Improve Gaming Performance: We’ve put together all the things you can do to optimize the gaming performance you can get from your computer. Playing games has become part of the lives of many of us. But sometimes even minor performance differences can be important.
Tips to Improve Gaming Performance on Computer
Both desktop and laptop computers have some settings that can positively affect performance for more games and more entertainment. What are these, how to adjust, let’s look together.
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Computers sold on the market today can come with different operating systems. For example, Dell G3 15 laptop that we use while preparing this article comes with Windows 10 operating system. Of course, it is possible to find PC models with Linux or FreeDOS operating systems on the market.
However, it can be said that Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system has become the standard platform for PC games like many other things. So our article will be mainly Windows 10.
- First of all, make sure you do the Windows 10 updates completely. Performance improvements and fixes come with every new update. For example, with the upcoming version of Windows 10 2004, some problems in processor and disk usage are expected to be overcome to a great extent.
- Make sure that updated drivers are installed on all components in the system, especially the video card. You can check our AMD andNVIDIAguides for video card drivers. Use up-to-date drivers for all components, especially the video card, motherboard chipset, audio and network drivers.
- Make sure the BIOS has been updated to the latest version. Because important improvements and corrections can be made with BIOS updates.
Unnecessary Applications
- Uninstall unnecessary and unused applications on your computer. Many apps can continue to run even if you don’t know in the background. To do this, you can followWindows 10 Settings> Applications> Applications and features.
- Besides, you can see open applications with the help of Task Manager. Here you can close applications that you do not use and that occupy space in the background. It is possible to sort the applications that use the hardware most by clicking on tabs such as CPU, Memory and Disk.
Services
Another issue is that you may never have used Windows services and some of them. We can open this section by typing ‘Services’ in the Windows Search pane. Here we can see all the services that the operating system is hosting, working or not working.
From here, when we right-click on the service we want and follow thePropertiespath, we can stop the service we want or set the start type toDisabled.
What we need to pay attention to here is to choose the services you will stop. You can disable it if you are sure what the service does and does not interfere with the operation of the system.
As an example, we can add many services such as Windows Insider Service, Bluetooth Support Service, Secondary Login, Downloaded Maps Manager, and Fax. You can check this guide for some services.
Performance Settings
Best Performance
- Let’s clickthis Computer> Properties. Alternatively, we can followControl Panel> Systempath.
- Let’s login toSettingsunderAdvanced system settings> Advancedtab underPerformance section.
- Here, let’s check ‘Set for best performance’ and click OK. If you do this, you will need to waive some Windows images.
Battery Options
- Let’s go toControl Panel>Power Options respectively.
- From here we can expand the options by sayingHide additional plans.
- Finally, let’s choose the ‘High Performance’ option, which is among the options.
- This will focus our computer on performance rather than power savings. On laptop computers, battery consumption can be significantly affected.
Apart from the settings offered by Windows 10, it is possible to benefit from some PC manufacturers’ own advanced control software. For example, Command Center software on Dell computers often offers the possibility to fine-tune processor frequency, fan speed, and so on, which we cannot directly access from within Windows 10. With this software, it will be possible to control the game performance much more broadly.
Temporary Files and History
- The files of the applications we use on the computer now accumulate over time. To clear them, type ‘% temp%’ in the Search pane and click on the folder that comes up. You can delete all the files contained here.
- In addition, type“recent” in Run andsayOK. Here, your last actions will appear. You can delete all.
Startup Applications
Let’s open the Startup tab after opening Task Manager. Here are the applications that will start automatically when starting our computer. If there are unnecessary applications that we do not want to run at the beginning, after selecting the application, you can disable it with the option “Disable”.
Windows 10 Privacy Options
You can check out this guide to customize the background settings that collect user data in Windows 10.
Hard Disk Optimization
It is unnecessary to apply the hard disk optimization option for SSD. However, it is a necessary option for classic HDD.
- If you are using an HDD, log in to this PC, right-click on your hard disk and enter Properties.
- From the Tools pane, first, check the errors in your drive from the Error Checking section.
- If an error is detected on your drive, go to the fix option.
Disk optimization;
- Likewise, go toThis Computer> Properties> Toolstab.
- Apply the ‘Optimize’ option to your hard disk from here.
- This option merges the partitions on the HDD and provides faster access to the data. This in some cases will have a positive effect on performance.
Use SSD
If your computer does not have an SSD and your budget is available, purchase at least 120 GB of SSD. You can run your operating system and the games you play the most from SSD. Because you will feel the big difference in switching from HDD to SSD.
The opening time of the games and the transition on the loading screens will speed up a lot. Moreover, SSD can also have positive effects on the performance of the game in some scenarios. We have heard from many users thatsome games havebecome more fluid after using SSD.
Xbox DVR
- Windows Xbox Game Bar feature may negatively affect game performance in some cases. To turn off this setting, go toWindows 10 Settings> Game> Xbox Game Bar (Xbox DVR).
- You can turn this setting off at the top option here.
Game Mode
Open the setting by going toGame Mode inWindows 10 Settings> Game> pane. Thus, Windows 10 will direct system resources to this task when you run the game.
Security Software
If you are mainly playing games, pay attention to the performance factors of the security software you use. Before buying security software, you can do a little research on that application and read the comments.
While you are in the game, security software can negatively affect the game with the operations it performs in the background. In this case, you can also choose to put the security software in game mode. Most advanced security software now comes with a Game Mode option.
AMD And NVIDIA Panel Settings
Both brands have their own control panel. First of all, you can right-click on the desktop to go here and then click on “Radeon Settings” or “NVIDIA Control Panel” according to your video card brand.
Here are general settings for both NVIDIA and AMD, and sections for game-specific settings. On the NVIDIA side, you can go to this section with the option of ‘Managing 3D Settings‘. On the AMD side, you can go toGame> Games from the main menu.
It is possible to change many settings that will affect the performance of the video card software. However, the settings made here havedifferent effects on each game. For example, while a setting has a positive effect on FPS in one game, it has no effect in some games.
Also, while the adjustment may affect the graphics quality of the game, this is not noticeable in some games. So these options and sub-settings are the details that should be changed from game to game.
In-Game Settings
In-game settings, which are similar to the settings in the video card software, are among the most important factors. Increasing the resolution and other settings through the game’s graphics settings generally cause FPS to drop.
In addition, thevast majority ofthese settings load the graphics card, while some can increase the load on the processor. So you can get the best result by playing in the settings according to your system components.
V-Sync
You can see the V-Sync (vertical sync) option both in the in-game settings and in the GPU software. This option is used to fix the FPS rate in games according to the refresh rate of your screen. Although this setting is not recommended for competitive games, it can save lives in many games.
So if you don’t have eyes at high FPS values, you can have a more stable gaming experience by activating V-Sync.
Steam Launch Options
In Steam, start commands specific to each game can be entered. Some commands contribute positively to game performance. To access this option, right-click on the game in the library and select Properties>Setlaunch options.
For example, some commands;
- -high:This command starts the game in high priority mode.
- -fullscreen / -full:This option forces the game to run in full screen.
- -freq ‘value’:Sets which Hertz setting your monitor will work in-game. For example “-freq 144”
- -threads ‘value’: By entering the number of cores of your processor in the value section here, you can make the game use all the cores.
Clean Installation
A clean installation can sometimes solve problems radically. During the time we use our computer, we install and remove dozens of software and games. Some users can make changes to files and registry entries, either intentionally or unintentionally. Some users, on the other hand, are left with performance problems that they do not make sense with various errors.
Although it is a laborious job, if it is time, you can choose to have a clean installation. You can check our USB preparation and installation guide for a clean installation. You can have a nice gaming experience with a current ISO file and updated drivers.