Nate’s Hot Tips to Have a (slightly) Faster Computer

tl;dr 

• Keep Google Chrome Up to date 
• Remove frivolous Chrome extensions 
• Don’t have so many tabs open (in Chrome)
• Restart your computer once per week 

The Chrome Dilemma 

Google Chrome famously eats a metric f*ton of your computer’s RAM. And guess what RAM is? Obviously it stands for Random Access Memory, but more importantly it’s what allows your computer to do a bunch of stuff at once, without any hesitation. So if your RAM is being used, programs will start running slowly, and it will be hard to switch between different applications. The internet is awash in Meme’s about chrome’s propensity to use RAM:

What’s the fix to Chrome’s RAM Demands? 

Since many of us live in Chrome and lean heavily on browser based applications, it’s critical we optimize chrome to perform at it’s best despite it’s bloodlust for RAM. 

Keep Chrome Up to Date 

Fortunately the engineers responsible for Chrome are aware of these memes. They’ve been internet shamed into doing their darndest to help reduce Chrome’s RAM demands with each chrome version/update. 

To update Google Chrome go to: Chrome Settings, click the ‘hamburger menu’, and select ‘about chrome’ – this will tell you if you’re on the latest version and give you an option to update if you’re on an old version. 

Remove Frivolous Chrome Extensions  

Having extensions on Chrome can bog it down. Some extensions like Salesforce Lightning, are necessary for many of us to do our jobs. Other extensions, not so much. Do you really need the “Honey” promo code checker on your work computer? This isn’t a place to judge though – only you can determine what extensions are needed for you to be effective at work. Remove any extensions you don’t need or don’t use, and Chrome will be a little faster and little less of a burden on your computer. 

Enough About Chrome – the most powerful tool to keep your computer running smoothly: 

Have you ever heard the saying: “all humor is rooted in truth?” This famous meme from the show the IT Crowd is no exception. 

Over the hours, days, and weeks that you use your computer, a lot of processes get started, and many just keep going even if they’re no longer needed. Remember what was said prior about RAM allowing your computer to do a bunch of things at once? Well if you have a boatload of processes going, your computer is getting bogged down and may start to act slow. 

Restarting your computer, AKA turning it off and back on again; AKA power cycling; is the preeminent way to shut down or reset processes gone haywire, in turn speeding up your computer.

I recommend restarting your computer at least once per week, or any time it starts to act funky. 

Protip – our demigod-like IT team has updates set to run on Wednesday evenings. If you can swing it, leave your computer on and at the office on Wednesday evenings (locked, obviously), and your computer will get the old reboot and updates (if needed). 

Finally, this is not a definitive list. There are other things you can do to speed up your computer, both with and without the help of IT, however, keeping Chrome reigned in and restarting your computer weekly is a magnificent starting place. 

Here’s to speedy machines and happy web browsing.