Making you old mac run a little faster

Macs are fantastic machines, but sometimes they also have their performance problems. I have my Mac running well for years, day and night, and it has been pretty capable to handle the load.

There are times, however, when you want to improve the performance of you system. If that is the case, it is interesting to check possible areas where you could get extra performance of your old Mac box.

I have a handy list of things to look for in my Mac from time to time. I run through this list to make sure that I get the best performance of my machine, and that Mac OS X keeps running fine. Here are some of my tips:

• Take notice of the programs you are installing in the background. Mac OS X is highly reliable, but there are some programs that keep running in the background, and therefore take resources that should be made available to other programs. For example, I used to have small Java-based utilities installed. They can be very nice, but also take their toll from you processor. Nowadays, I prefer to remove any background program that is not doing anything used in my system.
• Install latest updates. This is hard not to do, but am lazy enough to dismiss the Mac OS X update screen when it pops up. Of course, it will be there the next day, so it is better to do updates the first time they come.
• Avoid multiple programs to do the same thing: I used to have multiple IM programs (now I mostly use Adium. Also, I used to have multiple browsers opened at the same time (Firefox, Safari, and Opera are my preferred). Now, I decided to use only Safari as my main browser. This both simplifies my life and uses less resources of my machine.

In summary, I am pretty happy with the speed and great performance of my Mac. However, I learned with time to make better use of the system resources, so I don't have to wait more than I really want to. This way, I can also spend more time with the programs that I like, such as iTunes, iDVD...

Buying a new Mac on eBay

Having a Mac is a dream for a lot of people, but at the same time it can be expensive. New Macs are always loaded with the best technology, and great technologies, such as automator, time machine, the new aqua interface. However, at the same time, the price tag for new macs can be prohibitive, especially if you are used to PCs from HP or Dell, selling nowadays by close to $300.

A solution for you may be at hand: look for used Macs on sell at eBay. EBay is by far the most famous place to sell used technical equipment. It allows users to contact sellers directly, and this makes life easier for everyone.

Here are some advantages of using eBay to locate your new Mac, fully loaded with Mac OS X:

• It is much easier to get information from sellers. With direct connection to the current owners, you can get the information you need about each equipment on sale.
• Large selection: In a traditional store, you have only a limited number of options. Even at the Apple store you will have only access to the latest models, although some of the older models could work just as well for your application.
• Better prices: since there is a large variety of Mac computers on sell at eBay, you can also find bargain prices, from people that want to sell fast. It is much easier to get bargains from owner than from stores, anyway.

So, if you desperately want that Mac but don't feel you have enough money to afford, you should always take a look at eBay. It can very possibly make your shopping experience much better and cheaper.

Do you have any experience buying Macs on eBay? If yes, leave a comment describing it...