30 Oct, 2008
Over time, temporary files, cookies, cached internet data and other junk can clog up your hard disk. You can remove this detritus manually, or make use of the built-in WIndows Disk Cleanup tool located at STart, Programs, Accessories, System Tools. Alternatively, give CCleaner (www.ccleaner.com) a try. This excellent free tool targets all the usual temporary files left by WIndows and Internet Explorer, but also tackles junk from popular third-party applications such as Firefox and Google Earth. It even comes with its own uninstaller and Registry cleaner.
30 Oct, 2008
If you enjoy playing 3D games or edit a lot of video, then a good graphics card will make a huge difference. For the very best cutting-edge visuals, you’ll need a DirectX10 compatible model and a copy of Vista (DX10 isn’t available on XP). You’ll also need a decent budget, as the latest ATI (www.amd.com) and Nvidia (www.nvidia.co.uk) cards certainly aren’t cheap. If your PC only has integrated graphics, it’s definately worth buying a reasonably priced standalone card-you’ll certainly notice an improvement.
30 Oct, 2008
You can get a significant speed boost by adding more RAM to your system. If you only have 1GB installed, increasing this to 2GB or 3GB will make a noticeable difference. 32-bit versions of Windows (XP and Vista) can recognize up to 4GB of RAM, but only make use of about 3.5GB of it. 64-bit versions of WIndows don’t have this restriction and can handle a whopping 128GB.
