of memory. So, though Vista is resource-thirsty, it can optimize the performance much better. This is what makes Vista a great OS, in terms of visual appeal (by Microsoft AERO features) and system performance.
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