Performance Still Key To Computer Dissatisfaction


Ask PC owners what gives them the greatest dissatisfaction with their computers and the answer will likely be performance.

Recent studies show that more than 50 percent of users single out responsiveness as their key concern.

Machines simply don’t run as fast as they should. This was especially true three or four years ago when memory chip prices rose and vendors responded by scrimping on the RAM memory they installed.

While overall performance is better today, it is still not everything it should be. Fortunately, there are several ways to change this – all worth a little attention.

According to Jens Meggers, vice president of engineering at Symantec’s consumer products division, one key step is to add more memory. No secret here. Memory has long been the key performance variable, especially in machines making due with 500 MB.

A second way is to de-install unused applications. Computer users who frequently download software from the Internet can unknowingly end up with multiple toolbars and programs that soak up unnecessary chip capacity.

A final step is to install a modern suite of security software, obviously Symantec’s bread and butter. Meggers says older security software slowed down machines by using too much memory and adding to PC boot time.

With Norton Internet Security 2009, the suite’s boot time was reduced to 10 seconds and its use required between just 5 and 7 MB of memory. The suite also sped up malware scanning.

Symantec sent Norton Internet Security 2010 into beta testing last week with another key improvement – a performance monitor that shows how different software applications impact computer speed.

Computer performance is better today, says Meggers. But the problem hasn’t been eliminated, he adds.

He is right about that. The next step may come with better scrutiny of the downloads computer owner permit.