PC Tweaker

Get every last drop of Internet connection speed from your system with this optimization tool. PC Tweaker's pull-down menu and checkbox-laden interface suffers from a few glitches. Some pull-downs are too narrow to completely show their options, and the default settings for checkboxes aren't always clear. More thought has been put into the Help manual, which is clear, concise, and obviously novice friendly.

Tweaking a system to find its optimal speed is an art, but this application contains a few artist's shortcuts. Changes are simple to make and undo. There are numerous easy-to-read graphs to gauge the effect of your changes. Our testers had a variety of experiences, and Internet connectivity wasn't always improved. However, we found the settings manager especially helpful in assessing impact. It's easy to create a set of configurations, apply them, and compare your connection speeds against a different set of configurations. The program's special Internet Explorer settings page won't help users of other browsers, but the speed tools will benefit all.

The program also includes helpful automatic memory-recovery tools, though we generally prefer manual tools. You'll have 15 days to find out if PC Tweaker contains the tools you need to improve your Internet connection speeds.