1. Testing P.C. Performance
Introduction
A client is complaining that their PC is running very slow. They asked me to diagnose
the problem as to why this is happening. To do this I will test and monitor the
performance of the machine and decide the best action to take to repair the
problems. The reason for doing this is to improve the PC performance, if there is a
costless way to do this then it will be first choice, but if components have to be
replaced then we will have to consider the economics and logistics of customising a
PC to improve its performance.
Task A
I will be gathering data from Windows performance monitor to record the CPU usage
and the memory usage over a period of time while testing how applications affect
both these. I will also be using Treesize to measure the disk space usage, and I will
also be using the internet to research components, looking into the compatibility of
the components with the machine I’m trying to improve, and then researching costs
of these components.
Open Browser
+ check Gmail.
Open PS +
open image.
Open Word +
write page.
100
Open Task
manager and a
end task.
90
Navigating
through
folders.
80
70
60
50
TFT10ZOOWIN7Processor(_
Total)% Processor Time
40
TFT10ZOOWIN7Memory%
Committed Bytes In Use
30
20
10
14:14:03
14:14:13
14:14:23
14:14:33
14:14:43
14:14:53
14:15:03
14:15:13
14:15:23
14:15:33
14:15:43
14:15:53
14:16:03
14:16:13
14:16:23
14:16:33
14:16:43
14:16:53
14:17:03
0
I created a test plan to monitor the performance of the computer while I opened up
and used 5 different applications.

2. Test Plan
I will use System Performance monitor to record opening 5 different
applications and using them for their functions to test how these affect
the performance of the computer.
Test
Open browser +
check Gmail.
Reason
See the CPU +
RAM usage when
online.
Expected
CPU spike 60-70%
RAM increase by 510%
Actual
CPU spike 20-25%
RAM increase
from 12 to 15%
Open Photoshop +
open an image.
See the CPU +
RAM usage when
using PS.
CPU spike 50-60% CPU spike 30-35%
RAM increase by 5- RAM increase
10%
from 15 to 17%
Open Microsoft
word, type some
text, insert an
image, paste in
some data.
Open Task
manager, stop a
process.
See the CPU +
RAM usage when
using Microsoft
Word.
CPU spike 40-50% CPU spike 15-20%
RAM increase by 5- RAM increase
10%
from 15 to 17%
See the CPU +
RAM usage when
opening and using
Task manager.
CPU spike 70-80% CPU spike 20-25%
RAM increase by 5- RAM increase
10%
from 12-15%
Navigate through
folders to find a
specific file.
See the CPU +
RAM usage when
navigating through
the computer files.
CPU spike 60-70% CPU spike 20-25%
RAM increase by 5- RAM did not
10%
increase

3. Task B
When the disk space is full, the computer will not be able to perform certain tasks. To
fix this we first have to check the disk space usage to diagnose what is causing the
problem. Then we can proceed to removing the problematic files.
Before
After
Amount
(MB)
File Usage
Amount
(MB)
File Usage
Operating System
15507.2
Operating System
15508.1
Program files
11654.6
Program files
11654.6
Program Data
788.7
Program Data
788.7
Users
212.2
Users
225
Other
6104.6
Other
6104.6
Total Used
34281
34267.3
Total Used
Amount (MB)
Amount (MB)
Operating
System
1%
2% 18%
Program files
45%
34%
Operating
System
1%
2%
45%
Program Data
Users
Program files
18%
34%
Program Data
Users
Other
Other
Conclusion
After removing temp files, there was no
major difference. This was most likely
because the routine maintenance was
relatively recent or because all the user
files are saved on the server.

4. Task C
I am going to compare the costs of upgrading specific components o the cost of
replacing the whole computer. To do this I will first use Crucial to check what the
RAM capacity for the computer is, and I will also be using Passmark.com to give a list
of details on what the current specs of the computer are.
The specs are below;
Specification
Current
RAM
6.00GB (3.41GB usable)
CPU
Pentium G640 2.8GHz
HDD
500GB (465GB Usable)
OS
Windows 7 Professional
Graphics
Onboard
Mother Board
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. H61MS2PV
Case
Zoostorm ITX
Upgrade options
The current memory this computer has is 6GB, separated into a 2GB stick and a 4GB
stick. The types of memory that are compatible are DDR3 PC3-12800, DDR3 PC310600, DDR3 PC3-14900 and DDR3 PC3-14400. This is an example for how much
this type of memory would cost

5. To figure out how we would upgrade the processor we would first have to find out the
current specs of the processor then compare it to the best upgrade that would be
compatible with the computer.
Current Processor
Intel Pentium G640 @ 2.80GHz
2502
Upgrade option
Intel Xeon E3-1290 V2 @ 3.70GHz
9942
The benchmark will increase by 7440 if I buy this processor, which is almost 3 times
better than the current processor. This would cost £299.99.
To ensure we achieve the maximum potential from the upgrades, we would have to
ensure we have the right operating system to support these upgrades. The OS we
would look for would have to be 64 bit to make sure the RAM is not wasted.
After a quick search on the internet I found that a 64bit version of Windows 7
Professional would cost £69.99.
Now we have found the components we want to buy to upgrade we can add all the
sums up, including installation time (£30/hour) to find out how much the entire
upgrade would cost, then we can compare it to the cost of replacing the computer
entirely.
£117.59
(RAM)
£299.99
(Processor)
£69.99
(OS)
£60.00
(Installation time, 2 hour aprox)
£547.57
(Total cost)

6. Cost for replacement
Now I have a price for upgrading, I am going to look for a computer which is around
the same price mark, and compare the specs I would get.
After searching PC World’s website, I found a computer around the same price
margin.
Now we have a similar priced computer, we need to compare the specs.
Processor
Upgrade:- Intel Xeon E3-1290 V2 @ 3.70GHz
9942
Replace:-
9419
Intel core i7-3770
RAM
Upgrade:-
16GB
Replace:-
6GB
OS
Upgrade:- Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Replace:-
Windows 8 (no further details on website)

7. Advantages
Upgrading
-Faster
-Keep old user files/software
-More cost effective
-Get longer use out of old PC
Replacing
-Guarantee it will work
-No viruses – Clean computer
-Often good deals
-No need to worry about compatibility
-No risk of damaging PC
-No need to include cost of labour
Recommendation
After researching the cost of upgrading, and then comparing those costs to a
potential replacement PC with the same price range, I found that for the money you
would spend, you would get better components with upgrading as opposed to
replacing, the processor is slightly better in the upgrade, the is almost 3 times as
much RAM in the upgrade, and many people consider Windows 7 to be better than
Windows 8. Also there is no guarantee on the website or the replacement that the OS
is Professional or 64 bit.
In conclusion I think that upgrading this computer would be a more cost effective
decision, because the specs you will get are superior to the specs you would get by
buying a replacement PC at the same price range.