Work PC (XP) Faster than Home Desktop (Win 7 x64)

[abhiroopb]

Work PC: Windows XP, Dual Core E5200 2.5Ghz, 2GB RAM
Home Desktop: see TechComet: My Gadgets

The PC at work, although much slower than my desktop, seems to launch basic programmes like Google Chrome and MS Word much faster than my faster home desktop. I have no idea why. Originally, I thought it was because I had a lot of applications installed but even after reformatting it was discernibly slower.

As an example, when I click on Microsoft Word 2007 at work it opens up INSTANTLY. Literally, right after clicking on the icon it launches. However, at home I have to wait 1-2s.

The home desktop is not really “slow” in fact it performs very well in most cases, however considering I spent so much time and effort putting it together, it annoys me that my work PC (a stock Lenovo office desktop) is so much faster.

Obviously, if I started comparing games or Photoshop my Work PC would be slower, but for the most part I do basic web browsing and documents (and play the occasional game, or edit the occasional file on photoshop), so I want to really ensure my desktop is running as well as it should.

Finally, I do run a LOT of background applications on my desktop, but even then I don’t think it should be slower than my work pc.

Any thoughts?

 

[Max Peck]

There's a bunch of factors involved here. One machine might have faster RAM, hard drive, video memory. If they're different hardware it's just not easy to quantify.

Bottom-line - do the machines perform adequately? If so, just let it go. You probably have more important things to worry about anyway, no?

-Max

 

[abhiroopb]

There's a bunch of factors involved here. One machine might have faster RAM, hard drive, video memory. If they're different hardware it's just not easy to quantify.

Bottom-line - do the machines perform adequately? If so, just let it go. You probably have more important things to worry about anyway, no?

-Max

Thanks for your thoughts.

I can almost say with completely certainty that on paper my desktop has better components. So, if the test was on specifications the home desktop would be much faster.

They do perform adequately, but my point is am I doing something wrong that is making my home desktop perform more poorly than my work desktop? Is there a BIOS setting that I can change, should the RAM be configured differently?

Honestly, I have no idea why it is slower and I was curious as to what the causes could be. It seems to be purely a software issue as my hardware is only a few months old.

 

[windows7theme]

One of the main reason I suppose would be because you are running and installing a lot of software. On the other hand in work computers there are very limited resources and softwares available. It also depends on your antivirus and firewall too as they are running all the time and somewhat slows down the system. Instead of going with loads of antivirus and firewall I would advise you to go with the latest security patches by Windows and to go with the free security system from Microsoft which is Microsoft Security Essentials. MSE is perfect for nearly all home users and always apply the latest Windows security updates and you should be ok. Also always activate User Account Control as that too helps a lot in security. And make sure you do not have unnecessary software running while the computer is on as it will slow your system too.

One last thing. Check for malware, virus etc. and do a complete scan as malware and adware sometimes reduces the speed of the computer.

 

[abhiroopb]

One of the main reason I suppose would be because you are running and installing a lot of software. On the other hand in work computers there are very limited resources and softwares available. It also depends on your antivirus and firewall too as they are running all the time and somewhat slows down the system. Instead of going with loads of antivirus and firewall I would advise you to go with the latest security patches by Windows and to go with the free security system from Microsoft which is Microsoft Security Essentials. MSE is perfect for nearly all home users and always apply the latest Windows security updates and you should be ok. Also always activate User Account Control as that too helps a lot in security. And make sure you do not have unnecessary software running while the computer is on as it will slow your system too.

One last thing. Check for malware, virus etc. and do a complete scan as malware and adware sometimes reduces the speed of the computer.

Firstly, I always ensure my software and OS is up to date. I’m quite OCD that way. I am also using Microsoft Security Essentials. In addition, to that I am using MalwareBytes and SpyBot S&D. I have found that sometimes one piece of malware is caught by one but not all.

Secondly, I do have a lot of software running, a lot actually (things like Skype and Digsby) and these are the only things that obviously seem to suggest that my computer is running slower. Again, though I have a lot of “free” RAM and my CPU is never maxed out either. Most of these apps are “standby” apps which do not consume a lot of CPU when idle.

Speaking of UAC, I noticed something interesting. When the screen darkens for UAC, it takes at least 1-2 s to darken, i.e. it doesn’t darken immediately and I have to wait (as the PC is unusable while it darkens).

Will run another scan tonight to check for malware.

Anyway, I don’t really know and I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[madtownidiot]

Any program that you want to launch more quickly, pin it to the taskbar... also, comparing two different systems running different versions of windows is kind of like comparing apples to bowling balls..

 

[abhiroopb]

Any program that you want to launch more quickly, pin it to the taskbar... also, comparing two different systems running different versions of windows is kind of like comparing apples to bowling balls..

Isn't it more like comparing a jet engine to a scooter?

That is, although the systems are different, do you think my Home PC should be running slower?

 

[metalmania31]

Is your work pc on all the time? Is it part of a internal network? Is your work pc part of a internal domain/client network? Do your computers have the same software installed? Same security software? All these different things can make a pc slower or faster perceptively.

 

[abhiroopb]

Is your work pc on all the time? Is it part of a internal network? Is your work pc part of a internal domain/client network? Do your computers have the same software installed? Same security software? All these different things can make a pc slower or faster perceptively.

It is switched off at night.
It is part of an internal network
Work PC and Home PC have different (very different) software installed. I understand that this would make a difference, in fact this is what is probably causing much of the difference, but my home PC ought to be much faster (at least on paper)

 

[Krispy1]

this is a stupid article.

theres too many variables to make it anything credible. the hardware differences and stuff like if he even maintains his home pc

 

[abhiroopb]

this is a stupid article.

theres too many variables to make it anything credible. the hardware differences and stuff like if he even maintains his home pc

Article?

Your views are noted.

 

[WindowsStar]

Ahhh and end users hate us (IT Staff) in corporate IT immensely. Everything is too restrictive, everything is locked down, I can’t change my desktop with that pretty picture, and I can’t put that super cool screen saver I saw on the internet yesterday. But what you are noticing is how much work has been put into your work computer. It is FAST and I bet it is stable no crashing, a great workhorse; you can always get your work done. This is what we in corporate IT strive for; a machine that is fast and very stable. How do you get it that way you have to put a lot time into configuring it correctly, and create some restrictions so the machine is not miss-configured or reconfigured by a playful end user?

There could be many factors on why your machine at work is much faster. Some I can think of, no wallpaper, no fancy screensaver, profile caching, application caching, ad blocking, no firewall on the machine (enterprise core firewall), Enterprise Antivirus (much faster than the home stuff), enterprise hard drive (this can make a major difference) [I have used a HDD that has the following specs 1TB, 7200RPM, 64meg cache, same vendor, one marked enterprise ($275) the other not ($99). The enterprise drive in the same machine same OS, same applications, will be almost 4 times faster booting the OS and launching applications.] As you can see it is really hard to pin down why one machine will be faster than another unless you can match up some of the key hardware and you have to match the OS and applications loaded to be fair. - WS

 

[kurahk7]

Ahhh and end users hate us (IT Staff) in corporate IT immensely. Everything is too restrictive, everything is locked down, I can’t change my desktop with that pretty picture, and I can’t put that super cool screen saver I saw on the internet yesterday. But what you are noticing is how much work has been put into your work computer. It is FAST and I bet it is stable no crashing, a great workhorse; you can always get your work done. This is what we in corporate IT strive for; a machine that is fast and very stable. How do you get it that way you have to put a lot time into configuring it correctly, and create some restrictions so the machine is not miss-configured or reconfigured by a playful end user?

There could be many factors on why your machine at work is much faster. Some I can think of, no wallpaper, no fancy screensaver, profile caching, application caching, ad blocking, no firewall on the machine (enterprise core firewall), Enterprise Antivirus (much faster than the home stuff), enterprise hard drive (this can make a major difference) [I have used a HDD that has the following specs 1TB, 7200RPM, 64meg cache, same vendor, one marked enterprise ($275) the other not ($99). The enterprise drive in the same machine same OS, same applications, will be almost 4 times faster booting the OS and launching applications.] As you can see it is really hard to pin down why one machine will be faster than another unless you can match up some of the key hardware and you have to match the OS and applications loaded to be fair. - WS

Sounds reasonable, next time I'll be sure to buy all the enterprise stuff lol.

 

[abhiroopb]

Ahhh and end users hate us (IT Staff) in corporate IT immensely. Everything is too restrictive, everything is locked down, I can’t change my desktop with that pretty picture, and I can’t put that super cool screen saver I saw on the internet yesterday. But what you are noticing is how much work has been put into your work computer. It is FAST and I bet it is stable no crashing, a great workhorse; you can always get your work done. This is what we in corporate IT strive for; a machine that is fast and very stable. How do you get it that way you have to put a lot time into configuring it correctly, and create some restrictions so the machine is not miss-configured or reconfigured by a playful end user?

There could be many factors on why your machine at work is much faster. Some I can think of, no wallpaper, no fancy screensaver, profile caching, application caching, ad blocking, no firewall on the machine (enterprise core firewall), Enterprise Antivirus (much faster than the home stuff), enterprise hard drive (this can make a major difference) [I have used a HDD that has the following specs 1TB, 7200RPM, 64meg cache, same vendor, one marked enterprise ($275) the other not ($99). The enterprise drive in the same machine same OS, same applications, will be almost 4 times faster booting the OS and launching applications.] As you can see it is really hard to pin down why one machine will be faster than another unless you can match up some of the key hardware and you have to match the OS and applications loaded to be fair. - WS

That is true I suppose, there is obviously a lot more going on my home PC, so I guess a slow down is to be expected. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t doing anything wrong!

 

[WindowsStar]

That is true I suppose, there is obviously a lot more going on my home PC, so I guess a slow down is to be expected. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t doing anything wrong!

Nope I am sure you are not doing anything wrong. My home PC is extremely different than my work PC. Very normal I would say.

 

[Fumz]

Are you sure it's not just because the apps you run at work are loaded into the startup menu (msconfig), and on your home machine they're not?

Even if they aren't loaded into the start menu, it's hard to imagine a relatively old OEM machine, with a mechanical drive, loading apps faster than your SSD, unless you've got those apps installed on the WD Caviar?

 

[abhiroopb]

Are you sure it's not just because the apps you run at work are loaded into the startup menu (msconfig), and on your home machine they're not?

Even if they aren't loaded into the start menu, it's hard to imagine a relatively old OEM machine, with a mechanical drive, loading apps faster than your SSD, unless you've got those apps installed on the WD Caviar?

Well actually on the Home PC there are MORE apps loaded into the startup menu.

Nope, the apps are installed on the SSD, everything runs from the SSD.

The thing is the difference between launch is about 1-2 s. So, it is not a major slow-down or anything. However, my work PC just feels “smoother”. I suspect (and this has been confirmed on other threads I posted this same question on) that the problem is my AV and anti-malware. I run Microsoft Security Essentials, Spybot S&D and MalwareBytes so these three may be scanning all my data and hence slowing things down.

I will also look into using a SSD toolkit to optimize performance.

 

[severedsolo]

Are you sure it's not just because the apps you run at work are loaded into the startup menu (msconfig), and on your home machine they're not?

Even if they aren't loaded into the start menu, it's hard to imagine a relatively old OEM machine, with a mechanical drive, loading apps faster than your SSD, unless you've got those apps installed on the WD Caviar?

Well actually on the Home PC there are MORE apps loaded into the startup menu.

Nope, the apps are installed on the SSD, everything runs from the SSD.

The thing is the difference between launch is about 1-2 s. So, it is not a major slow-down or anything. However, my work PC just feels “smoother”. I suspect (and this has been confirmed on other threads I posted this same question on) that the problem is my AV and anti-malware. I run Microsoft Security Essentials, Spybot S&D and MalwareBytes so these three may be scanning all my data and hence slowing things down.

I will also look into using a SSD toolkit to optimize performance.

that to me is significant.... This is just my own opinion, feel free to take it or leave it.

I think its Prefetch. Think of it this way. In your work environment you probably use what 5 applications at the most? I mean ALL the time, for actually working. How many do you use at home? 10? 20?

What this means is that your work PC know's what you are going to do. before you do it. so it preloads it into the RAM to minimise loading times. (This is called Prefetch.... I'm sure you already know this but it pays to be thorough) Now prefetch on XP is pretty limited... but im sure even XP can handle preloading 1 or two applications that are always used. By contrast. although 7 has a MUCH improved Prefetch system. (so much so that its now called Superfetch) it has more apps to juggle. more apps for you to potentially use at any one time. and more chance of getting it wrong.

I'm going to use the car analogy again Imagine we live in a world with cars that drive themselves. During the week, if you get into your Car at 8am, your car is going to be fairly confident that you want to go to work. Why else would you get into the car at that time? If however you do the same thing on a saturday, the car hasn't got a clue what you want to do.... you would have to tell it. thats the difference between your Work PC and your Home PC, your work PC has a Purpose. it is used for a handful of things. It knows what it is meant for. by contrast, your Home PC hasn't got a clue, its whatever you want it to be.

Of course i could also just be blowing smoke.... but it sounds good to me

 

[abhiroopb]

Are you sure it's not just because the apps you run at work are loaded into the startup menu (msconfig), and on your home machine they're not?

Even if they aren't loaded into the start menu, it's hard to imagine a relatively old OEM machine, with a mechanical drive, loading apps faster than your SSD, unless you've got those apps installed on the WD Caviar?

Well actually on the Home PC there are MORE apps loaded into the startup menu.

Nope, the apps are installed on the SSD, everything runs from the SSD.

The thing is the difference between launch is about 1-2 s. So, it is not a major slow-down or anything. However, my work PC just feels “smoother”. I suspect (and this has been confirmed on other threads I posted this same question on) that the problem is my AV and anti-malware. I run Microsoft Security Essentials, Spybot S&D and MalwareBytes so these three may be scanning all my data and hence slowing things down.

I will also look into using a SSD toolkit to optimize performance.

that to me is significant.... This is just my own opinion, feel free to take it or leave it.

I think its Prefetch. Think of it this way. In your work environment you probably use what 5 applications at the most? I mean ALL the time, for actually working. How many do you use at home? 10? 20?

What this means is that your work PC know's what you are going to do. before you do it. so it preloads it into the RAM to minimise loading times. (This is called Prefetch.... I'm sure you already know this but it pays to be thorough) Now prefetch on XP is pretty limited... but im sure even XP can handle preloading 1 or two applications that are always used. By contrast. although 7 has a MUCH improved Prefetch system. (so much so that its now called Superfetch) it has more apps to juggle. more apps for you to potentially use at any one time. and more chance of getting it wrong.

I'm going to use the car analogy again Imagine we live in a world with cars that drive themselves. During the week, if you get into your Car at 8am, your car is going to be fairly confident that you want to go to work. Why else would you get into the car at that time? If however you do the same thing on a saturday, the car hasn't got a clue what you want to do.... you would have to tell it. thats the difference between your Work PC and your Home PC, your work PC has a Purpose. it is used for a handful of things. It knows what it is meant for. by contrast, your Home PC hasn't got a clue, its whatever you want it to be.

Of course i could also just be blowing smoke.... but it sounds good to me

I thought Win 7 disabled prefetch? Not sure but I thought this was the case.

Also considering it is an SSD shouldn't it launch faster anyway (regardless of prefetch)?

Using the car analogy: the Work PC is a slow car but knows where you want to go, the Home PC is a fast car but doesn't know where you want to go.

 

[Fumz]

...Nope, the apps are installed on the SSD, everything runs from the SSD... The thing is the difference between launch is about 1-2 s... I suspect (and this has been confirmed on other threads I posted this same question on) that the problem is my AV and anti-malware. I run Microsoft Security Essentials, Spybot S&D and MalwareBytes so these three may be scanning all my data and hence slowing things down.

I will also look into using a SSD toolkit to optimize performance.

I hate to use the word excessive, but perhaps it's all the scanning that's slowing you down and making it seem more sluggish? Are you loading MWB and SB at startup; are they scanning, literally, everything you touch?