Your hardware spec looks pretty good to me (better than mine that's running Vista).
I think your computer's problems must be all in its mind i.e "mental" (software), not physical. Or perhaps you have some hardware that is not performing to spec (unlikely). Very slow Vista reboots can be caused by having external USB external drives plugged in. Crazy I know - but true. Mine takes quite a few minutes to boot - but is several times quicker if I yank out the USB drive cable (and then plug in after boot). Outlook should not be slow with your machine's spec.. It's conceivable that your anti-virus software is causing the slow-down. If your internet connection is poor Outlook is notorious for "time out" problems, especially I believe with Norton Utilities. But then it may be your POP mail server that is slooow and/or your Internet connection. Then it's not Outlook's fault of course. My lower spec PC runs Thunderbird (not Outlook) with AVG anti-virus. There's never any go-slow. These dual/quad processor thingies are *supposed* to allow you to, say, run anti-virus in the background. I've never found that works, so, like you, I do that stuff when the computer is idle for a few hours (e.g. when trying to catch up on the last day's FFL posts). The reality on a PC is that your hard disk is the bottle neck (well, after your internet connection). When that's grinding and bubbling away on scans you're bound to notice it I'd say. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <r...@...> wrote: > > > I'm thinking of upgrading my computer, as it is often way too slow for my > liking. I need to work with a lot of different applications, and often have > many open at once. This computer doesn't multi-task well. Apps often bog > each other down, such that everything runs slowly. MS Outlook is one of the > biggest culprits. It takes an unbelievably long time to check email, it's > hard to use Outlook while it's being checked, and other applications are > compromised during the process. If there's a background process happening, > such as a backup or virus scan, the computer becomes very sluggish, so I > schedule such things at night. It takes 20 minutes to fully boot this puppy. > A consultant came over and turned some things off, which sped it up a > little, but it's still too slow for my taste. > > > > I'm thinking of getting this: > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9174289 > <http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9174289&type=product&id=12180 > 44029789> &type=product&id=1218044029789. > > . Do you think I'd notice a big improvement? > > . At this stage, does 64-bit processing make a big difference, > considering that most apps aren't written for it yet? (A friend of mine has > a 32-bit desktop machine running XP (I'm running Vista) on which Outlook > also runs very slowly, and a 64-bit laptop running Vista on which Outlook > runs fast.) > > . Does 512MB (dedicated) to video sound adequate, or would > performance be inferior to having a separate video card? > > . Are big hardware improvements just around the corner, such that I > should wait a while? > > . Can I get a better deal elsewhere? > > > > Thanks for your advice. Here's what I've got now. There are 2 250Gb drives > in it. What would be a fair asking price if I were to sell it? > > > > > > More details about my computer > > > > > > > Component > > Details > > Subscore > > Base score > > > Processor > > Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHz > > 4.9 > > > 3.4 > > > Determined by lowest subscore > > > Memory (RAM) > > 4.00 GB > > 5.4 > > > Graphics > > Intel(R) G965 Express Chipset Family > > 3.6 > > > Gaming graphics > > 358 MB Total available graphics memory > > 3.4 > > > Primary hard disk > > 14GB Free (228GB Total) > > 5.4 > > > Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium > > > > > System > > _____ > > > > > > Manufacturer > > GATEWA > > > > > Model > > GT5268E > > > > > Total amount of system memory > > 4.00 GB RAM > > > > > System type > > 32-bit operating system > > > > > Number of processor cores > > 2 > > > > > 64-bit capable > > Yes > > > > > Storage > > _____ > > > > > > Total size of hard disk(s) > > 466 GB > > > > > Disk partition (C:) > > 14 GB Free (228 GB Total) > > > > > Disk partition (D:) > > 2 GB Free (5 GB Total) > > > > > Media drive (E:) > > CD/DVD > > > > > Disk partition (J:) > > 81 GB Free (233 GB Total) > > > > > Graphics > > _____ > > > > > > Display adapter type > > Intel(R) G965 Express Chipset Family > > > > > Total available graphics memory > > 358 MB > > > > > Dedicated graphics memory > > 0 MB > > > > > Dedicated system memory > > 64 MB > > > > > Shared system memory > > 294 MB > > > > > Display adapter driver version > > 7.14.10.1147 > > > > > Primary monitor resolution > > 1280x960 > > > > > DirectX version > > DirectX 9.0 or better > > > > > Network > > _____ > > > > > > Network Adapter > > Intel(R) 82562V 10/100 Network Connection > > > > > Network Adapter > > Microsoft Tun Miniport Adapter >
