How to Optimize Your Gaming PC for Maximum Performance

In order to give it your best when gaming, you need to have the right equipment. But instead of going out and buying something new, maybe your PC just needs some adjustments to see improvement in your experience.

Today we will be exploring ways to optimize your gaming PC and explain why this is such an important step. Stay tuned.

Why Does Optimizing Your PC for Gaming Matter?

So, why is it important to optimize your PC for gaming? Here are six reasons:

1.   Better Performance

Imagine you’re in the middle of an intense game, about to land the perfect headshot, and your game stutters or, worse, it crashes. Frustrating, right?

When your PC isn’t running at its best, games can lag, freeze, or load slowly. Optimizing your PC helps everything run more smoothly, so you can focus on winning the game without any distractions.

2.   Makes the Most of Your Hardware

Gaming PCs can be expensive, so it’s smart to get the most out of what you’ve got. Even if your PC isn’t brand new, small adjustments can make a huge difference in how it performs.

3.   Faster Load Times

Nobody likes waiting around for a game to load or for the next level to start. By optimizing your PC, you can speed things up and enjoy the game more.

4.   Prevents Overheating and Crashes

Games can push your PC hard, especially newer ones with fancy graphics. If your PC overheats or gets overloaded, it might crash while you’re gaming. Optimizing your PC keeps it running, so you don’t have to worry about it shutting down.

5.   Saves You Money

Before you rush out to buy an expensive new PC, optimizing your current setup can often give you a huge boost in performance. It’s a very budget-friendly way to get more out of your PC without spending that much cash.

6.   Improves Your Online Gaming Experience

For online games, optimizing your PC (and internet connection) helps reduce lag. A well-optimized PC helps you stay competitive, especially in faster games like shooters.

How Can You Optimize Your PC?

Here are some of our tips on the best ways to optimize your PC for gaming:

1.   Enable Game Mode

If you have Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can turn on Game Mode. It reduces background processes to free up CPU and GPU resources you need when gaming, prevents any system updates while you’re playing, and just helps your PC focus on your gaming needs.

How to Enable Game Mode:

1. Open Settings:

Press Windows + I on your keyboard to open the Settings menu.

2. Go to Gaming:

Click on Gaming, then select Game Mode from the left-hand menu.

3. Turn on Game Mode:

Toggle the switch under Game Mode to On.

2. Update Your Drivers

If your drivers are outdated, it can cause performance issues. Here’s how to update them:

1. Graphics drivers:

Find out if your graphics driver needs an update using an app:

●      GeForce Experience is a tool from NVIDIA that helps you easily update your graphics drivers if you have an NVIDIA GPU. Just install the app, and it will notify you whenever new drivers are available. You can update with a few clicks, and it even optimizes game settings for your hardware.

●      You can also use AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition. This app checks for driver updates and installs them for you. Both tools are very easy to use, free, and super handy for keeping your GPU running smoothly and your games performing at their best.

They are the two biggest names in GPUs, so most gamers use these tools to manage their setups.

2. Motherboard drivers: Check your motherboard manufacturer’s site for the latest BIOS and chipset updates.

3. Windows updates: It’s also important to make sure your operating system is up to date. You can do this by going to Settings > Update & Security > Check for Updates.

3. Optimize Your Game Settings

Not every game will run perfectly on ultra settings, even on a high-quality PC. That’s why adjusting your settings can make a big difference.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what to focus on:

●    Resolution: Lowering it from 4K to 1080p can really boost the performance of your PC.

●    Graphics quality: Set it to “Medium” or “High” instead of “Ultra”.

●    Anti-aliasing: Turn this down or off if you don’t mind when the edges are a bit jagged.

●    Shadows and reflections: These use up a lot of resources, so lowering them can result in an improved performance.

4. Manage Background Processes

Your PC runs a lot of programs in the background that can hog resources and slow down your games. For example, if you install a lot of apps, they can automatically load (even when you aren’t using them). These processes are wasting your PC’s memory and are slowing down your processor.

So, if there are apps and programs you don’t use, you can just remove them. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Task Manager: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or go to the search bar and type in Task Manager.

2. Close unnecessary programs: Look for apps using a lot of CPU, memory, or disk and close them if you aren’t using them. You can close them by right-clicking on the app and clicking Disable.

3. Disable startup programs:

●      Go to the Startup tab in Task Manager.

●      Disable anything that doesn’t need to run when your PC starts (like Spotify, Discord, and so on).

5. Adjust Your Power Settings

Windows has power settings that can impact performance. You can optimize your power plan by:

1. Going to the Control Panel > Power Options.
2. Selecting High Performance.

This setting prioritizes performance over energy savings. If you use a laptop, this will drain your battery faster.

6. Use Game Boosting Software

There are programs designed to optimize your PC for gaming by shutting down unnecessary processes and freeing up memory.

Some popular options include:

●      Razer Cortex: It’s free and can boost performance with literally one click.

●      MSI Afterburner: It’s also useful for monitoring performance and overclocking.

●      CCleaner: Cleans up junk files and optimizes your startup programs.

7. Improve Cooling

Heat can cause your hardware to slow down to prevent damage. That’s why it’s important to think about ways to cool your PC down, especially if you use it a lot or for long periods of time.

Tips for better cooling:

●      Add more fans: If your case has room, you can install extra fans for better airflow.

●      Upgrade your CPU cooler: Stock coolers work, but aftermarket coolers like Noctua or Cooler Master are more efficient.

●      Reapply thermal paste: Over time, the thermal paste on your CPU can dry out. Reapplying it can improve your heat transfer.

●      Use a cooling pad: For gaming laptops, a cooling pad can make a big difference.

8. Use an Ethernet Cable for Online Games

Ethernet provides a direct, wired connection to your router, which is faster and more stable than Wi-Fi. It also delivers much lower latency than Wi-Fi, which means quicker response times.

Wi-Fi can be affected by obstacles and other devices. With Ethernet, you don’t have to worry about any interference when you’re gaming. It’s very reliable and consistent.

9. Adjust Your Mouse Settings

Mouse pointers don’t register movements based only on the distance, they also register them based on your speed. Gamers tend to use this knowledge to get more precision.

Adjusting your DPI (dots per inch) lets you control how sensitive your mouse is. Disabling mouse acceleration in your PC settings ensures your movements stay consistent, no matter how fast or slow you move the mouse.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Devices > Mouse.
3. Use the sliders to adjust pointer speed.
4. Click Additional mouse options (on the right) and go to the Pointer Options tab.
5. Uncheck Enhance pointer precision to disable mouse acceleration.

10. Adjust Your Refresh Rate

A higher refresh rate (around 120Hz or 144Hz) makes motion look much smoother compared to the standard 60Hz. This is especially noticeable in games with a lot of quick movements.

Your monitor’s refresh rate could be set by default to around 60Hz, while there are higher refresh rate options available. Here’s how to change it:

1. Open Settings:

Press Windows + I to open the Settings menu.

2. Go to Display settings:

Click on System, then select Display from the left menu.

3. Find Advanced display settings:

Scroll down and click on Advanced display settings (under the “Related settings” section).

4. Choose Your Monitor:

If you have more monitors, select the one you want to adjust.

5. Change the Refresh rate:

Under Refresh rate, click the dropdown menu and select the highest option available.

6. Apply Changes:

Once you’ve selected the option you want, just click Apply.

Ready to Make the Most Out of Your Gaming Experience?

There you have it, guys. These were our tips for today. We hope we helped you learn what you can do to improve the performance of your PG and gaming experience.

If you have tried all of these tips out and nothing seems to work, it might be time to invest in some new hardware after all. In that case, our advice is to look for a used gaming PC on platforms like Locanto. This is a great way to find a PC that is newer and has better performance attributes than your current one for a fraction of the price. Just be sure the seller is reputable and ask questions to check the quality of the PC.

If you decide to go for that option, focus on components like your graphics card (really important for gaming), RAM (around 16GB is ideal for gaming), a good processor, and storage.

We wish you a lot of luck on your next gaming session.