How to Make ASUS Laptop Faster

Is your ASUS laptop running slow? Does it keep freezing when you surf the Internet or work on a project?

All laptops will run slowly over time, an ASUS laptop is no exception…it doesn’t matter whether you use a light Acer Aspire series or a high-performance ZenBook Pro.

However, if the laptop performance keeps decreasing, for example, hanging up more often, or running much slower than it used to, you’d better watch out.

Because all those might lead to more serious issues like hard drive failure, system crash, and blue or black screen of death. It’s best to be proactive and figure out the reasons why an ASUS laptop can run slowly and then fix them as soon as you can.

In this article, we will share the common causes behind a slow ASUS laptop along with some tips to speed it up.

What You’ll Need

• Your ASUS laptop.
• Internet connection.
• A little bit of time.
• Money (optional, in case you go for a hardware upgrade).

1. Virus or Malware? Remove Them

We all have been there. When a Windows computer is caught by malicious viruses or programs, it will act up and slow down.

The solution is also pretty straightforward, run an antivirus scan and remove any threats it finds.

Microsoft has a built-in security software called Windows Defender, but we recommend Bitdefender Antivirus Plus because it is way more powerful.

2. Slow on Startup? Optimize It

If your Asus notebook takes 60+ seconds to reach the desktop (or login screen if you have set a password), most likely you have many sneaky apps or services launching on startup.

Here’s how to optimize it:

For Windows 7, Vista, or XP, you can use this utility called MSConfig to tune up Windows startup. For Windows 8.1/10/11, just right-click on the taskbar, then select Task Manager > Startup, here you see a list of program names with the “Status.”

If a program shows Enabled, that means it will automatically run when you start up your ASUS laptop. Go ahead and disable those you don’t need. The fewer Enabled items you have, the faster your PC will boot up.

Quick Tip: some auto-run services may not show up on Startup, but you can still find and disable them using CleanMyPC (via the “Autorun” feature).

3. Running Out of Disk Space? Clean It Up

They say the CPU is the brain of a computer, then the hard drive is like the blood that connects every part.

If your ASUS hard drive (or SSD) is getting full, the whole computer will lag. So what to do about that? Clean it up!

Obviously, you can do this manually but these cleaning tasks can be quite time-consuming, yet some require you to be tech-savvy.

We thus recommend this amazing light-weighted app called CleanMyPC — a smart PC cleaner program that can help reclaim tons of disk space quickly.

It can detect a variety of unnecessary files like system junk, unused applications, old and large items that are safe for removal, etc. Best of all, you can do all of them within a few clicks. The app is really a time-saver!

4. Windows Auto-update? Adjust Setting

Ah…the annoying Windows auto-update! You should have seen it once (if not several times) on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

When an ASUS laptop is under system update, you have no option but to wait until it completes. Luckily, there are ways to disable it.

5. Dirty Fan or Heat Sink? Clean It

Does your ASUS laptop heat up very often? And when it does, everything freezes up and you can’t move the cursor? If so, check the fan and heat sink to see if they are stuffed with dust.

How to fix it? First, open your laptop properly (with a screwdriver like this). Then use a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air to blow the dust off the vents.​

6. Windows System Issues? Fix Them

New ASUS laptops are probably running Windows 11. The thing is Windows 11 is prone to several issues: malware attacks, registry errors, and many others. Techradar listed quite some.

If you feel the whole system is sluggish for no good reason, it’s probably time to diagnose and fix potential Windows errors. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it might sound. Troubleshooting those errors manually is a daunting task.

If you’re not a computer person, it’s best to use a program like CCleaner to fix them. Besides finding Windows registry errors, the app also does a number of things such as managing startup, finding duplicate files, etc. which will help keep your PC in good shape.

7. Hard Drive is Failing? Switch to SSD

Are you using an old ASUS? Then chances are that it is loaded with a spinning hard disk drive (HDD). You should consider replacing it with a speedy solid-state drive (SSD).

Because according to benchmark testing from StorageReview, file opening speed on SSD is up to 30% faster than HDD.

SSD upgrades are suitable for older laptops with hard drives that are underperforming. If you decide to give it a try on your ASUS laptop, consider WD Blue 3D NAND SATA, Crucial MX500, and Samsung 860 EVO.

Here’s a helpful video tutorial in case you need it for the upgrade:

8. Lack of Memory? Add Extra RAM

For those who use an ASUS laptop for gaming or video/photo editing, another way to speed it up is by adding extra RAM (memory), this helps tune up application response times.

For ASUS-compatible memory upgrades, consider​ Crucial Single DDR4 as it has a couple of memory sizes for you to choose from.

Final Words

That’s it for this article. I hope you find this troubleshooting article helpful. There’s no magic tool or method to speed up an Asus laptop, especially if it’s showing its age. Always start by finding out why it is slow and the fixes will be easy to figure out.

Any other reasons or tips that I missed? Let me know by sharing your thoughts below.