If you want to use your PC for
gaming, you need to get the best performance you can out of it. Initially, this
will mean taking some simple, and free, steps to speed up your current system.
From there you can decide whether there is a necessity to upgrade any
individual components, which can get costly. Follow this article through and you should see some improvements in your
system. If not, a physical upgrade may be required.
Begin with the basics
If you notice your PC is running slower than it did when
you first purchased it, there are probably issues with it that have built up.
Next, consider whether there are any files on your PC which
are slowing it down. Run a scan for malware as viruses can stop you dead in
your tracks, delete any programs you no longer use,
and finally clear out temporary files.
If the speed is still below par, defrag and clean your hard
drive. Alternatively, opt for a larger hard drive if you are out of space. It
might be a good idea to choose a solid state drive as these are much faster for
gaming. They access the data almost immediately and have no moving parts to
slow them down. Finally, if memory is the problem purchase more RAM.
Speeding things up without buying new hardware
Gaming is reliant on the speed of your graphics card but
with new iterations released regularly, it can prove expensive to keep updating
to the newest model. However, the good news is tweaks can be made to your existing hardware to
help it perform better and to make it viable for as long as possible, even as
ever more graphic-hungry game titles are released.
·
Upgrade you graphics drivers: Always ensure you are using the latest
drivers for your graphic card as new ones are released regularly; don’t just
rely on the drivers the card came with or ones which update through Windows. Instead,
go to the manufacturer’s site, probably either NVIDIA or AMD, and check you
have the current version. The latest drivers will help to improve performance
and ensure better game compatibility. You should also remove remnants of any
previous drivers and a Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) will allow you to do
this easily
·
Tweak the driver settings: Once you have the latest drivers installed,
you can tweak the settings to enhance performance further. The ones to consider
changing are texture filtering, tessellation, antialiasing, Vertical Sync and
ambient occlusion. However, it should be
noted that sometimes performance comes at the expense of image quality, so you
will need to weigh up what is more important to you.
·
Disable unnecessary start-ups: To free up as much of your CPU and memory
resources as possible for gaming, it is best to disable unnecessary start-up programs and you can do this through the
Windows inbuilt tool. If you are unsure of the role of any program, always
research it before disabling it, just in case it is vital to your system’s
operation.
·
Adjust in-game settings: Don’t forget to tweak the in-game settings.
Naturally, reducing some of these will affect image quality but this may well
be worth the boost you get in performance.
How to make your GPU run like new
Maybe the graphics card
itself is causing issues and running slow. If that is the problem, there are steps you can take to get it performing like new
again.
Gather the tools you will
need including a screwdriver, thermal paste, canned air, small brush, alcohol
and cotton swabs. Once you have disassembled the card you can carefully clean it
and add a new thin layer of thermal paste. Reinstall with up-to-date drivers
and you are good to go, with any luck with the card running much cooler than it
did previously.
Speed up by overclocking
If you are not satisfied with performance after you have tried
all the options above, the next step is to consider overclocking. It’s possible
to overclock
the processor and even the system memory, but you will get
the biggest boost to gaming through overclocking your graphics card.
A word of warning
When you overclock, several things may happen. It’s best, therefore, to take some steps to combat
them, or at the very least be aware they are possibilities.
By its very definition, overclocking means you are running
the card above its standard operating
conditions. This might mean it will draw additional power or generate higher
than usual temperatures, for which more cooling will be required. Airflow will be
important as you start to overclock so ensure there are sufficient fans in the
case and enough room, with cables tied back neatly, for a good flow of air to
occur. In addition, GPU overclock tools
also allow you to raise the fan speed on the GPU itself to bring down the
temperature.
If you don’t see sufficient returns for the additional heat
and power being drawn, you will have to weigh up whether the process is worth
it, although usually there is some bandwidth to push your card a little harder within the existing limits of heat and power.
It’s necessary to add that overclocking your card could shorten its lifespan
and will probably invalidate your warranty.
Overclocking tools
If you decide the potential gains are worth pursuing, there
are tools available which make overclocking easier. These tools allow you to experiment
with changing power targets and the GPU and memory frequencies to see what
works best for your system. Always take a baseline before you start so you can
get an accurate measure of increased performance.
Speeding up your PC for gaming is a detailed process. If
you are unsure at any stage of the best approach to take, there is a great deal
of helpful advice online. If you tread carefully, you can usually get a great
deal more performance out of your existing hardware, often without having to
spend much money. However, to preserve the longevity of your system, always
consider whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks and find the best
balance between performance and stability.