The best tune-up utilities for 2021



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Fast boot times and quick operations are some of the greatest joys of unboxing and starting up a brand new PC. After all, we want our PCs to perform at peak performance, whether we have a low budget laptop or a dumb gaming desktop. Inevitably, however, that out-of-the-box performance wears off. Eventually every PC slows down, gradually or suddenly. In these cases, you should invest in a debugging utility.

System mechanic Iolo

All computers eventually lose that first-day glow, becoming lethargic, unresponsive and, at worst, unreliable. The operating system gets dirty as applications are added and incompletely removed, leaving behind drivers and all kinds of other system junk. Their hard drives are filling up with forgotten files that we left behind in folders that we forgot to exist. The programs accumulate huge caches behind the scenes that we don’t even know about. Ultimately, our complete hard drives choke the operating system when it tries to run. Obsolete drivers stop working properly. Toolbars and other plugins can slow down our browsers considerably. It doesn’t matter how diligent you are or what kind of productivity software you use to make the most of your time if you end up sitting around waiting for your computer to catch up with you.

When our machines are so weakened by use and neglect that we can no longer use Microsoft Word or play PC games with the same speed and efficiency that we have become accustomed to, we often consider buying new computers. . But it is a radical and often unnecessary solution. Instead, you can often get that performance fresh out of the box for tens of dollars, instead of hundreds or even thousands, thanks to a relatively inexpensive tool: the PC tune-up utility.

What is a debugging utility?

A PC tune-up utility is an application that digs deep into your computer and fixes problem areas. It performs several functions, including defragmenting your PC’s hard drive, fixing the incredibly problematic Windows registry, and freeing up disk space by removing junk and duplicate files. Some debugging utilities only perform these basic functions, while others more sophisticated add many features that improve your computer in interesting ways. For example, Iolo System Mechanic cleans clogged PCs with its real-time system monitoring; Ashampoo offers a file deletion tool and a backup application; and AVG offers a driver update program.

We tested all of the debugging utilities in this story on a rotten Windows 10 test bed. Note that Microsoft’s operating system has many built-in tools to improve the performance of your PC, although they are scattered throughout the operating system (unlike the third-party tuning utilities mentioned here).

Please note that while debugging utilities were valuable tools in the days of Windows 8/7 / XP, we now find them more difficult to recommend in the Windows 10 era, as the operating system allows you to efficiently tune your PC for free.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer

Debug utility pricing

You won’t spend a small fortune to start the PC cleaning process. Expect to spend around $ 20- $ 50 for a standalone tune-up utility purchase or a monthly subscription. Debugging utilities starting prices are between three and 10 licenses per purchase, which means you are allowed to install the software on three PCs. If you live in a household with more than three computers that you want to keep cool, purchasing licenses can get very expensive. To be fair, many companies offer multi-license packages, but they can also prove to be expensive. That is why you should look for a paid debug utility with high license allocation or no installation limitation; The Ashampoo and AVG offerings offer generous licenses for 10 PCs, while Iolo allows you to install System Mechanic on as many PCs as you want (for non-commercial purposes).

Many companies offer a free version of their debugging utilities, but how this is performed varies. For example, the free version of AVG TuneUp lets you pay for your PC for 30 days before you have to take out your bank card. It’s rare. Many tune-up utilities have free versions that tell you what’s wrong with your PC, but don’t let you clean until you make a purchase.

Debugging utilities frequently include other software that softens the purchase contract. Some come with file shredders that permanently delete your unwanted data, although there are many free and paid file shredders that perform the same action. Antivirus suites, uninstallation programs, and driver updates, which are sometimes provided in debugging utilities, can also be purchased as stand-alone software from Ashampoo, AVG, and other companies. . Windows 10 has file deletion programs but it is hidden in the system. Again, third-party focus utilities have the advantage of bringing everything together in one central location.

AVG optimization

How we test debugging utilities

We test debug utilities with a very specific and repeatable process. We run the Geekbench system performance tool and measure boot times on an unwanted test bench before and after running a tune-up utility to compare computer power. We run each test three times and average the results.

Every tune-up utility we tested has improved the performance of a PC in some way. Typically, the operating system feels faster, and the computer boots up much faster than it did before the software was run.

Clean your PC

This collection of debugging utilities doesn’t highlight all of the system improvement tools on the market – they are our favorite debugging utilities, after all. You can be sure that they will help your PC run smoothly.

Click on the links below to read the full reviews of these PC tune-up tools. If you want to share an experience with any of the tune-up utilities we’ve reviewed, or if you have one that you like better than the ones we’ve reviewed here, let us know in the comments.



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