[ The PC Guide | System Optimization and Enhancement Guide | System Optimizations and Enhancements ]

General System Performance Optimization

This section contains a large number of optimizations that you can use to improve the overall performance of your system. This definition--"general performance optimization"--is intentionally vague, because most performance optimizations are not specific to one component or another. In fact, the largest body of individual improvements affects more than one component, and the improvement's impact is seen in overall system speed; in the real world, that is all that matters.

The enhancements in this section are focused on the overall hardware systems in the PC, as opposed to the operating system issues that are covered in this section. Many of the ideas here are related to BIOS settings; this is because BIOS settings are the primary way that the chipset is controlled, and the chipset is key to the overall performance of the system. You need in most cases to check these settings when you get a new PC, because in my experience there are a lot of boneheads putting together PCs who do not configure the performance BIOS settings properly. In most cases here I only discuss the individual BIOS settings briefly, and then provide a link to where the setting is described in the Reference Guide. Use the links if you need more information about how a particular setting works.

Warning: This area in particular contains a great number of BIOS tweaks that could result in incorrect system operation or data loss if care is not used. Be prepared to undo any changes if problems result. Bear in mind also that it should always be possible to enable some of the BIOS performance enhancements listed here; for example if you cannot enable your processor's internal cache, this means you have a problem with your processor or more generally with your system.

Next: Ensure Optimal Bus Speed Settings

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