We'll be the first to admit it: the situation is complex. Upgrading hardware is becoming almost impossible, and many users need to squeeze a little more life out of their current machines. Software developers aren't helping (to the point of suggesting buying new computers), but there are still a few tricks up our sleeve. A real classic when it comes to speeding up Windows on basic computers is controlling processes and manipulating their priority, a task that the application ShiftDown does automatically in the background.
Every optimization process has its limits, and some tasks simply exceed the capacity of many computers. But there is one thing we're convinced of: the Windows universe could do a better job. If the latest versions of the operating system suffer performance issues even with the most recent hardware, what's left for older machines that have to fend for themselves in this era of shortages and ridiculous prices?
Add to that security patches and fixes that further hurt performance, and you have the situation that led GitHub user Simon Sommer to create a small piece of software called ShiftDown. Simon has a system with an Intel Core i5 3320M processor that took the full brunt of the Spectre and Meltdown mitigations. While you can disable them to some extent, that chip is a dual-core with four threads—and it needs all the help it can get.
How ShiftDown Works
ShiftDown isn't a typical maintenance program with a dedicated interface; it must be installed manually and configured as a service. Simon explains that the goal of ShiftDown is to reduce the priority of processes that put the most pressure on the processor. If total CPU usage exceeds 25 percent, the most demanding processes automatically move from Normal to Idle. Once the program closes, their original priority is restored.
ShiftDown has three requirements: Windows 10 or later, .NET 4.7 (which should already be installed), and its configuration as a service:
- Create a folder for the ShiftDown executable and save it there.
- Open the system console with elevated privileges.
- Run sc.exe create ShiftDown binpath="path_to_file\shiftdown.exe" start=auto
- Run sc.exe start ShiftDown
This will allow ShiftDown to start working immediately and to start with the rest of the services when the computer boots. If you want to remove it, go back to the elevated console and run sc.exe stop ShiftDown to stop the service, sc.exe delete ShiftDown to delete it, and finally delete its executable.
Once again, the idea behind ShiftDown is to speed up Windows on basic computers with limited resources, and it's very likely you won't see changes if your hardware has extra firepower. On the other hand, if you prefer a more organic and flexible solution with a dedicated interface, you can manage processes with CPUBalance.
Official site and download: Click here
