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Jan 9, 2014 12:33 PM in response to Helena Stacyby The hatter,What model computer? What are your primary uses and apps?
First thing anyone can do is replace or upgrade the system boot drive to SSD. Makes a very nice improvement.
How new or old is it? What version of OS X is it running?
Maybe it won't run faster but could run better with more RAM.
Take a look at all the tabs in Activity Monitor. If not on the Dock, go into Applications/Utilities and open it and keep it on the dock. Can tell you what is using your processor the most, RAM usage, disk and network I/O.
Don't install things that aren't needed. That can be counter intuitive to some but 'less is more' and some just really pull a computer system down. Security programs, "clean up programs" and others.
General purpose Mac troubleshooting guide:
Creating a temporary user to isolate user-specific problems:
Isolating an issue by using another user account
Identifying resource hogs and other tips:
Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being used
Starting the computer in "safe mode":
Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
To identify potential hardware problems:
General Mac maintenance:
Tips to keep your Mac in top form