A guide to maintaining a high end pc?

[Grimezy]

Most of you will be sick of my name cropping up by now about pointless rubbish but I ordered my rig yesterday and now I'm trying to get everything prepared before it arrives. As I'm quite a newbie to PC's I was looking for some advice..

Is there anywhere that lists easy steps to maintaining your PC or a guide of how to monitor it's performance? Or is this something that one of you experts could produce?

I mean things like monitoring temps while doing different processes, what you should do to ensure your pc is being fully optimised when playing games, etc, any tips for what not to do to your brand new rig, how to keep it well maintained, etc.

Just an idea I had! I could probably pick up a lot of stuff while tinkering around once it's arrived but wanted your opinions! There's a lot of posts on the forums from people like me saying "New to computers, help with spec?!" and I assume they'd be the exact same when it comes to maintaining it just like I am. I just want a product that is going to last me for years to come!

 

[Blackdog]

Good question i've also just ordered and i'm currently compiling a list of things to do before i can jump head first into Steam. I know theres a welcome pack on delivery so theres probably a get started guide, i presume windows installed, perhaps the virus software also but im unsure of what needs done after that. Install drivers for the video card? Back up the system? I too would be interested in a good resource for further diagnostic programs.

 

[vanthus]

With the exception of malwarebytes along with an antivirus program like ms security essentials,Windows7 has all the maintenance tools you need,like disk cleanup.
although ccleaner is quite good.
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
For physical maintenance make sure you clean out the dust now and again.
For temps I use GPU-Z for monitoring GPU and core temp for CPU.

 

[donegal]

I concur with this. Malwarebytes and MS Security essentials for antivirus and antimalware. CCleaner for daily rubbish cleaning and SmartDefrag2 for frequent defragging and disk optimising (not the SSd though).

 

[vanthus]

Good question i've also just ordered and i'm currently compiling a list of things to do before i can jump head first into Steam. I know theres a welcome pack on delivery so theres probably a get started guide, i presume windows installed, perhaps the virus software also but im unsure of what needs done after that. Install drivers for the video card? Back up the system? I too would be interested in a good resource for further diagnostic programs.

Windows will be installed with all necessary drivers,although you could download the latest graphics driver.You will need to activate windows with the product key which should be on a sticker on the back of your machine.
antivirus will only be on it if you ordered the free trial,If you dont have an antivirus program I recommend microsoft security essentials,it's free and it does the job.
After that run windows update.

 

[Blackdog]

Thanks for that mate

 

[Grimezy]

Windows will be installed with all necessary drivers,although you could download the latest graphics driver.You will need to activate windows with the product key which should be on a sticker on the back of your machine.
antivirus will only be on it if you ordered the free trial,If you dont have an antivirus program I recommend microsoft security essentials,it's free and it does the job.
After that run windows update.

I keep hearing that this Microsoft Security Essentials is really good but I really don't understand how it can beat a paid version. Yes it might be unintrusive while gaming, etc but surely other software is intrusive for a reason?

My uncle used to be the IT manager at a University and he said the amount of students that used to come in crying their eyes out the day before an essay was due because their hard drive had been wiped because of some virus was ridiculous. He also used to say that it always used to be the ones who were using software like AVG that used to have the problems where as it was never ones that were running Norton.

I'm not disagreeing with you I'd just like to be enlightened as to how a free version can offer better protection than a paid version? Or is it purely that MSE doesn't interfer as much and you monitor everything else yourself?

 

[vanthus]

I keep hearing that this Microsoft Security Essentials is really good but I really don't understand how it can beat a paid version. Yes it might be unintrusive while gaming, etc but surely other software is intrusive for a reason?

My uncle used to be the IT manager at a University and he said the amount of students that used to come in crying their eyes out the day before an essay was due because their hard drive had been wiped because of some virus was ridiculous. He also used to say that it always used to be the ones who were using software like AVG that used to have the problems where as it was never ones that were running Norton.

I'm not disagreeing with you I'd just like to be enlightened as to how a free version can offer better protection than a paid version? Or is it purely that MSE doesn't interfer as much and you monitor everything else yourself?

I've been using MSE for over a year now and never had a problem,for the average user it's fine.It's also true though that the best form of defence,regardless of what program you use is using your own diligence and common sense.
For example never click on any suspicious popups unless you know what they are,only download from websites you know are legit,even then scan anything you download before opening.

 

[JakAttack]

The average user will probably not find MSE as safe as Norton, for a few good reasons.

I am a master virus remover, I have not yet had a virus I have dealt with that has forced me to reinstall.

However, most virus' (viri?) are now user initiated, they bypass your AntiVirus effectively by bringing up a cock-and-bull story about how you already have a virus, have won an iPhone, or other nonsensical magic. Alot of people will click on these, as the more un-intrusive virus protection will only look for things that have come through uninvited, Norton will still block it as it basically protects people from themselves, it is so intrusive I would recommend it to any family with children, or old people, as they won't be after the raw power anyway.

For people that know how to use the internet and are aware of such risks, MSE, Avast etc are great, MSE especially for gamers.

That's my two cents

 

[Grimezy]

The average user will probably not find MSE as safe as Norton, for a few good reasons.

I am a master virus remover, I have not yet had a virus I have dealt with that has forced me to reinstall.

However, most virus' (viri?) are now user initiated, they bypass your AntiVirus effectively by bringing up a cock-and-bull story about how you already have a virus, have won an iPhone, or other nonsensical magic. Alot of people will click on these, as the more un-intrusive virus protection will only look for things that have come through uninvited, Norton will still block it as it basically protects people from themselves, it is so intrusive I would recommend it to any family with children, or old people, as they won't be after the raw power anyway.

For people that know how to use the internet and are aware of such risks, MSE, Avast etc are great, MSE especially for gamers.

That's my two cents

That's really helpful, I didn't realise that that was the difference.

My dad still has a spare Norton 360 code from when he just renewed so I'll be running Norton anyway. Are there any ways to make it more gamer friendly or do I just have to put up with its strictness??

 

[vanthus]

The average user will probably not find MSE as safe as Norton, for a few good reasons.

I am a master virus remover, I have not yet had a virus I have dealt with that has forced me to reinstall.

However, most virus' (viri?) are now user initiated, they bypass your AntiVirus effectively by bringing up a cock-and-bull story about how you already have a virus, have won an iPhone, or other nonsensical magic. Alot of people will click on these, as the more un-intrusive virus protection will only look for things that have come through uninvited, Norton will still block it as it basically protects people from themselves, it is so intrusive I would recommend it to any family with children, or old people, as they won't be after the raw power anyway.

For people that know how to use the internet and are aware of such risks, MSE, Avast etc are great, MSE especially for gamers.

That's my two cents

By average user I meant someone with some experience not a complete beginner,but yes I agree with you, norton would be safer for the users you mention.

 

[Wake]

I told someone in our IT Department I was using Kaspersky on one machine and Norton 360 on another with AVG Free on a laptop and he told me to get rid of the lot and get MSE and Malwarebytes. That was 2 years ago - never had an issue.

 

[Narcotics]

I use Kaspersky http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/software/374182/kaspersky-internet-security-2012 Malwarebytes & Spybot - Search & Destroy never had any problem if anyone is interested in a year code for Kaspersky http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/internet_security_trial

It's a 6 next to the x

 

[DaveyPitch]

I've gotta be honest, I would question anyone who recommends Norton, as in my near 15 years experience in IT support, I've lost count of the amount of machines I've dealt with that have had a virus on them, and also had Norton installed. It's decent enough I guess, but I've been using Avast for years, as well as installing it on countless machines for various friends and colleagues, and not a single one has come back to me complaining of a virus. You really don't need to spend money on Norton when free alternatives like Avast do the job even better than Norton does.

 

[DaveyPitch]

To get back to the original question, I have a few essential bits of software I use to keep my machine secure and running nice and smooth...

For security, I run Avast Anti-Virus along with Anti-MalwareBytes. Both combined help me keep safe from any virus or spyware. I don't run a seperate firewall as my router is set up to handle all that.

For general maintenance, I use SmartDefrag2 (http://www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html), which runs in the background and will defrag my hard drives whenever the computer CPU usage is under 5%, which keeps the hard drives in good condition. It doesn't run on my SSD as those drives don't need defragmentation.

I use HWMonitor (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html) to keep track of CPU and GPU temps, as well as fan speeds.

I also use Advanced System Care (http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html) to occasionally scan my computer for registry errors (common as you install and uninstall programs), junk files and other bits and pieces.

I find with these programs my computer is safe, secure, and runs smooth. That's all I need really.

 

[Grimezy]

To get back to the original question, I have a few essential bits of software I use to keep my machine secure and running nice and smooth...

For security, I run Avast Anti-Virus along with Anti-MalwareBytes. Both combined help me keep safe from any virus or spyware. I don't run a seperate firewall as my router is set up to handle all that.

For general maintenance, I use SmartDefrag2 (http://www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html), which runs in the background and will defrag my hard drives whenever the computer CPU usage is under 5%, which keeps the hard drives in good condition. It doesn't run on my SSD as those drives don't need defragmentation.

I use HWMonitor (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html) to keep track of CPU and GPU temps, as well as fan speeds.

I also use Advanced System Care (http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html) to occasionally scan my computer for registry errors (common as you install and uninstall programs), junk files and other bits and pieces.

I find with these programs my computer is safe, secure, and runs smooth. That's all I need really.

Thanks Davey, that's really helpful I'll definitely check out the HWMonitor and Advanced System Care when my rig arrives. Still not sure about the whole free Security thing! I'm sure it's all fine and I am only really using Norton as I already have a spare code for it. I suppose like said earlier, a lot of it is down to the user. Maybe someone using Norton isn't really technical minded and assumes it will block everything for them even if they click to meet singles in their area where as somebody using free Security software is more likely to know what they're doing and won't go out downloading every torrent on the planet.

I dunno!

 

[DaveyPitch]

If you have a free code for Norton, then stick with it. To be honest I've not used Norton for a while, it may have improved since I last used it. I'd still put the free ones above it (especially Avast), as without any effort on my part it happily blocks access to anything harmful.

What I would suggest though, not just to you but to anyone, is that if you don't have 2 hard drives, to at least partition your main one, and keep all your data on a different drive to your Windows installation. That way, should anything bad happen, and you have to re-format your computer (or it crashes and you have to re-install from scratch), you won't lose all your important data. I've never lost any important data this way, save for a mechanical failure when the hard drive died, and I hadn't backed up all my files properly.

 

[NMEBowen]

As far as CCleaner goes for registry and optimization it wont be long till Razer releases the release version of Game booster ive beta tested it and it seems quite a good program it has a CCleaner type use, a optimizer for focusing on games and also a fraps type use also which allows you to record your gameplay.

 

[Blackdog]

Just to necro this thread i thought i might add some more practical hardware stuff.
First off i thought id ask about dusting. I live in a small modern flat and thus my room is rather cramped. I noticed a good bit of dust accrue on the outer side of my case - inwin dragin rider - especially around the 220 mm fan (photos here https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?20667-Falcor-the-White-Dragon) On inspection the inside seemed ok, but i was wondering what you folks are doing to combat the dust that no doubt will accrue over the next few months. I think i saw an air spray on amazon for internal use - can anybody point me in the right direction here?

Software wise i've defragged my WD secondary drive using smart defrag v2.6, and im also using the razer game booster data to streamline my performance. I am thinking about using the advice here to TRIM my ssd (https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?14728-SSD-Management) Is this thread still 100% up to date and advisable?

Cheers all for any input

BD.

 

[keynes]

I think i saw an air spray on amazon for internal use - can anybody point me in the right direction here?

I use this: