Manage updates with the Download AppCNET Editors' review
We've seen plenty of tools that promise to boost your PC's speed, but like the proverbial bear in the woods, some do and some don't. PCBoost promises to boost your PC's speed, too, and it has some options and displays that can help you do that, up to a point. It's shareware, though you can try it for free for 30 days. It's affordable, but it doesn't do more than many free system optimizers, and actually does less than others. It claims to exert control over how your PC prioritizes processor resources, "accelerating" (prioritizing) some programs over others. Many common programs that don't benefit from acceleration are already included on a block list that you can add apps to.
Our first hint that PCBoost might not be much of a bargain came when we opened the user interface and saw the pixelated edge of the CPU usage display. We clicked View and Change Settings, but there's only one control, a Processor performance settings slider with four stops plus a checkbox to run apps on the fastest core available in multicore CPUs. We could Save or Reset our choices or open the Help file. To its credit, PCBoost's Help file explains much of how the tool works in detail, including the Advanced settings, most significant among them being the Application block list and how to add programs to keep them from being accelerated. But Windows already lets you prioritize for programs or background services and shows CPU use in greater detail. There's a benchmarking tool, but it's not much more useful than the Windows Experience Index.
This raises an important point: PCBoost will be most effective in older, more basic Windows installations that lack the tweaks built into newer versions like Windows 7, and in older machines that have been poorly maintained or never optimized. In particular, gamers struggling to squeeze every drop of speed from an old sparkbox should give it a look. If it boosts your PC, buy it. If not, try another tool. But if you already have Windows' Advanced System Settings and Performance Information and Tools, give them a look, too.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of PCBoost 4.4.1.2013.
Publisher's Description
From PGWARE:
PcBoost is a tool for all that allows you to modify your computers settings to increase performance and speed. No modifications to your hardware are made and all adjustments and settings are done in an easy to use interface that a child could use. It instantly makes the foreground application run faster by instructing the computer processor to give the application a higher priority than all other applications running in the background.
What's new in this version: Version 4.5.13.2013 fixed problem with the updater not deleting older downloads which would cause several mb of data to store in the temporary directory and changed the compression type of the installer for a smaller file to download.
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All versions:
2.8 starsout of 32 votes
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Current version:
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My rating:
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"It's good, but it's not that good."
Version: PcBoost 4.10.17.2011
Pros
It does boost your PC
Cons
It doesn't your PC to its top performance. Besides that, it's not uer-friendly.
Summary
It's not that good.
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"No Discernible Difference In Speed"
Version: PcBoost 4.7.18.2011
Pros
Very easy to configure. No problem installing or uninstalling.
Cons
Nag screen during trial. Possible suspicious behavior encountered (see Bottom-line summary for details).
Summary
This software might benefit someone with an older, slower PC but I did not detect any noticeable increase in the performance of my software. I noticed a slow down during boot up which is understandable as I had it as a start up program. The pop up nag screen to purchase a license was annoying but what troubled me the most to the point where I uninstalled it was the program was repeatedly attempting to access my firewall's memory which was disconcerting. Maybe I just needed to add my Comodo firewall to it's exclusion list but that was the final straw to get rid of it.
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"I use Advanced Windows care, I saw no pluses in this program."
Version: PcBoost 3.5.5.2008
Cons
It offered nothing I couldn't achieve with freeware.
I've already deleted the progeam.
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"Made no difference"
Version: PcBoost 3.4.7.2008
Cons
constant pop up asking me to register. a lmost impossible to uninstal due to several pop ups nag screens. This software is best avoided
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"I've done some test with 3DMark and found no differences"
Version: PcBoost 3.3.17.2008
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"Cool"
Version: PcBoost 3.1.1.2008
Pros
Speed's up the CPU on "HIGH".
Cons
"REALTIME" Will crash my PC.
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"Just a suggestion for the publisher, PGWARE"
Version: PcBoost 3.9.3.2007
Pros
All your apps work pretty well on pc's with 512 MB of memory or less. I have a test pc like that, which I never upgraded, and all five of your products that I have tried helped performance quite a bit,(GameGain, PcBoost, PcMedik, SuperRam, and Throttle). I have a higher end pc with two gigs of memory, and your products did nothing that I could notice, however. Why not combine all your products into one super application, raise the price, and I think you would have a product with a force to be reckened with. I like your free trial, and I am happy they work with Vista.
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"Step on up - BUDGET PC OWNERS! The Price is right!"
Version: PcBoost 3.1.15
Pros
This product may help you, but for me it's just eye candy on your desktop to MAKE YOU THINK IT'S DOING SOMETHING IT'S NOT!
Cons
PGWARE I think is targeting a niche group of computer users that don't want to spend money on CREDIBLE software makers in exchange for the ILLUSION that they are doing something for their pc when very little is being actually done. Gamegain is okay, but I have tried nearly every product they have and I don't recommend them for high end pc users and moderate range pc users. Only those with budget pc's may notice a difference.
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"fixed security problems I had"
Version: PcBoost 3.10.3
Pros
This is a great little util that runs in the background. It's made my photoshop and video editing proggies work without any hitch. For those of us that need every little bit of cpu power like gamers and video/photo editors this is a great little prog.
Cons
Too basic and it's hard to see if the trial is worth it without purchase.
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"This program boost a little bit, it's like more RAM! A1KoN"
Version: PcBoost 3.5.3
Pros
It boosts your PC !
A1KoN
Cons
It doesn't boost to its full performance.
A1KoN
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