Getting the balance right

I've always thought that the components of a PC should be in balance whether you configure, build or buy it. Have a fast, overclocked quad core processor with just 2Gb of memory or a slow hard disk are examples of configurations being out of balance. This was brought back to me recently with a Compaq Presario computer that I was trying to fix.


It had a AMD Sempron 2100 dual core CPU (I'd not come across one of these before) 2Gb memory and 160Gb hard disk drive running Windows Vista Home Premium. The system response was really slow even for these entry-level components. A quick run of Windows Experience Index showed that the basic CPU, memory and hard disk were all running at optimal performance. What was bringing down the overall score was the nVidia 6150 integrated graphics, not only for the gaming score but also the basic Aero user interface.

It had a PCI-E x16 slot so I dropped a cheap (£25) MSi AMD HD5450 graphics card into it, downloaded and installed the latest drivers and tried again. What a difference! Not only in the WEI scores, but also in the response feel of the system. It was back in balance again.

So a small, cheap addition can make a slow system appear fast. A result for the balance theory.