• Aggravationstation@feddit.uk
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    6 months ago

    People want shiny new things. I’ve had relatives say stuff like “I bought this computer 2 years ago and it’s getting slower, it’s awful how you have to buy a new one so quickly.” I suggest things to improve it, most of which are free or very cheap and I’d happily do for them. But they just go out and buy a brand new one because that’s secretly what they wanted to do in the first place, they just don’t want to admit they’re that materialistic.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        Free:

        • clean fans and heatsink - others mentioned, and the reason is better cooling so it doesn’t throttle
        • kill unnecessary services - that’s why reinstalling works
        • install Linux - not reasonable for everyone, but Linux uses far fewer resources
        • delete old files - as disks get full, it takes longer to find somewhere for files to go; try to leave 10-20% free
        • try a small overclock - many older CPUs can give a little more without upgrading cooling; only do it if temps look good

        Relatively cheap (<$200 each):

        • upgrade drive to NVMe - huge difference if running an HDD, still noticeable of running a SATA SSD
        • add more RAM (only if you’re constantly running out)
        • upgrade CPU - esp if AMD since they release lots of CPUs for the same socket

        It really depends on what’s making it slow though.