This document analyzes the performance of a computer system to determine if upgrades or replacement are needed. Performance and disk space tests were run. The performance test showed the CPU and RAM responded well to tasks. The disk space test freed up 17GB by cleaning temporary files. Upgrading the RAM and CPU was considered but replacing the entire system for £405.50 was deemed better due to warranty coverage and ensuring driver compatibility.

1. Monitoring a Computer System to Ascertain Future
Upgrade or Replacement Feasibility
Introduction
For this project, consisting of three tasks, I am going to analyse a computer’s
performance and disk space to determine whether or not the machine is fit for purpose.
This is a function that all IT Technicians will need to perform on a regular basis as the needs
of users and software changes. Should the machine need to be upgraded or replaced will be
established from the data gathered and then a cost comparison between upgrading
components or a replacement system will be performed. My conclusion will be noted at the
end of this document.
Task A - Testing PC Performance
•
What you are going to do and what you expect the results to be
For this module, I am going to run a test on a training-room PC in order to assess its
performance, specifically the performance of the memory usage and the CPU usage when
opening, closing and using certain applications.
During the course of the test, I expect that the processor will spike once the application is
opened and specific tasks performed and then drop when idle. The memory usage will rise
when the application is opened and after each process within the application, and maintain
its level until the application is closed and the memory is released.
•
Why you are doing it
The reason for doing this test is to ascertain whether-or-not the training-room systems are
performing adequately for their purpose. As all the systems in the training-room are of very
similar specification, the results of one test would also be applicable to the other systems.
•
Where you will get the data from and how you will use the data
The data used and analysed will be gathered from a Windows utility called Performance,
which is in the Administrative Tools group. Within this utility I created a job with 2 counters.
One that analyses the percentage of used memory committed in bytes, and the other that
analyses the percentage of processor usage. This is then set to record one sample of data
every second and store it in a log file for analysis. It is then scheduled to start and stop
manually, once the performed tasks have been completed.
The data is then saved as a text file - comma delimited – which is then opened within Excel
and saved as an Excel workbook so that the information can be manipulated. Out of all the
data points, the key values that are of importance are the high points and the low points of
RAM and CPU usage. This information is obtained by applying conditional formatting to

2. each column of data for both maximum and minimum, and also mean (average) and
median, as specified in the Test Plan. Once this information is gathered, a visual
representation can be inserted by using a line chart once all the data is highlighted from
both columns. It clearly shows the CPU spikes and RAM increases and drops, and these are
further highlighted by applying graphics.
Test
Overall Processor Usage %
Overall RAM Usage %
Access internet and open
multiple tabs with
different pages (clear
cache)
Open a graphics package
and edit an image
Run multiple packages –
Photoshop and Office
Run a quick scan with antivirus
Play a video
Expected
Median figure of
around 10%
Mean figure of
around 40%
Processor spike on
opening of not
more than 30%
total usage
RAM increase of
not more than 20%
Processor spike of
not more than 70%
RAM increase of
not more than 50%
Processor spike of
not more than 85%
RAM increase of
not more than 80%
Processor spike of
not more than 20%
RAM increase of
not more than 20%
Processor spike of
not more than 15%
RAM increase of
not more than 30%
Actual
3.84%
12.06%
Processor spike of over
50%
RAM increase of
around 15%
Processor spike of
nearly 60%
RAM increase to nearly
20%
Processor spike to
nearly 50%
RAM increase to
around 15%
Processor spike of just
over 40%
RAM increase of 10%
Processor spike of
around 55%
RAM increase of over
15%
Comments
Median chosen over mean as
this will eradicate the peaks
and troughs and display a
more constant result.
The actual result was due to
the system having a much
better processor than I had
anticipated. The hardware
was not analysed before the
test.
Memory varies on a constant,
steady increase or decrease so
a mean will display a more
accurate result.
Again, this result was due to
underestimating the system’s
capabilities.
Opening a browser uses more
processor resources but only
for a short period.
The RAM didn’t increase as
much as thought as the
amount of installed memory is
higher than anticipated.
The RAM wasn’t needed as
much as was thought.
The processor demand was
greater than estimated.
Video used for more
processor resources than
initially thought.

3. 100.00
% RAM Use
90.00
% Processor Use
80.00
70.00
Open Firefox
Open graphics package
and edit image
60.00
Open graphics
package
and then spreadsheet
Open and play
YouTube video
Quick Scan
Anti-virus
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
The processor handled the calculations better than expected; the RAM increase was much lower due
to the lack of data needed to be stored prior to processing. This is reflected in the results across the
board for all tests performed.
Task B - Analysing Available Disk Space
The next operation performed is to check the available disk space and remove any
unnecessary data. For this task a utility called TreeSize will be used. Once the initial analysis
is done, the data will be input onto a spreadsheet and a pie chart created to give a visual
representation of the data. Then the built-in Windows utility Disk Cleanup will be used to
clean the unnecessary files. TreeSize will then be run again to compare the results.
•
Why
Unnecessary data left on a disk can impede the performance as the system will continue to
scan drives and index the information stored on it. The more information, the longer this
process takes and has an impact on system resources. This can also damage the hard disks
mechanics as it will be constantly accessing the drive which leads to wear.
•
Factors that Impact
There are many factors that can lead to a drive becoming cluttered with unnecessary files.
Some of these are listed below:
Temp Files
Cookies
Cache
Set-Up Files

4. Thumbnails
Restore Points
Dump Files
Logs
Recycle Bin
The above can be cleaned using Disk Cleanup, but for the following, they need to be deleted
manually or by specific 3rd party software.
Redundant Disk Images
Invalid Registry Items
BloatWare – also known as CrapWare (Installed with Software)
Previous Updates
Unused Profiles
Info Files
•
TreeSize Results
The results of the initial analysis are shown on a screenshot below:

5. Once the Window utility Disk Cleanup was run, and additionally some old user data deleted
from within Documents and Settings, the result is shown below:
Approximately 17GB of data was successfully removed.
•
Pie Chart
Below is a pie chart which shows the data recorded by TreeSize and the percentage of the
sum total:

6. TreeSize Data Before Disk Cleanup
0%
10%
10%
2%
6%
8%
Windows O/S
Software
Users Files and Profiles
System Volume Information
Recycle Bin
Paging File
Other
64%
•
Checking Method
To check the data, three methods were carried out.
Firstly, the data was taken from the TreeSize results and entered in a spreadsheet into the
before column. As the data for various titles had more than one value in some instances, an
addition formula was input into the cell to display a total. Once this was complete, the data
was then selected and inserted into a pie chart. The data in the pie chart segments were
then visually analysed and an estimation given to the percentages for each segment. The
actual calculations can be seen above and were incredibly close to the estimations that
were made (see below).

7. The second method was to calculate the amount of degrees each pie segment had. To
calculate this manually using a formula and the data, the results for each segment item was
rounded to the nearest 100MB. This was due to that the physical measurement would be in
degrees and not degrees and minutes. The formula “item/total x 360” was calculated using
long multiplication and long division. The calculations can be seen below.
To check this calculation required the use of a protractor. Extending the lines from each
segment, the protractor was placed onto the chart and the measurement taken in degrees.
The results are as follows:
Data Label
Estimate Actual
Windows O/S
Software
User Files and Profiles
System Volume Information
Recycle Bin
Paging File
36°
18°
228°
30°
6°
36°
34°
21°
234°
23°
8°
35°

8. The last method was to run Windows Disk Cleanup and then delete any unneeded profiles
on the system. Once this was complete another TreeSize operation was run. The results
were input into another column on the spreadsheet. The data was then selected and
inserted into another chart, this time a doughnut chart. The results can be seen below:
•
Summary
The full results for the TreeSize test are shown in the following table:
Disk Space
Usage
Files
Windows O/S
Software
Users Files and Profiles
System Volume
Information
Recycle Bin
Paging File
Other
Total
5611.6
3326.90
38114.2
5244.1
3242.10
20188.8
Difference
(MB)
367.5
84.8
17925.4
4555.2
5439.1
-883.9
-1.51
1454
5611.6
18.6
58692.10
(58501 Reported by
TreeSize)
1451.2
5611.6
18.6
41195.50
(41195.6 Reported by
TreeSize)
2.8
0
0
17496.6
0.00
0.00
0.00
29.81
Before (MB)
After (MB)
Difference
%
0.63
0.14
30.54

9. The largest increase in disk space was the deletion of user profiles that were no longer
needed at just over 30%. Downloaded files that should have been stored on the user space
on the server are responsible for this. There is an inconsistency which is with the System
Volume information, which had an increase of 1.5%. This was due to the system taking a
snapshot for restore purposes. The recycle bin was not emptied for reasons that
verification from an administrator was needed prior to this being done.
Task C - To Upgrade or To Replace
This task is to ascertain whether or not it would be better to upgrade or to replace the CPU and RAM
on the computer system below:
Machine name: TR2-XP6
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3
(2600.xpsp_sp3_qfe.130704-0421)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: HP Compaq dc5800 Small Form Factor
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU
E7400 @ 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 3566MB RAM
Once the relevant system information had been gathered, the group discussed the factors that
should be considered when making the upgrade or replace decision. These results can be seen in
the following table:
Specification
Current
HDD
RAM
CPU
232GB
3.48GB
E7400 2.8GHz
GMA3100
384MB
240 Watt
Intel Q33
HP Compaq
dc5800 SFF
GPU
PSU
MB
Case
Issues with Upgrade
Connectivity
Form. Speed. Legacy Cost. Max RAM
Socket Type. Onboard Graphics. 32/64 bit
Slots. Disable onboard graphics. Form.
Power. Cooling. Size
Form. Available Connectors. Wattage.
Form. Compatibility
Form. Size

10. With the system information noted, it was then necessary to see if an upgrade of RAM was possible.
There are several means to do this but by far the simplest is to use a java applet, supplied by many
PC upgrade resources, to scan your system and then display the results. The one I chose to use was
by the reliable source of memory manufacturer/supplier – Crucial.
The memory scan showed that all four memory slots on the mainboard/motherboard were being
used with 1 GB of RAM in each. The fact that only 3566MB of RAM is showing as installed is due to
Microsoft Windows 32 bit Operating Systems only recognising a maximum of 3.5GB. 64 bit
Operating Systems have the capacity to recognise more RAM, so it was decided that the OS would
be upgraded to 64 bit also. This would increase the memory capacity for this board to a maximum
of 16GB as reported by the manufacturer, though the Crucial scan was only to 8GB.
A search was then done for Windows 8 64bit OS and the best price from a reputable source was
selected. Another 2x2GB of memory was selected which would give the system a total of 6GB when
installed (2x2GB and 2x1GB).
To source a new CPU, an online utility that measures benchmarks for the processor socket was used.
This website is regularly updated to show the latest benchmark comparisons alongside the cost of
the respective processor. As you can see from the table below, the best upgrade I chose had a
percentage improvement in performance of over 130%.
Socket
Suggested
Current
LGA775
Name
Q9550 2.83GHz
E7400 2.8GHz
Potential improvement
Percentage Improvement
Cost
Cost per % Improvement
Benchmark
4068
1751
2317
132%
£207.54
£1.57
The total cost of the upgrade including labour is summarised in the table below:
Memory Upgrade
£50.39
OS Upgrade
£69.65
CPU Upgrade
£207.54
Labour 4@£35/Hour
£140.00
Total
£587.62

11. The cost of a replacement system was found with similar spec.
Asus M11AA Desktop
- Intel Core i5-3330S 2.7GHz
- 6GB RAM + 1TB HDD
- DVD Writer
- Wifi
- Windows 8
£405.50inc vat
This system comes preinstalled with Windows 8 64bit.
•
Conclusion
To conclude, from the information gathered, a replacement would ideally be my first choice of
whether to upgrade or replace. The benefit for the customer is that the system will be fully covered
by warranty as it is new. There will still be labour costs involved as the system would need to be set
up and any software from the client reinstalled etc. Overall this system is built for the Operating
System and tested to ensure that all drivers are compatible, an issue that may arise should upgrades
be done.