The Experience Index is the best way to determine how well your Windows Vista® will perform in your computer. The higher the better. Our opinion is that you should not buy a computer with less than 3.5. To check the Experience Index of a computer, Click "Start", go to the "Control Panel" and double-click "System".



 

To most of us, speed and good graphics are perhaps the two most important factors when working on a computer. On this page we give you a few tips to improve both. If you decide to work on the registry, be careful because a silly mistake can have grave consequences. We cannot be held responsible for any problems you may encounter after using any of the tips below. Use at own risk.

USEFUL TIPS

Let's talk performance. The four main ingredients for top performance are:

1. Memory
2. Graphics Card
3. Start-up
4. No Fancy Visuals

Of course, a top class motherboard and a potent processor such as a Duo or Quad Core will make a huge difference.

1. Memory
The more memory your computer system has, the better. To run Home Premium you should have a bare minimum of 512MB memory. With this amount of memory you cannot expect good performance. Make sure you have 1GB, and if you can afford it, 2GB (or more if your motherboard can accommodate it).

2. Graphics Card
Graphics cards are very important. Graphics cards have their own built in memory. This will make the computer use less of its own memory which will be available for other tasks, such as calculations, etc.. Get a good graphics card, it's always a good investment and will do wonders to the way your computer displays what you are working, or playing! Ask your computer store for assistance in choosing the correct one for your system.

3. Start-up
One of the main culprits of a sluggish computer system is the way that Windows Vista® starts up. If you do not look after it, it will start a large number of un-necessary applications. We'll attend to this later.

4. Fancy Goodies
Windows Vista®, by default, tries to impress you with its looks. We can't blame it, we all like to look good. This means that Windows Vista® automatically displays all its fancy ways, such as sliding menu-boxes, animated stuff, etc.. You can have Windows Vista® look great without a lot of the fancy goodies. We'll attend to this later as well. Select "Continue >>" below.