Guides.

Practical fixes for what most often makes a Windows PC slower than its hardware. Each one starts with what you can fix for free, and each works without Bottleneck — though Bottleneck will tell you which of them apply to your machine.

• Is your memory running slower than it should?

  Most desktop memory starts at a slower default speed until XMP or EXPO is switched on in the firmware. How to check the speed it really runs at, and fix it in a minute.

• Is your high refresh rate monitor stuck at 60 Hz?

  A 144 Hz monitor can run at 60 Hz for years without anyone noticing. How to check it in Windows 11 and 10, and what to do when the faster rate is not offered.

• CPU or GPU bottleneck: which one is limiting your games?

  How to tell whether the processor or the graphics card sets the pace, why total CPU usage misleads, and what to rule out before buying anything.

• Windows 11 for a small office: which PCs to keep, fix or replace

  Windows 10 support has ended. Which PCs can move to Windows 11, the two firmware settings that fail machines that are fine, and how to plan the rest.