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Faster for Free

Want to get more from your megahertz? These slick tips and tools are like a no-cost PC upgrade.

By Kirk Steers, PCW Print   

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Windows is full of settings and utilities that, if properly applied, can boost your system's performance without costing you a dime. And the Internet is chock-full of free and inexpensive utilities that can help you squeeze out a little more juice from your system.

Of course, we're not talking about a full-fledged banquet. A budget Celeron-based system with its graphics integrated on the motherboard rather than handled by a separate card will never be able to comfortably run the latest digital death-match games or demanding graphics applications, for example. But if you carefully optimize all the components in your PC, you'll probably see a noticeable improvement in its performance. We're heading under Windows' hood to tweak your hard drive, memory settings, CD-R and CD-RW options, monitor, and network connections.

You'll also get a wide-ranging crash course in Drivers 101, and you'll learn about some great freeware, shareware, and Web-based tools to help make your PC purr.

Kirk Steers is a contributing editor for PC World.

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