Computer performance is characterized by the amount of useful work accomplished by a computer system compared to the time and resources

used.\ Technical performance metrics There are a wide variety of technical performance metrics that indirectly affect overall computer performance. Because there are too many programs to test a CPU's speed on all of them, benchmarks were developed. The most famous benchmarks are the SPECint and SPECfp benchmarks developed by Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation and theConsumerMark benchmark developed by the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium EEMBC.

 Some important measurements include: Instructions per second Most consumers pick a computer architecture (normally Intel IA32 architecture) to be able to run a large base of pre-existing, pre-compiled software. Being relatively uninformed on computer benchmarks, some of them pick a particular CPU based on operating frequency. FLOPS The number of floating-point operations per second is often important in selecting computers for scientific computations. Performance per watt System designers building parallel computers, such as Google, pick CPUs based on their speed per watt of power, because the cost of powering the CPU outweighs the cost of the CPU itself. Some system designers building parallel computers pick CPUs based on the speed per dollar.

 System designers building real-time computing systems want to guarantee worst-case response. That is easier to do when the CPU has low interrupt latency and when it has deterministic response. Computer programmers who program directly in assembly language want a CPU to support a fullfeatured instruction set. Low power For systems with limited power sources (e.g. solar, batteries, human power). Small size or low weight - for portable embedded systems, systems for spacecraft. Environmental impact Minimizing environmental impact of computers during manufacturing and recycling as well as during use. Reducing waste, reducing hazardous materials.

 Giga-updates per second - a measure of how frequently the RAM can be updated Occasionally a CPU designer can find a way to make a CPU with better overall performance by improving one of these technical performance metrics without sacrificing any other (relevant) technical performance metricfor example, building the CPU out of better, faster transistors. However, sometimes pushing one technical performance metric to an extreme leads to a CPU with worse overall performance, because other important technical performance metrics were sacrificed to get one impressive-looking numberfor example, the megahertz myth.

The causes of your computer being slow can include:

Not enough hard drive space, too many unused programs Left over programs, old cached and temporary files Too many programs running at startup or in the background Data Corruption, hard disk fragmentation Missing Windows updates or outdated drivers

Whatever the cause, there are lots of ways to help speed up your computer and make your PC work bettereven without upgrading your hardware. This easy to follow, step by step guide will help to speed up your computer.

http://smallbusiness.support.microsoft.com/en-us/gw/speed-up-my-slowcomputer-2806116

Get computer speed and performance information

Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools.

What is the Windows Experience Index? The Windows Experience Index measures the capability of your computer's hardware and software configuration and expresses this measurement as a number called a base score. A higher base score generally means that your computer will perform better and faster than a computer with a lower base score, especially when performing more advanced and resource-intensive tasks. Each hardware component receives an individual subscore. Your computer's base score is determined by the lowest subscore. For example, if the lowest subscore of an individual hardware component is 2.6, then the base score is 2.6. The base score is not an average of the combined subscores. However, the subscores can give you a view of how the components that are most important to you will perform, and can help you decide which components to upgrade.

You can use the base score to buy programs and other software that are matched to your computer's base score. For example, if your computer has a base score of 3.3, then you can buy any software designed for this version of Windows that requires a computer with a base score of 3 or lower. The scores currently range from 1.0 to 7.9. The Windows Experience Index is designed to accommodate advances in computer technology. As hardware speed and performance improve, higher score ranges will be enabled. The standards for each level of the index generally stay the same. However, in some cases, new tests might be developed that can result in lower scores.

http://www.whatismyip.com/speed-test/