<<Here's my question. Is't hyper-threading designed to make the computer go faster?>>
in the most simplest terms, Hypertreading is a mechanism found in faster processors which, when integrated with a Hyperthreading-aware OS and a Hyperthreading-aware application, makes a single CPU system appear and act as a dual CPU system (or make a 2 CPU system act like a quad, etc). so, yes, HT could make your computer run faster (read: more efficiently). I've seen it work wonders on some of the high-end servers we use here at work.
it's a hell of a lot more complicated than that, but there's your layman's answer.
cheers,
wade