Windows 7: CPU Usage and Memory in Task Manager

What is the difference in "CPU Usage and Memory in Task Manager"

My memory most of the time is 799MB and CPU Usage fluctuates a lot.

How can I speed up my Windows 7, I have 1 GB ram with AMD processor.



Specs

Hello,

For you, adding more RAM would give you the biggest performance increase. Since you have a 32-bit Windows 7, you would not need to have more than 4GB RAM installed. Anything over 3.25 will not be used unless you have 64-bit Windows 7 installed. Here are some more option to help increase performance though.

Optimize Windows 7


There's no difference in the Memory graphs. The left is current, and the right is current plus history. For under the Physical Memory (MB) section:

• Total is the amount of RAM installed on your computer, listed in megabytes (MB).
• Cached refers to the amount of physical memory used recently for system resources.
• Available is the total of standby and free memory from the Resource Monitor.
• Free is the amount of memory that is currently unused or doesn't contain useful information (unlike cached files, which do contain useful information).

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Hello and welcome to the forums .

From what I can gather from your post you are looking for an explanation of what RAM and CPU levels reflect.

Your CPU usage is how much of your CPU is being utilised at any given time to accomplish the tasks you have set it (plus just running Windows taxes it quite a bit); the higher the percentage the more your computer is doing, you should notice a drop in performance until you hit 99-100% CPU usage at which point your computer will most likely just stop dead temporarily while it tries to catch up.

Your RAM (Random Access Memory), is what Windows uses to store information which it may need at short notice. Every program takes up an amount of RAM and as long as you don't open or close any programs this level will be more or less maintained. As I say Windows uses a fair bit of RAM its self to render the desktop etc.

If you're looking to speed up your system take a look at this tutorial, it's been on the front page of the tutorial section of Seven Forums since forever. Optimize Windows 7 .

Follow some of the tips; although some of them just make Windows 7 loose some of its eye candy and shinyness but will improve your PC's response times etc.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. (Please note that my explanation of RAM and CPU usage is very, very, very basic)

Oli

EDIT: Dang Brink beet me too it!

Thanks, I have disabled all the effects which I have no use for and have already noticed an improvement.

I will look in the RAM increase, I have HP Pavalion Slimline s7510.uk, am I capable of putting more RAM on, I read some computers have a maximum RAM limit.

Unfortunately according to Hp's website your PC can't handle more than 1GB of RAM (HP Pavilion s7510.uk Desktop PC Product Specifications HP Pavilion Slimline s7510.uk Desktop PC - HP Customer Care (New Zealand - English)).

But not to threat, you could use Windows ReadyBoost if you have a spare flash drive lying around. This basically acts as temporary extra RAM for your system.

Oli

Thanks, will try the USB. If I have 2GB USB does that mean the RAM has increased by 2GB?

I'm thinking about buying a new CPU now.

The RAM will still be the same. Using ReadyBoost is almost the same as increasing your page file (cache), but on the USB flash stick instead and sometimes faster than the page file on the hard drive.

Just a warning about upgrading CPUs:

Buying a new processor may require you to buy a new motherboard (especially when mixing old and new).

Buying a new motherboard will mean you will lose your integrated graphics etc. so you will require a new GPU which there may well be no space for.

A new motherboard will almost certainly require a different type of RAM which will mean you will have to buy new RAM too.

All in all a very expensive upgrade of an old PC.

It may well be cheaper to buy a new PC than to upgrade all of this stuff and will almost certainly be less hassle because of device drivers etc.

Of course this still relies on whether your CPU is compatible with your old motherboard which there is still a (small) chance of.

Just a warning.

Oli

And then, of course, you may need a new power supply to power it all too.

As for your current machine, installing just about any, even a budget entry-level, graphics card will likely offer some good performance boost too. A card will likely have a better GPU. And it will have its own dedication RAM tweaked for graphics which means the system RAM currently being used by the on-board will be freed up, in effect, giving you a little RAM increase too.