Speed up your System. Performance Matters!!

Speed and performance matters a lot, specifically when you are into software development using IDEs and also using other big software(in simple words). The most important factors influencing the speed of your system are:-
1. Random Access Memory - This is the most important factor which determines the speed of your applications or software. In very simple words RAM is the temporary memory of a computer which is utilized by an application in runtime. An application while running has to save some data in the memory temporarily which it has to access more frequently. Higher the RAM, the faster will be the speed of the application. When multiple applications run together the RAM is put into test and a RAM with higher space in it sails you easily through this test of speed. At times when your computer might hang, one of the reasons behind it may be the exhausting of the RAM by the different applications you open at the same time. A system with a higher configuration of RAM hangs less frequently.
2. Processor - The fundamental operation of most CPUs, regardless of the physical form they take, is to execute a sequence of stored instructions called a program. The program is represented by a series of numbers that are kept in some kind of computer memory. There are four steps that nearly all CPUs use in their operation: fetch, decode, execute, and writeback. The operating system is a GUI which interacts with the processor. The processor fetches the instruction sent by the operating system, decodes it, executes and tells the operating system what to do. The operating system decodes the user's instruction into machine level language which the processor understands and thus works the computer. The performance or speed of a processor depends on the clock rate and the Instructions Per Clock (IPC), which together are the factors for the Instructions Per Second (IPS) that the CPU can perform. Lets not get into these technicalities and understand that a multi core processor will perform much better than a single core processor. For example a dual core processor should ideally perform almost twice as better as a single core processor. Processor is hardware device and its speed depends predominantly on the ability of the chips to understand and execute the instructions. The speed of a processor is calculated in Hertz. The common unit to measure speed is Ghz or Giga Hertz because processors are now becoming faster and faster. It is common to have a 2.0 to 3.0 Ghz processor. The higher the speed of your processor the better is the speed of your computer.
3. Hard Disk - The hard disk also plays an important role in determining the speed of your computer. The hard disk is where your operating system, all your programs and applications and also your data is being stored. The speed also depends a lot on how your maintain your hard disk. You should leave some space in your hard disk for temporary files to be created in case certain applications need it to speed up your operations. You should also clean up your disk regularly, defragment your hard disk once in a while and also check for disk errors and correct them to improve the access to the data in your hard disk and thus improving the performance to a great extent. If you have too many applications running at start up, your computer will take a long time to start up. Have minimal and important applications running in the backend. End all programs which are not vital for the system to run to improve the spped.
4. ReadyBoost - Programs like ready boost which work only on Windows 7 or Vista speed up your computer to certain extent. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory. Do not go for any software which claims to improve your processor speed as you never know it may be a spyware. Purchase programs which are legitimate and proven. I generally do not go for any free or paid programs unless they are released by a credible corporation or organization. Like anything you find in the Microsoft, Sun or Linux site is the safest to be used. Use your deligence before you install any program into your system.