Having said that, I should point out that your local phone line may slow your modem down. Get a 56k modem if you haven't already got one. If you have an older computer, it may have a slow UART, which will severely limit the speed of the modem. Consult your dealer. Poor phone lines cause the modem to slow down or drop out completely.
Some modems are less affected than others.
Consult a comparisom review. Memory Often the best way to speed up your computer is to add more memory. If your hard disk seems very busy, you almost certainly have too little. Windows 95 16Mb of RAM mininum. If you're buying a new PC, get 64Mb Windows 98 32Mb of RAM or more.