Doesn't make sense to me that the apparently slowing internet has much if anything to do with one's RAM or CPU. About 6 months ago I got a new rig with faster CPU and more RAM... the net seems about the same. Maybe a smidge faster, but not signicantly so. Then again, maybe I think it's a bit faster because I was hoping it would be. So far, I'd have to say, "barely noticeable, if any".
It's certainly TRUE that Windows VISTA is a huge resource "hog" but I think that you are really behind the curve technology wise in that 512kb of memory is not acceptable to run a trading platform, nor is your processor capable of keeping up. I have a 4.5 year old Dell 8300 with a Pentium 4 at 2.6 GHz., and 2 Gigs of memory and I am able to keep up pretty well on a Broadband line that "averages" around 3.5MB per second clear across the country to my broker's quote server. That having been said, I know that my L2 cache is pretty weak compared to the latest Duo-Core processors that are running 4 MEGABYTES of L2 cache. I believe that I have something like 512kb in my L2 cache ( which is like a mini-memory ). This is key. As a result I just ordered a refurbished Dell computer with a Duo-Core 3.00 processor with a 1333 front side bus and 2 gigs of PC-6400 RAM at 800MHz. for a little over $500 on the Dell Business Outlet site. Comes with Windows XP and a 1-year warranty like the new Dells. My guess is that your microprocessor and its cache is totally "overloaded" and in need of being replaced. In fact, I just looked up the stats of your microprocessor and it appears to have ONLY 8k of cache! Furthermore, your microprocessor only has a 400 MHz front side bus. Compare that with my Pentium 4 at 2.6 GHz that has an 800 MHz bus, while the new Duo-Core processors are running with a 1333 front side bus! Your computer is certainly holding you back. There is no way that it can PROCESS today's quote data, especially since the Hybrid system has swamped trading platforms with triple and quadruple the data. We are talking about 60-80,000 UPDATES PER SECOND NOW! You might also wish to do a trace-route ( via the DOS prompt ) back to the server you get your quotes from and see what the "latency" is along all of the transfer hops on the Internet Superhighway. If you are over 100 milliseconds, that would be bad. If you are in the 80's, that would be good. Cleaning out unnecessary "Temp Files" that have clogged up your hard drive can also help a bit ( go to Accessories>System Tools>Disk Clean-Up ) But in all honesty, your microprocessor's super small L2 cache, lack of processing power, and memory is really holding you back, regardless of how fast your internet connection is. Hope this helps.
Just buy a new computer. I bought 3 comps from this company with no problems. They say they are used, but 2 of them came in the original box, with all accessories wrapped in original plastic. The third one did have a few light scratches on the side of the side. Get one that comes with all the accessories, mouse, keyboard, etc. even if you don't need them. Those 2 that I bought like that are the ones I swear were never used. http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-Aspire-MT5...Z004QQcategoryZ140067QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem P.S., I suspect this a Best Buy related company.
This is insane, 3 months ago I got an Acer laptop , XP Pro, Core2Duo,1.8GHZ, 2gb RAM . I have been happy with it so far but it feels already slower ! I haven't removed the Acer junk apps that run on it because at the beginning it was running pretty fast. It's still plenty fast but it slows down ever so slightly on some webpages. I have identified the culprits , it's when I use the Futuresource charts and some other websites, those websites running user comments at the bottom of pages (I hate this new media trend), CNBC (CNBC+) for ex. slows down everything. But FS is the worst it even crashed this brand new machine for the first time. I believe it has something to do with Adobe Flash, because I get error messages mentioning Flash . I am also asked sometimes to update Flash which I don't want to do because my guess it's like Java it will just run slower. Java apps have become superslow with the new java which for me is only 1.5.0 0 I think, nowhere near the latest update. So this new laptop has started to crash , 2 times in the past month. Meanwhile my old reliable P4 1.5GHZ on Win2K has turned into my backup PC, in the span of 3 months it lost even more of its general ease of use. It's even slower , and the processor is almost all the time running at 100% usage slowing everything down. I even wonder if it that's the reason why the room sometimes has a slight smell of burn. If anything I am being slowly poisoned by toxic emanations from the case. Thanks to Adobe developers and their fellow software developers. My third computer (Win 98) , that used to be a backup is now absolutely worthless. I hardly ever use it because it gets stuck on webpages all the time Is there something that can be done (beside removing the Acer junk on the laptop) because at this pace I will have to get another machine in 2 years ! It's ridiculous.
Question Kicking . What browser do you surf with and what programs do you use to clean up machines every week ?
Obama is moving in... http://change.gov/agenda/technology_agenda/ Net-Neutrality - YES WE CAN! Fairness Doctrine - YES WE CAN! Net Nanny - YES WE CAN! No Anonymous Surfing - YES WE CAN! * Protect the Openness of the Internet: Support the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet. * Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership: Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum. * Protect Our Children While Preserving the First Amendment: Give parents the tools and information they need to control what their children see on television and the Internet in ways fully consistent with the First Amendment. Support tough penalties, increase enforcement resources and forensic tools for law enforcement, and encourage collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to identify and prosecute people who try to exploit children online. * Safeguard our Right to Privacy: Strengthen privacy protections for the digital age and harness the power of technology to hold government and business accountable for violations of personal privacy.
If you use Firefox there is an add-on called Flashblock that keeps the browser from automatically loading Flash applets. This was one of a bunch of steps someone posted a while back on how to speed up your browser. I'm curious why the reluctance to delete / disable the Acer trash? R