What is Performance ?

Computer Performance

Know some of the factors that
impact on a computer’s performance, such as: CPU speed, RAM size, the ..number of applications running

CPU Clock speed
The computer clock speed governs how fast the CPU will run. The higher the clock speed the faster the computer will work
for you. The clock speed is given in megahertz (MHz). The original IBM PC ran at
4.77 MHz whereas modern PCs will run at over 2000 MHz, which gives you an idea
of how far things have progressed since the introduction of the original PC. The
higher the MHz speed the faster the computer.

RAM size
As a rule the more memory you have the
faster the PC will appear to operate. Windows also uses the hard disk a lot so
logically the faster the hard disk can operate then again the faster the PC will
appear to run

Hard disk speed and storage

Hard disks are also measured by their speed, defined by the disk access time, which
is measured in milliseconds. The smaller this access time the faster the hard
disk will store or retrieve data. The data storage capacity of hard disks
continues to increase as new products are released. The disk storage capacity is
measured in Gigabytes (GBytes). 1 GByte is equivalent to 1024 Mbytes.

Free Hard Disk Space

To get the most out of your Windows based PC, you not only need a fast hard disk but
also a large hard disk with plenty of "spare space". This is due to the fact
Windows is constantly moving data between the hard disk and RAM (Random Access
Memory). Microsoft Windows will create many so-called “temporary files” that it
uses for managing your programs. In fact, if you have very little free hard disk
space you may find that Microsoft Windows will not be able to run your programs
at all.

De-fragmenting Files

If you are running Windows you may
find that if you click on the Start menu, select Programs, and then select the
Accessories / System tools group, there is a de-fragmentation program. Running
this periodically may noticeably speed up the operation of your PC. When you use
a PC, over a period of time the files get broken up into separate pieces that
are spread all over the hard disk. De-fragmentation means taking all the broken
up pieces and joining them back together again.

Multitasking considerations

Windows is a multitasking system, which means that it can run more than one program at a time. However the more programs that are running at the same time, the slower each one will run. To some extent
this slowing effect depends on what each program is doing. Editing a large, full
color picture for instance can take up a lot of CPU time

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