You may be asking yourself, “Why is my computer so slow?”. Well, you are about to find out. If you haven’t yet run a computer speed test, there’s no better time than now! Whether your PC seems to be running just a little slow or is on the verge of complete meltdown, the use of a computer speed test is a quick and easy way to get to the bottom of whatever it is that may be ailing your PC.
PC speed tests come in many shapes and forms, and some are far superior to others. Choosing the proper computer speed test is essential to getting an accurate read of what is bogging down your system, as well as determining the best way to handle the problems that it turns up in its scan. Choosing the wrong PC speed test, on the other hand, can result in inaccurate, insufficient data, that could very well result in overlooking the real, underlying problems behind your slow computer speeds.
Computer Speed Tests: What Are They?
As the name implies, a computer speed test scans and measures the performance of a PC computer. There are many PC speed tests to choose from out there, however, you’re going to want to make sure that you choose the right tool for the job, and are monitoring the necessary parameters.
You will find that of the many computer speed tests available, Internet speed tests and system speed tests dominate the landscape. Internet speed tests largely measure the bandwidth speeds offered by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). While this information can certainly be interesting, sometimes even fun, it actually doesn’t provide you with much insight into the performance of your computer at all.
In order to get really valuable information about your computer’s performance, and the various elements that are keeping it from operating at top speeds, you’re going to need to a run a system speed test on your computer.
Computer Speed Tests: How Do They Work?
Internet speed tests aren’t especially complicated. Most work by downloading, and then uploading a random file, and recording how long it takes to complete the file transfer. After some quick math performed by the software, you are then presented with your download and upload speeds. Keep in mind, transfer speeds can fluctuate significantly, multiple times a day.
Most Internet speed tests are available online for free, but as always, not all of them are effective. However, this article will be focusing on system speed tests, so the best advice I have for you is to give a few of them a try, a figure out which of them is most accurate. After all, they’re almost always free, so you have nothing to lose by trying them all.
As for system speed tests, most of them (at least the good ones) require you to download their speed test software. Once installed on your Windows PC, your computer speed tests will be able to access critical areas on your computer, so it can find errors and bugs that are responsible for slow computer speeds.
Want to learn more about the specific causes of slow computer performance? Check out our guide in Why Is My Computer So Slow?
Computer Speed Tests: How To Use Them
As always, we don’t in any way advocate you stumble around the web, downloading random software that you know little about. However, we are going to recommend a computer speed test tool that we use ourselves, and have had a great deal of success with.
PC speed tests, such as SpeedyPC, perform a 100+ point speed test that can turn up hundreds, if not thousands of discrepancies found in your hard drive, windows registry, processes, and other critical areas.
To get started, you’ll first have to download SpeedyPC here. Again, I’d be cautious about downloading random software online. However, we can personally vouch for the safety and effectiveness of SpeedyPC.
Once downloaded, you’ll have to install the program onto your computer. It takes only a few clicks, and you’ll be setup in about a minute. SpeedyPC is compatible with most modern versions of Microsoft Windows; including XP, Vista, and Windows 7 (both 32 and 64-bit versions).
You’ll then double click the SpeedyPC icon to run the program. The all-in-one interface is very simple and easy to learn. On the bottom right, you’ll find the “Start Scan” button. Simply click it, and let it run its course.
Within a minute or two, you’ll be presented with the scan report that provides you with a measure of how your computer is performing. That’s all there is to it! In addition to the speed test results, SpeedyPCwill also supply you with a list of errors that are bogging down your PC, and even the tools you need to fix them.
How To Speed Up Your Computer
Congratulations, you are now just moments away from restoring the full potential and speed of your Windows PC! Now, with your speed test results in hand, you can focus on fixing each of the errors and bugs that the test turned up.
Depending on how long you waited to run a speed test on your computer, you may have turned up a couple dozen problems or you may have uncovered thousands. The good news is that you won’t have to fix each of these problems one by one.
SpeedyPC provides a full suite of tools for you to take advantage of. Each tool focuses on a special area that have significant impact on your computer’s performance, such as the registry, hard drives, and processes. Much like the speed test itself, giving your computer the extra boost in performance that it needs is a simple as clicking the mouse and waiting a few minutes.
Still got questions about how to speed up your PC? Find out more in How To Make Your Computer Faster.