There is nothing like a good video game when it comes to entertainment. But the poor performance that you are getting out of your PC system can ruin the entire gaming experience, despite the latest and best PC games available to date.
With a few simple tricks, you can make sure you have high-performance gaming sessions every time you play. Read on to find out more on how you can get the best out of your gaming sessions.
Regular Cleaning
Electronics can have a surprising amount of dust accumulated inside of them, without even us realising it. For desktops and laptops, dust is not just responsible for the occasional overheating, but it can also be detrimental to the overall performance and reduces the life of your PC components. There is no point in having the latest system configurations if they do not perform to at least half of their capability, is it? Dust and accumulated dirt get in the way of peak performance of both the internal components and the external ones, like your mouse and keyboard.
Regular and thorough cleaning can easily solve this problem for you. It improves the airflow which in turn enhances the cooling and keeps the processor and the GPU running at optimal capacity. If your PC is still under warranty, cleaning its vents externally is the better choice, because most shops do not take kindly upon a user opening their PC system instead of an authorized professional and will consider the warranty voided in such cases.
Compatibility
Make sure the game you are running is appropriate for the hardware you have. It might sound like a no-brainer, but a lot of times, gamers do not pay attention to this. Installing and running games that demand more than available almost always puts your computer at risk.
Even if the game does not lag or create malfunctions, it still does not mean it is completely in sync with your system. It is more important to check the compatibility requirements mentioned during installation against the hardware in your machine.
Hardware Upgrades
While laptops are notorious for a very limited upgrade option, you can do a lot with PCs. RAM plays an important role in the speed – if your system has an additional slot, you can get a new RAM that is higher in capacity and higher frequency to enhance overall performance – as long as your system is rated to handle the supposed upgrade.
Your hard drive is an important component to your gaming equation as well – choosing a Solid-State Drive is better than traditional HDDs, because SSDs are 10 times faster than your traditional HDDs, it lets your apps and games load quicker and with higher efficiency. Laptops running on battery, even if it is fully charged, is not the best way to run high-performance games. Keep your laptop plugged in when running intense games to compensate for the high demand in power.
Software Updates
The drivers for sound, display and graphics have to be regularly updated if you need to stay on top of your game. Outdated drivers may work with older games, but will give you a hard time with newer versions of the game down the road.
Ensure that you set system updates to automatic and still do a timely manual check to confirm everything is on track. Besides this, you should also run updates on your graphic card drivers and controllers.
Another trick, albeit an advanced one, is to squeeze out the best performance from your graphic card by overclocking it. Free overclocking software for all leading GPUs can be downloaded from their manufacturer’s official website.
However, this method is not recommended for newbies who are not well-versed with the process of overclocking, because this leads to excessive heat which has to be efficiently handled by playing with the right configurations and a good cooling mechanism.
Tune-Ups
Besides Windows or Mac OS updates, other software needs to be in tune with the system. For instance, DirectX is a key collaborator in computer graphics – verify that you run the latest version by running the DirectX diagnostic tool from your PC.
Power settings have a big role to play in how your games run. Running high-performance games with the power supply connected to the laptop is advisable, besides setting the battery performance from power saving or normal modes, to the high-performance mode.
Windows Gaming Mode
Windows does a fairly good job at combining many small optimisations into a single functionality called the gaming mode. Switching your machine to it before executing the game file is the best way to go. The way you do this is by going into the Xbox app from settings and turning on the ‘Xbox Game Bar’. Many high-end gaming laptops also have this functionality built-in through a separate app.
Managing Background Apps
Do not forget to turn off all other applications that eats up the RAM and keeping the graphic card busy, whether it is seemingly light applications like the browsers or a video on pause.
A quicker way is through the ‘Programs Manager’ tab. It lists down all the software installed on the system and shows which ones are turned to auto-start when the system boots. You can stop programs from automatically running in the background. For a pre-game check, hit the Task Manager and end the running tasks that you do not really need.
Dealing With Automatic Updates
On the other hand, automatic Windows updates can ruin the experience for gamers. While constant pop-ups and system updates reminders cannot be turned off for good, there is a better workaround by pausing the update at a later time.
Internet Service
Gone are the days of just a stable internet connection for the occasional browsing. Operating systems and game manufacturers provide timely bug fixes and patches to deal with the evolving needs of gamers. For the system to stay updated, you need a high-performance broadband connection that never lets you down. This would regulate software upgrades and enhance gameplay.
For games that run with online servers, the significance of top-notch internet is paramount. There is nothing worse than being at the mercy of choppy internet connection when you are in the middle of a great gaming session.
Nodeone, the licensed NBN provider in Perth, is the leader in high-speed broadband that has your back, no matter what. Enjoy power-packed gaming and stay connected to the world with our flexible internet plans that never let you down!
