Gaming can be very demanding of your PC resources. In this guide we will talk about how you can improve the performance of your current setup. If you still aren’t seeing the results you want, you may need to look at upgrading individual components.
In the off-chance that you perform minimal maintenance on your PC, you may find there are some straightforward issues which are affecting its speed. These can be easily fixed. This basic checklist of ways to speed up your computer is a good place to start.
Overheating
One factor that can have a detrimental impact on speed is if your system is overheating. Therefore, the first step is to check whether your PC case is in need of a good cleaning. If dust has accumulated inside the case, this can provide a clear flow of air for the system. System fans need to work harder when your system is dusty, and ultimately the temperature of your components will rise. As the temperature rise, the CPU and GPU will slow down to compensatem and the frame rate of your games will drop. A quick vacuum or blast of compressed air inside the case should quickly sort things out. Just be careful to avoid static, which can damage components.
Malware
Do you have anti-virus software installed on your PC that checks for potential malware? If not, install this as soon as possible and run regular scans to protect you from viruses which can slow you down or even have a much more detrimental effect on your system. Alternatively, you can be careful about which sites you visit and what you download to avoid having to install any anti-virus.
Unnecessary Files
Do you have any programs on your PC that you never use? Then delete these to free up space and help your computer to run faster. Also, delete any temporary files as these too can slow you down. This is easily achieved by downloading CCleaner or similar software.
Check Your Hard Drive
If your hard drive is the problem, and you haven't upgraded to an SSD, then the first step is to defragment the drive to help it run efficiently. When space is the issue, you might need to upgrade or delete files on your system. Upgrading to an SSD is perhaps the best thing you can do for your system, so consider it if you haven't already.
Memory Matters
The issue might simply be that your system doesn’t have enough memory to keep things running smoothly. If this is the case, you will need to purchase more RAM. 8GB is the recommended standard in this day and age, preferably in DDR3 or DDR4.
Updated Drivers
Your graphics card manufacturer will regularly release new drivers for your card, so head to their website and download and install the latest version. These updates help to increase the performance of your card and improve compatibility with the latest game releases. To get the best out of the new driver don’t just stop there. It’s also important to remove any previous drivers to avoid possibly file conflicts.
Get Familiar With Your Driver Settings
You driver settings help to strike a balance between image quality of the game and its speed. You can tweak them in the software to get the balance right depending on your individual preference. Texture filtering, anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, tessellation and vertical sync can all have a big impact on how a game looks and plays. As well as your driver settings, you can also adjust the in-game settings to improve performance further.
Focus on Gaming
To make sure as many system resources as possible are available for gaming it’s a good idea to disable any unnecessary start-up programs. Windows has an built-in tool for this but if there are any programs you are unsure of, always research them before you decide whether to disable them, as they may be necessary for the smooth running of your PC.
Is Overclocking Right For You?
You can also see significant improvements in the speed of games by overclocking your graphics card and/or CPU. However, overclocking comes with some risks, so you need to be prepared to accept these before you start. Most significantly overclocking can reduce the life of your graphics card and usually any overclocking will invalidate your warranty. Overclocking will also draw more power and increase the temperature of the component because you are running the card above its usual operating conditions.
During overclocking adequate cooling is important to ensure sufficient airflow through components. Tie back cables to allow air to flow through unimpeded and you may need to add more fans or use a GPU overclock tool to increase the fan speed on the graphics card itself to keep things cool.
There are other overclocking tools available, and these can help to achieve better results. They allow you to change power targets and the memory and GPU frequencies to see what gives you the most gains. Before you start the process, always take a baseline reading, so you know what has the most beneficial effect.
At every stage of the overclocking process, it’s important to weigh up whether the gains you make are worth the payoff in terms of additional heat being generated or extra power being consumed. If there isn’t much in it, speed or image-quality wise, it might not be worth the extra strain on your system.
That said, there are people who have made significant gains in the speed of their systems for gaming through overclocking and there is usually a little extra capacity built into a graphics card for those who know how to utilize it in a safe manner. There is plenty of advice available online (i.e. YouTube, Overclock.net forums) so research the possibilities and then tread carefully.
That's it for this overview on speeding up your gaming PC. Do you have any tips that we might have missed? Or maybe you have a question? If so, leave a comment below
Disclaimer: This is a community guest editorial.
