Computer performance depends on the power of the hardware components, and on the properly configured operation of the operating system. Little benefit from volume increase random access memory if it is full of useless programs. Powerful processor will not speed up the work if it is limited to save battery power. Thin Windows setup can significantly optimize the performance of the system without additional material costs.

What affects system performance

The performance of Windows 7 is determined by many factors, some of which are the result of a trade-off between power, convenience, and battery life, and others of which depend on how well-groomed your computer is. Therefore, in order to increase performance, it is necessary to tune the system to maximum performance and remove all obstacles for its normal operation.

Maybe, experienced user wants to independently debug each element of the system and customize the computer to fit his needs. For others best solution will use special programs for fine-tuning the system (tweakers), which in a convenient and understandable way show problems and help fix them.

Optimization programs (free and paid)

Programs whose main purpose is to improve Windows work 7, there are many on the market. There are universal big applications and small specialized utilities, programs with many customizable options and with one "red button". Most programs have additional functions, which are not directly related to performance, but are also important for the user, for example, the protection of personal data.

Universal

Usually, universal programs possess big set optimization utilities, but they are paid. Packages with limited functionality or outdated versions are distributed free of charge.

The Computer Accelerator program from the domestic developer AMS Software allows you to quickly and safely clean your computer of debris, fix system errors, manage autorun, as well as ensure the safety of working on the Internet.

Computer Accelerator works for everyone Windows versions and is one of the leading programs for optimizing PC performance.

• Complete trash removal. Safely removes unnecessary files that slow down the system.
• Find and fix registry errors. The program scans your computer, quickly finds faults that interfere with the functioning of the system, and solves the problem in one click. Removes remnants of old keys, invalid extensions, missing DLLs, etc.

• Autostart management. The software allows you to quickly access the startup list. Here you can disable applications that start working with Windows startup thus slowing down the process.

Removing unnecessary software. Here you can completely uninstall applications that have not been used for a long time or were installed accidentally, but at the same time take up disk space.

• System monitoring. Computer Accelerator allows you to monitor the status of your PC and evaluate the degree of memory and processor utilization.
• Fast and secure networking. With the help of the program, you can speed up the browser by clearing the cache and cookies, as well as erasing the history of visited sites.

The Computer Accelerator interface is as user-friendly as possible. Even a beginner will not experience difficulties when working with the program.

• Computer Accelerator design is modern and attractive,
• the location of all tools is convenient and visual,
• most tasks are solved by pressing one button,
• it is possible to configure the “Scheduler” so that the program itself cleans and optimizes the PC.

Free program for changing network settings. The program is intended for non-commercial use and in free version allows you to create up to six profiles containing different network configurations.

Changing the created profiles in NetSetMan (short for Network Settings Manager) is very easy - just select the tab with the desired settings and click the "Apply" button.

You pre-pay desired settings into separate profiles, and then simply switch to the one you need when changing the connection method!

Key features

NetSetMan allows you to change:

IP- the address of the computer on the Internet.

DNS- a system that associates domains with IP addresses.

hosts - text file with instructions for forwarding.

• IP addresses;
• DNS, WINS and SMTP servers;
• name and working group computer;
• Wi-Fi settings;
• network printers;
• entries in the Hosts file;
• some system properties (monitor mode, sound devices, and power configuration).

In addition, NetSetMan can execute any BAT, JS or VB scripts, which allows you to change almost any settings available from the command line and / or thanks to third party programs!

Comparison with analogue

NetSetMan has a paid PRO version, but the differences between them are minimal. In fact, by paying €18, you will receive:

proxy- an intermediate server between a computer and the Internet.

• the right to use NetSetMan on a working PC;
• activate an unlimited number of settings profiles;
• functions for changing the proxy server, network domain and start page browser.

Therefore, it seems to me that it would be more apt to compare NetSetMan with a third-party application called WinAgents HyperConf:

In fact, the WinAgents HyperConf program is a kind of NetSetMan analogue for system administrators, since it is designed not only to automatically change network settings, but also to maintain these settings in working condition.

Yes, and a license for it is sold for at least 10 cars. Therefore, for ordinary user working with NetSetMan would be preferable.

Program installation

NetSetMan is installed like all programs: you download the archive, open it and run the installer, and then follow the wizard's prompts.

At the first stages of installation, you will need to select the application language and accept the terms of the license agreement, after which you will have the following choice:

There are three possible options settings:

1. Standard installation is the way NetSetMan will be injected into the system like all normal applications. That is, in the Program Files folder (by default), a directory with the program will be created, in which all the files necessary for work will be located. In this case, the utility settings will be saved in the system registry.
2. Update - allows you to install a newer copy of the program over the one you already have. This method will only be available if you have used NetSetMan before.
3. Extract files. This method allows you to simply unpack all the program files to the directory you specified. At the same time, nothing is written to the registry, and you can use NetSetMan as a portable application.

Perhaps we will finish installing the program in the standard way, although if you are a fan of portable software, you can complete the installation in the third way :).

Create your first profile

After the installation of the program is completed, its working window will appear in front of us:

It consists of a menu bar (at the top), a row of buttons (to the right of the program name) and six tabs, on which, in fact, all possible settings are collected.

In order to create the first settings profile, you need to call the context menu of the required tab (for example, Set 1):

First of all, let's rename our tab to something convenient and understandable. To do this, click "Rename" and in the window that opens, enter a suitable name, for example, let's call the tab - "House" :).

After that, we need to go back to the context menu of the tab and activate the “Get all current settings” item there.

This action will automatically fill in all the fields with the settings that you have applied to connect to the Internet at the moment:

In addition, you can automatically fill in the required fields by clicking the arrow button located to the right of the required field (see screenshot above).

Working with the program

So, we have the first profile ready - it's time to create another one so that you can switch between them.

I have a city LAN connection at home, so as an example I will give the settings that I have to use if I want to connect to my parents' Network:

DNS server- a program that processes DNS queries.

As you can see, for the Internet to work, it is usually enough for us to know our IP address and the IP of our DNS server (which in this case is the modem). However, there are more complex cases that NetSetMan will help us deal with.

MAC address(English) Media Access Control) - unique number devices on the network.

The first such case is the problem of changing the MAC address network card.

Usually this is not necessary, however, if you have to work in several local networks, where traffic is distributed via physical addresses network devices, then without this function you can not do anything.

Officially, NetSetMan does not yet have such a possibility (although the author announced its implementation in the next beta version), but it is possible to execute almost any scripts, which significantly increases the functionality of the program!

The script can be created in advance (and then simply opened), or you can write it directly in the window of a special built-in editor, to access which you need to check the “Script” item in the desired program tab and click on the button to the right of the item name:

Consider working with scripts on specific example. By default in command line there is no function to change the MAC address, but it can be implemented using a third-party console program - macshift.

This utility You will find it in the archive with the NetSetMan program. All you need to do is unzip the files validmacs.h and "macshift.exe"(third file - optional) to the root of the drive C:\ or in a folder C:\Windows.

Console(English) console) - a window for entering text commands.

Thus, you have the opportunity to change the MAC address of the network card through the console. Now it's up to the small - you need to write scripts.

The macshift command syntax is very simple: macshift -i "Connection name" 2889-82-002B (required address).

We drive the line (with the MAC address changed to the MAC address you need) into any editor such as Notepad and save it as a BAT file.

Now it remains only to open the created file in the NetSetMan script editor (see screenshot above). Moreover, the script execution time can be set both “Before” changing the settings, and “After”.

Host file management

Next to the "Script" item is the "Hosts" item. Its activation allows us to make changes to the system file, which is responsible for resolving and forwarding the addresses specified in it.

One way to use the edit function given file there may be a restriction of access to some sites from your PC.

For example, I propose to "ban" the site vk.com :).

You can achieve this by giving the site the address of the local host (by default, 127.0.0.1 ). Activate the “Hosts” item in NetSetMan and use the button on the right (with the image of an ellipsis) to open the window for editing the system host file:

Now, following the syntax, on each new line we first write the address of the local host, and then, after a space, the address of the site to which we want to block access.

After the list is formed, click the "Finish" button.

The most important thing is that NetSetMan does not touch standard entries host file, but can both add and remove site addresses added through the program.

Thus, you can create a profile, for example, for your children, in which to restrict their access to certain sites!

Managing system properties

The last function that I would like to draw your attention to is "System Properties". By activating this item in the NetSetMan window, you will be able, using a profile, to change not only network settings, but also some monitor, sound and power settings:

We figured out the capabilities of NetSetMan, so it's time to try using the profiles we created. To do this, just go to desired tab(profile) and click the "Apply" button. in the upper right part of the program window:

This will open a window that will display all the actions performed by the program.

Above the list of actions is a progress bar for applying the new settings, and above it is the Cancel button, which will change to the Done button when the network configuration is completed.

We press the last one and we get at our disposal a completely reconfigured Internet connection!

Additional tools and program settings

So, above we have already dealt with the principle of operation of the NetSetMan program and examined in detail some of its capabilities. Now it's time to get acquainted with some non-basic, but sometimes desired functions. It's about the buttons on the toolbar. There are only three of them:

1. profiles. This button opens the profile management window. Unfortunately, in the free version we cannot delete any of the six profiles, but we can rename them.
2. The note. This button allows you to leave short entries (up to 256 characters) with comments on the active profile. Here, for example, you can paste the script text in order to be able to restore it in case of file loss (see screenshot above).
3. Auto switching. This button opens a window where we can configure automatic switching to a Wi-Fi profile when an open network signal is detected.

Without proper attention, we were left with only the menu bar.

The first item - "Profile" - activates a menu similar to context menu described at the beginning of the section on creating the first profile. Therefore, it makes no sense to describe it separately, and we move on to the second paragraph - “Options”:

Here we have three sub-points:

• import;
• profile export;
• and actually "Settings" themselves.

For example, if you forgot to set the interface language to Russian or want to disable NetSetMan autorun, then you can do it right here.

Also pay attention to the "Administration" tab. With its help, you can activate the encryption of all data stored in the program!

The third menu item - "Tools" - contains some standard links to the network connection management tools built into the systems and not only:

The last thing I want to talk about is the ability to work with NetSetMan in "Compact Mode":

To switch to this mode, just click on the corresponding inscription in the right upper corner. It is worth noting that you cannot edit profile settings in this mode, but switching the network configuration is much more convenient (at least in my opinion) :).

Advantages and disadvantages of the program

• simplicity of the interface;
• convenient profile change system;
• expanding the functionality of the program by executing scripts;
• the ability to quickly automatically obtain the current settings;
• access to the most requested built-in Windows features.

Flaws:

• there is no built-in function to change the MAC address of the network card;
• no built-in task scheduler.

conclusions

If you are a modern laptop owner and often use it while traveling to access the Internet, then NetSetMan is an indispensable tool for you that will allow you to forget about the inconvenience associated with changing network settings forever.

If you yourself are not very good at configuring network settings, then you can always ask your friends or colleagues (for example, an office system administrator :)) to do this only once, and then always enjoy uninterrupted access to the Internet!

Afterword

AT modern world, probably, there are practically no people left who would not use computer technology in one way or another. Most people today have more than one PC at home ... Moreover, the second computer is most often a laptop.

Still, with modern possibilities of almost ubiquitous access to the Web, laptops are still the most successful solutions for replacing a full-fledged office (and even multimedia) PC.

However, the whole variety of options for connecting to the Internet has one (and sometimes very significant) disadvantage - the need to change the connection settings every time.

Let's say you use a laptop as a work machine at home, in the office and with friends. At the same time, you “sit” at home on an ADSL connection, at work in a “local area”, and with friends on a “dedicated line”. And your laptop also has Wi-Fi, which you can use to surf on open networks ...

And for each case, you have to climb into Network connections and fiddle around with the settings! Scary? Still :) But today we learned how to rid ourselves of this nightmare once and for all with the help of a fairly simple, but almost indispensable NetSetMan utility.

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

A modern person spends a lot of time at a computer, whether it is stationary equipment or a laptop, so it is advisable to create the most comfortable conditions for yourself when working on it.

In addition to external factors such as room lighting, device settings play an important role in ensuring convenient and safe use.

For the finest adjustment, you may need a program for.

Introduction

What are these programs and what are they for? Such software suggests fast access to all possible settings and parameters of the computer screen. With it, you can adjust any monitor parameter optimally exactly for yourself.

Of course, access to most of the functions provided by such a program, can provide their own computer resources, for example, they can be accessed via Control Panel.

However, make it through special program, in fact, one click, much more convenient.

The functionality of such programs is quite wide - they help to change the color, brightness, screen resolution, manage it, adjust the position of buttons, panels and shortcuts, etc. That is, such software "collects" all the possibilities of changing the screen parameters to simplify access to them .

In addition, some software helps to configure more complex settings that cannot be changed using the computer's own resources.

Why is it so important to carefully fine-tune your monitor settings? This is due to the fact that the main load when working at a computer falls on the eyes, and it is the screen that creates it. Thus, with careful adjustment of the monitor, this load can be reduced, potentially even helping to maintain good vision.

Main characteristics

It is often quite difficult to choose the most optimal program, since it is necessary to take into account a whole lot of parameters at the same time.

To simplify and speed up this process, the summary table below shows the main characteristics of all software included in the TOP, which may be of primary importance when choosing.

Name	License	Multimonitor	Russification	Installation	Reference materials
Ultramon	Paid	Yes	Yes	Required	Missing
Nokia Monitor Test	Free	No	Yes	Not required	Present
power strip	Paid	Yes	No	Required	Present
UD Pixel	Free	No	Yes	Required	Missing
Is My LCD OK	Free		Yes	Not required	Missing
InnjuredPixels	Free	No, but suitable for TV work	Yes	Not required	Missing
Actual Multipal Monitors	Paid	Yes	Yes	Required	Missing

Taking into account these parameters will allow you to quickly choose the most suitable software for yourself.

Ultramon

most functional and simple program of all presented in the TOP. It is easy to work in it and it helps to make fairly fine adjustments to the monitor, to change even the most insignificant parameters in a wide range. Distributed for a fee, but has a trial period.

Particularly convenient to work with - it allows you to copy and move the desktops of one monitor to another, copy them, stretch the taskbar across multiple monitors, etc. It also allows you to technically configure screens - change color, resolution, and more.

The advantages of such software are as follows:

• "Sharpness" for multi-monitor;
• Simple control and clear interface;
• Wide functionality.

• Paid license;
• Sufficiently narrow functionality of the settings technical parameters;
• A large number of functions that are not required by the average PC user.

And here is what users who have already worked in this program say: “I didn’t find anything better than this program”, “It does not have some functions that are in Actual Multipal Monitors, but in general I am satisfied with the software”, “It works stably, the functionality is sufficient for optimization screen controls.

Nokia Monitor Test

This is a small and lightweight utility designed to adjust monitor settings (geometry, contrast, and others) without changing its control systems. The name should not confuse you - the software is designed to work specifically with screens and.

It has high-quality Russification, and the help files installed in the utility will help you decide on the settings depending on the nature of your work and the amount of workload.

This will reduce eye strain when working at a computer.

• No need to install the program;
• Availability of reference materials for setting up;
• Minimum load on the hardware and memory of the device.

• Narrow functionality;
• The lack of the possibility of any adjustments, except for "technical" ones;
• Works stably on most systems.

The opinions of users who are already actively using this program are as follows: “It is a pity that it is impossible to run on Windows 8 X64. I tried everything and nothing works”, “Allows you to set up the monitor qualitatively and evaluate all the main parameters of the picture. The set of tables is reference. Great program!”, “Helped bring the monitor back to life.”

power strip

An application that allows you to configure the technical parameters and control both one monitor and several at once. It is distributed for a fee due to its high complexity and wide functionality.

It differs in that it supports, including the old ones.

It has 500 settings for the display, video card, both the simplest and the most complex. There is extensive and understandable help for all complex and simple functions and parameters.

• Support for multi-screen mode;
• Very wide functionality;
• It is equally convenient both in working with multi-screen systems and with simple ones.

• Paid software distribution;
• The need for its installation;
• Quite a significant load on the memory and hardware resources of the computer.

And here is what those who actively use it say about the program: “My favorite program”, “This program will allow you to discover new opportunities, so download it soon”, “I have been using the program for a very long time, I consider it the most valuable of the similar ones.”

UD Pixel

From computers supported by the program.

Collection of information

• Connection timeout(specified in seconds) - the time during which a connection with a remote computer is expected (30 seconds by default).
• Poll timeout- time limiting the duration of information collection for a data group. The option is set to prevent freezing of information collection on any of the groups. If your computer is slow or slow network connection, then the value should be increased.
• Number of threads- the number of simultaneous threads that poll remote computers using WMI. To speed up the process of collecting information, you can increase the number of threads to 50 or 100, to reduce the load on the server, on the contrary, reduce it to - 5-10.
• Schedule - this setting allows you to automate the process of collecting information. Enable the "Scheduled data collection" option and configure the polling schedule.

• License Information

To receive information about the serial numbers of products, go to the link " Set up obtaining serial numbers from the registry". This option is available only for products that store serial numbers in the registry in unencrypted form . The information obtained from the registry allows you to control the license purity of programs and operating systems installed on network computers. At adding new template, you need to enter the path and name of the registry key responsible for storing license information (for example, a serial number). Using the buttons " Change" and " Copy" You can edit existing templates, as well as create new templates based on old ones.

Button " Import" allows you to import information about templates from a cfg file. We plan to place template files on our website to account for some popular programs. Using import, you can load the downloaded templates into the program.

Button " Save to file..." you can export templates to a cfg file. Using export, you can send us information about useful programs to be included in the template file licenses.cfg, which comes with the program by default.

Button " Send to developers" allows you to send a path configuration file to developers.

Option " Consider licenses even though there are no products in the list installed programs ".

In case of incorrect removal of the product, information about serial number may be stored in the registry. Therefore, the program usually checks the presence of the key in the registry with the list of installed programs. The option above allows you to detect all keys in the registry, if necessary (to detect copied, not installed products).

• Agent settings

This section specifies settings for collecting information using a remote agent. Read about using agents.

To ensure the security of information when working with agents, following settings:

• Change Agent TCP Ports by default, allows you to increase the security of working with agents.
• Use of a password. Set a password if necessary. The passwords of the administrator module and agents must match for successful operation.
• Usage IP filter. Enable filtering and add to the list the addresses of computers with the main program "10-Strike: Computer Inventory" installed, from which the agent is allowed to receive commands and provide information.

After installing agents on network computers, you must specify the computers where information will be collected using the agent. Click " Specify a list of computers on which agents are used". In the dialog that appears, check the computers.

• User data from the registry

The registry contains information about OS and program settings, security settings, etc. Once you know the path to these settings in the registry, you can configure inventory to collect them. In this section, you can specify such parameters. Click " Add" and specify the name of the setting, its path in the registry, and the value of the setting.
The data collected in this section is displayed in the "Computer card" data group tree node.

• Collection of information via SSH

The SSH protocol is used to collect information from Linux and MacOS. Use this section to set up an SSH connection. Specify login, password and port. You can select computers for which SSH polling will be used.
For each computer, if necessary, you can set your own connection settings (option " Set your SSH port and account for each computer").

Data import

This type of setting allows you to use the method of collecting information from customers through an open on general access folder. When using the component 10-Strike Network Inventory Client (Further " client") on network computers configured to dump information into this folder, when the program is loaded, the collected data is imported into a common database of computers. Along with using agents, collecting data from clients is also an alternative to polling via WMI.
Attention! Client Data Import Folder and database folder x (see next parameter) must be different! When importing data from clients, the program transfers data files from the import folder to the database folder. If the option is enabled "Keep a log of changes", the program analyzes the difference between new and old files. Therefore, clients cannot dump data files directly into the database folder (see the next parameter)! The program may simply not see the new data.

• Import data from FTP

Clients located on other networks can collect information locally using the client and upload it to an FTP server. This section specifies the settings for importing data from an FTP server.

Import data from FTP". The program will connect to the FTP server and read client files. Specify the settings for connecting to the FTP server. In the appropriate fields, specify the server address, port, username, password and directory. To check the correctness of the settings, click " Test connection".

• Import data from E-Mail

Clients located in other networks can also send the collected information to E-Mail. This section specifies the settings for importing data from E-Mail.

To configure import, enable the " Import customer data from mailbox ". In the appropriate fields, enter the POP server address, port, username and password. To check if the settings are correct, click " Test connection".

Custom fields

In this settings section, you can enter fields with additional information about the computer (for example, the responsible person or his phone number, date of the last repair or warranty period). Entering data in the added fields takes place in the " Computer Properties ".

Data filter

The list of installed programs may display programs whose presence in the reports is undesirable. For example, system or MS Office updates can clutter up the list. By default, the program attempts to filter system updates based on certain features stored in the registry. However, some updates still appear in the program list. To disable the display of these unwanted packages, use " Installed programs filter" in the program settings.

Click " Add". Enter masks for program names for which you want to disable display. For example, " *update*" or " *(kb*".

Web interface

Program data can be viewed on remote computers via a Web browser by connecting to the program's web server.

Enable the option " Enable web interface", specify the port and authorization parameters (login and password).

To do this, you need to specify the web server settings in the program: specify the port and authorization parameters (login and password). The default port may be occupied by some other service or program with a web interface. In this case, select another unoccupied port. To check that the web server is working and that the settings are correct, open the web page. You can then save your settings by clicking " Apply settings".

Report Options

In this section, you can set individual parameters for generated reports: set up headers and footers, text layout in columns, insert a company logo.

Background check

This section of settings is intended for specifying methods for background determination of the state of computers. Based on the results of the scan, the status of the computer is displayed in color in the list (computers in gray - inactive, blue - on). Background scanning helps to avoid connecting to computers that are turned off, loads the program and computer less when collecting information, and saves administrator time.

• Background polling interval, in minutes- time interval between computer status checks (5 minutes by default).
• Timeout to connect to remote computer(ms)- time to determine the state of the computer (default 500 ms).
• Check with Ping(sending ICMP packets)- use ICMP protocol for background check.
• Checking the connection to the TCP port- use TCP connection with the specified port for background check. The drop-down list contains ports for standard protocols. When using firewalls on the network, ping (ICMP protocol) can be disabled on network computers. Checking TCP ports allows you to quickly determine the status of your computer. Examples of open TCP ports on corporate computers local networks: 135 (DCOM), 139 (NetBios).

Backup

This section allows you to configure Reserve copy the entire inventory database and configuration files. This measure is necessary to avoid the loss of collected data due to various reasons.

To set up backup, specify the location on the computer or other physical media where the program will save copies of inventory databases in ZIP format (field " Save to directory").

To automatically save configuration files or the entire inventory database, enable the " Save backup configuration files automatically" and " Save entire database automatically". Set the backup frequency.

Program "10-Strike: Inventory of Computers" - remote interrogation and inventory of enterprise PCs over the network. Create reports on hardware and software, monitor changes, detect problems, notify the administrator. Easy to install and set up. Take control of your computer fleet!

Download the free 30-day trial now and give it a try.

Programs and utilities for fine-tuning the operating system, processor, graphics, memory, drives have always been popular. But now their relevance is growing. In the age of tablets and laptops, upgrading the desktop has lost its urgency.

Many use platforms 3-5 years ago. These computers do an excellent job with most tasks, but sometimes more is required of them: it turns out new game or the next version of a resource-intensive program appears. This is where tweakers come to the rescue, eliminating the need to update your desktop PC.

How to increase processor performance?

The easiest but most risky way to increase productivity CPU- acceleration. However, sometimes you can do without it. The fact is that for almost 10 years now, CPU development has been largely focused not on achieving maximum performance, but on increasing efficiency.

As a result, in order to save energy, the OS and chips are configured in such a way as to minimize power consumption. One common way is to park the cores. If the system considers the load level low, only one core is activated. Needless to say, algorithms do not always work perfectly. If you need a guarantee of high performance, it is better to disable this feature.

Disabling Parking Cores - ParkControl

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: Bitsum Technologies
• Size: 1.35 MB.
• OS: Windows.
• from our catalog.

The ParkControl utility allows you to park (disable) cores without diving into the wilds of OS settings and restarting your computer. The fact is that Windows does not allow you to control this function. By default, it is assumed that everyone needs it. The utility allows you to select a power saving profile, as well as determine the conditions for parking cores, or completely disable the function.

Single CPU loader - enable only one core

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: .
• Size: 6 KB.
• Requirements: .NET Framework.
• from our catalog

Support for multi-core software is still far from ideal. Some programs and games do not support it at all, in others it is not implemented in the best way. It must be taken into account that in modern processors there is a turbo mode in which all cores are turned off, except for one, the frequency of which is maximized. Sometimes there are cases when it is more profitable to run a program or game in single-core mode forcibly. This is where the Single CPU loader comes in handy.

The utility works simply: the user is prompted to specify the path to the executable file of the program to be launched. It will run in single core mode. It should be noted that the Single CPU loader may have problems running old applications written in the era of single-core chips.

Mz CPU Accelerator - CPU Resource Allocation

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: Michael Zacharias
• Size: 1.3 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

Mz CPU Accelerator also allows you to increase the performance of applications without increasing the frequency of the processor. The idea of ​​the program is simple: the maximum computing resources should be received by the application whose window is active. Those that run in the background are allocated a minimum of resources. At the same time, it is possible to set up exceptions by defining several programs that will have constant priority.

In the same way, you can make a "black list" for programs whose optimization is prohibited. In addition, like the Single CPU loader, it has the ability to force programs to run in single or multi-core processor mode. The developer honestly warns that if the CPU is overloaded, you will not get much effect from his offspring.

And now let's turn to solutions that, one way or another, involve hardware to increase productivity. In the first place here are specialized programs.

AMD OverDrive - Setting up AMD Processors

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: AMD.
• Size: 30.3 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

AMD OverDrive is a well-known solution for optimizing system performance based on AMD processors. Its feature is ready-made overclocking profiles created based on the settings of world-famous overclocking specialists. You can try several balanced options, including tuning both the CPU itself and the memory.

In addition, you can create your own profiles optimized for specific applications. For advanced users, access to advanced system settings is provided.

The program features an integrated testing and monitoring system. After applying certain settings, you can evaluate what exactly happened in the end and how it corresponds to the task, whether it ensures the stability of the system.

ClockGen - computer overclocking

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: CPUID.
• Size: 30.3 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

The program, as well as SetFSB, allows you to overclock your computer by manipulating the PLL chip. This component is responsible for generating frequencies for the system bus, processor, RAM, PCI.

The first thing to do is to determine the PLL installed on system board. This can be done by searching the Internet, as well as by reading the PLL frequencies using a program.

Having determined which generator is available on the computer, you need to select the desired profile. Then you can set the frequencies for the processor, memory, etc. ClockGen allows you to separately define parameters for work PCI Express, i.e. by changing the bus frequency for the graphics accelerator, the user will keep the rest of the settings intact.

And vice versa, by overclocking the processor and memory, you can not touch the video card. It should be noted that it is often more profitable to use proprietary utilities for dynamic overclocking using PLL motherboards. They know exactly which generator was installed there. For example, ASUS AI Booster, .

Random Access Memory (RAM) Optimization

"Pills" that improve computer memory, can be general action. For example, utilities for overclocking the system bus. By increasing its frequency, they also contribute to the growth of RAM performance. But there are two more tricks that allow you to use RAM more rationally.

The first is suitable for almost everyone. It consists in completely clearing memory of unused data and providing maximum capacity at the disposal of running programs.

The second is better to use on computers with a large amount of RAM. RAMdisk technology creates in RAM virtual storage frequently used data. As a result, they are read faster, and the system and programs work with greater performance. This approach is similar to Intel technology for ultrabooks, when along with hard drive a small SSD is installed, which stores the data necessary to boot the system.

Windows Memory Speed ​​Up - how to clear RAM

• License: Demo / $11.95.
• Developer: Potatoshare Software.
• Size: 625 KB.
• OS: Windows 2K / XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64 / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit.
• from our catalog.

Windows Memory Speed ​​Up allows you to implement the first trick of memory management. The program monitors the memory load and when you click on the "Set up memory now!" clears it of unnecessary data. Free RAM capacity increases, which should have a positive effect on PC performance.

In addition, you can set up automatic memory cleaning when a certain load level is reached, for example, 50%. You can set up cleaning after a certain period of time, for example, every 5 minutes.

Windows Memory Speed ​​Up has an intuitive and very nice interface, but it costs money. In demo mode, you can optimize RAM manually, automatic is disabled.

Wise Memory Optimizer - Free RAM Cleaner

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: WiseCleaner.
• Size: 862 KB.
• OS: Windows XP / 2003 / Vista / XP X64 / 2008 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64 / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit.
• from our catalog.

Wise Memory Optimizer also cleans memory, but it does it for free. You can do it manually and automatically. In the second case, the user sets the load level at which cleaning should be done and the desired amount of freed memory. Another setting is to run the cleanup process only when the processor is idle.

Memory Cleaner - simple cleaning of RAM

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: Koshy John
• Size: 497 KB.
• from our catalog.

Memory Cleaner cleans memory from unused data and separately resets the system cache. The process is started manually and automatically at a certain RAM load or after a certain period of time. You cannot adjust the conditions for automatic clearing. The load level is set to 80% and the frequency is set to 5 minutes.

MemOptimizer - advanced cleaning of RAM

• License: Trial / $19.95.
• Developer: Pointstone Software.
• Size: 1.9 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / 7.
• from our catalog.

MemOptimizer has extended functionality compared to previous programs to clear memory. Firstly, the program allows you to track the use of not only RAM, but also virtual memory. Secondly, it helps to monitor the CPU load.

Thirdly, it can be used to increase the priority of an executable application, allocating more processor resources for it. Fourth, and this is the most interesting - the program allows you to create special shortcuts to launch some applications, such as games. By launching the game using such a shortcut, the user will simultaneously clean up the memory and optimize the processor.

SuperRam - cleaning RAM in Windows 8 and 8.1

• License: Trial / $11.99.
• Developer: PGWARE.
• Size: 4.9 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / 2003 / Vista / XP X64 / 2008 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64 / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit / 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit.
• from our catalog.

SuperRam allows you to automatically and in manual mode clear RAM. The default automatic settings assume that when less than 18% of RAM is left, the program will try to clean up 40% of the capacity.

In addition, SuperRam has a memory test. You can determine which tasks it copes with better and which ones worse, and derive an average score. Finally, RAM usage statistics are kept here.

The strength of SuperRam is the normal support for Windows 8 and 8.1.

RAMDisk - virtual disk in RAM

• License: Demo / $18.99.
• Developer: Dataram.
• Size: 6.9 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2008 / 7 / 8 32-bit.
• from our catalog.

And here is the second way to optimize memory. RAMDisk is a kernel-level driver that allows you to create a virtual disk in RAM. HDD. It can store frequently used data, including programs. This greatly improves the performance of the PC.

The program supports WDM standards, so you can assign any characters to RAM disks, split them into several, format, etc. - in a word, everything is the same as with ordinary hard drives.

The RAM disk can be enabled or disabled at any time. First of all, using this program will speed up applications that heavily load the I / O system, and to a lesser extent - the processor and memory.

It will not work to boot Windows from a RAM disk, but it can be used to place the system in virtual machine e.g. VMWare.

The free version of RAMDisk allows you to create virtual disks up to 4 GB, after payment - up to 32 GB. The program requires at least 512 MB of RAM and the installation of the .NET Framework 4.0.

The same tasks with the same limitations can be solved using the Dataram RAMDisk.

How to overclock a video card

If the user needs fine tuning or overclocking a video card, in most cases he does not need to turn to Internet search engines. It is enough to look into the box of the accelerator and pull out the driver disk - as a rule, it contains proprietary programs from the video card manufacturer.

If you didn’t buy a boxed version, then you can look in the PC specification and go to the website of the accelerator or laptop manufacturer. All companies offer solutions that can increase GPU and memory frequencies, optimize device settings, and do it with minimal risk.

Such programs often have a similar interface, as many of them are descended from . Their main disadvantage is the binding to devices of a certain manufacturer and spectacular brutal, but not very convenient design. One such program is MSI Afterburner.

MSI Afterburner - Overclocking MSI Graphics Cards

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: MSI.
• Size: 21.9 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64 / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit.
• from our catalog.

MSI Afterburner is designed for MSI video accelerators based on AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. The main task of the application is to give the user the ability to change the video card settings: memory frequency, processor frequency, supply voltage, cooler fan speed.

The program window is divided into two parts. On the left are sliders with which you can adjust frequencies and other parameters. On the right side is a hardware monitor that allows real-time monitoring of GPU load and memory usage, as well as other system performance data.

There are five buttons for multiple presets. You can create them for individual games or other tasks.

At first glance, the possibilities of Afterburner come down only to overclocking. Actually it is not. Some of the functions are hidden in the program settings. Here, for example, you can assign hotkeys for taking screenshots in some games, recording videos, activating profiles. You can also customize the display of monitoring and update drivers and BIOS.

ASUS GPU Tweak - Overclocking ASUS GPUs

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: ASUS.
• Size: 21 MB.
• OS: Windows Vista/Vista64/7/7 x64.
• from our catalog.

ASUS GPU Tweak- a similar program from ASUS. In the main window, you can change the frequency of the processor and memory, as well as control the speed of the fans. There are also five buttons for 5 presets. You can separately adjust the settings for 2D and 3D graphics.

The auxiliary monitoring window on the left contains information about the system operation. To get data about the installed video accelerator, you can use the branded version.

ASUS GPU Tweak allows you to update your graphics card BIOS and drivers over the Internet.

In the settings, you can refuse to use the skin. The software will take on a familiar and understandable look, but will not be so beautiful. Along with screenshots, you can set up video recording during gameplay. To do this, specify the parameters of the video and assign hot key for "shooting". There are hotkeys for activating overclocking profiles.

Gigabyte, Sapphire, Zotac and other brands of video cards have similar programs. One of the most useful features is the ability to create game profiles with optimal settings for a particular game. However, in ASUS GPU Tweak and MSI Afterburner, you need to select the presets yourself. It's easier to use RadiT, however, the trick will work only with ATI accelerators.

RadiT - AMD Catalyst profiles

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: Mr. Lolman.
• Size: 3.3 MB.
• OS: Windows Vista / 7.
• from our catalog.

A small utility allows you to select and activate game profiles AMD Catalyst. Everything works very simply: you need to tell the program the folder where the game's executable file is located and select a profile from the list, each of which is signed. After that, when you start the game, the selected settings will be applied.

Thanks to profiles, you can improve image quality by optimizing anti-aliasing. There is only one problem - the utility only works with AMD video cards.

PowerStrip - advanced graphics card setup

• License: Trial / $29.95.
• Developer: EnTech Taiwan.
• Size: 1.3 MB.
• OS: Windows.
• from our catalog.

PowerStrip is a powerful graphics management tool for any platform.

The user can create profiles for each application. They involve settings for both the graphics itself and some other computer functions. For example, you can enable or disable forced display of images on multiple monitors, override power saving settings, screensaver, etc.

PowerStrip allows you to create profiles with display settings: resolution, refresh rate, color depth, and more. Color profiles make it possible to create presets with settings for gamma, brightness, color temperature.

Finally, PowerStrip is also a tool for overclocking the accelerator. You can change the frequencies of the GPU and memory, as well as the timings of the latter, which is rare. It also disables power management, system frequency control, etc.

ATI Tray Tools - advanced setup for AMD graphics cards

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: Ray Adams
• Size: 2 MB.
• OS: Windows 2K / XP / 2003 / Vista / XP X64 / 2008 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

ATI Tray Tools is another serious tool for getting the best results. This time from AMD graphics cards. Program along with overclocking GPU and memory, allows you to dive into the wilds of 3D graphics, adjusting the parameters of anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering, textures, shaders, etc. All settings can be saved to profiles and activated using desktop shortcuts.

Possibility provided automatic activation profiles. Having formed one or another preset, you can bind it to the application, not only for three-dimensional games, but also for regular programs, for example, graphic editors.

To check the operation of the video card after overclocking, benchmarks are provided.

It is possible to adjust the speed of rotation of the accelerator fans depending on its temperature.

And, of course, ATI Tray Tools will replace the standard windows tools to control display settings. Switching between different resolutions with their help is more convenient than the default tools.

NVIDIA System Tools - setting up NVIDIA video cards and chipsets

• License: Freeware.
• Developer: NVIDIA.
• Size: 71.8 MB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

NVIDIA System Tools - a set of tools for managing NVIDIA graphics and chipsets. The latter is less relevant, since the company has left this market for several years, and the system logic itself is gradually being integrated into the CPU and less and less depends on its settings.

In terms of GPU control, the utility allows you to configure various hardware profiles for the accelerator, including frequency characteristics processor and memory, as well as the voltage and cooling level of the video card.

The tool also allows you to automate the management of profiles according to custom rules. For example, when Windows boot By default, you can load a profile in which the minimum frequencies for the accelerator are set, as well as the quietest control mode.

When the game starts, also automatically apply settings for maximum performance. Once the game application is closed, return to the default profile. In total, about a couple of dozen standard events and several reactions to them are offered.

The package also includes a utility for configuring PhysX, displaying system settings, and forcing profile loading.

Optimization of the hard disk (hard drive)

The best tweak for the disk subsystem is the hardware one. There are two options. The first is to organize a RAID array, which will seem complicated and expensive to most. Second - install operating system on an SSD, which in most cases is faster than a traditional hard drive. Half measure - use a hybrid drive.

SSD Tweaker - SSD optimization

• License: Freeware / $12.95.
• Developer: Elpamsoft.
• Size: 450 KB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

In the case of an SSD, one of the main tasks of the tweaker program is not so much to increase the performance of the drive, but to help keep it as long as possible. SSD performance tends to degrade over time. This is due both to the peculiarities of the NAND flash memory itself, which is the basis of solid state drives, and to the fact that the OS is still focused on hard drives, therefore, by default, they either do not support or do not perform some vital procedures for SSDs. Required settings can be done in Windows and manually, but why do it if you have an SSD Tweaker.

For an SSD, it is useful to reduce the number of accesses to the drive. This will have a positive effect on system performance and maintain the performance of flash memory. If the amount of RAM allows, the program allows you to disable the cache, file access time recording, Boot Tracing, configure Windows Prefetcher, system recovery options and Windows indexing services. All this is in the free version. For a few dollars, you can get additional features, such as activating the TRIM cleaning algorithm, which can significantly reduce the performance loss of an SSD over time.

The same operations can be done using proprietary utilities, such as, and others. They offer TRIM activation for free.

HD Tune Pro - testing the hard drive (hard drive)

• License: Trial / $34.95.
• Developer: EFD Software.
• Size: 2145 KB.
• OS: Windows XP / Vista / XP X64 / Vista64 / 7 / 7 x64.
• from our catalog.

HD Tune Pro is a well-known utility for working with SSDs, hard drives and USB drives. It is mainly intended for testing and monitoring drives. Here you can check the read and write speed. You can also monitor the technical condition of the hard drive, find out the number of errors, bad sectors.

There are also some tweaks in HD Tune Pro. Using the utility, you can increase the performance of the hard drive by raising its speed, or vice versa, optimize the operation of the drive in such a way as to reduce noise as much as possible. Many may find it useful to securely delete information from a disk.

Trying to increase the performance of individual computer components and the system as a whole, you need to understand that the main thing is not to get maximum results, but to ensure stability in an accelerated mode. Here you can not do without utilities such as GPU-Z, which allow you to view the current operating parameters of the central processor and graphics accelerator. They also have built-in benchmarks that check the stability of the work. Finally, these utilities can also be used for overclocking.