As the world of video games is constantly evolving, over time you may notice a decline in performance and image fluidity as you play the latest chapter of your favorite game. However, there are some simple solutions to boost your computer's performance and improve your gaming experience accordingly. This article is composed of several parts that touch both hardware and software aspects, from deleting old files to updating the internal components of the computer, all in a few simple steps.
Steps
Part 1 of 8: Updating the Graphics Card Drivers
Step 1. Identify the model of the video card installed in your system
Before you can continue, it is essential to be able to identify exactly the type of graphics card in your computer.
Step 2. Press the "Windows" key on your keyboard
This way, you will have direct access to the "Start" menu.
Step 3. Type in the keywords "device manager"
Do not include quotation marks within the search string. The result list may include multiple items.
Step 4. Select the "Device Manager" icon
This will display the system window of the same name.
Step 5. Click the "Display Cards" item
To expand this menu category, click the small arrow icon on the left. This will display the complete list of all graphics cards installed in your computer.
In most systems, there is an Intel video card (integrated into the motherboard) and an NVIDIA. Some computers are equipped with an AMD graphics card rather than NVIDIA. If you need to improve your gaming experience, you will need to always keep your video card drivers up to date
Step 6. Check for a new driver version
Now that you know the make and model of the graphics card installed in your computer, access the manufacturer's website to check for new drivers and download them if necessary.
Part 2 of 8: Uninstall Unused Programs
Step 1. Uninstall old software you no longer use
The more programs installed on your computer, the lower its overall performance will be. By uninstalling all the old applications that you no longer use, you will be able to improve the efficiency of your computer without much effort.
Step 2. Go to your computer's "Control Panel"
At this point, open the section "Uninstall a program". In Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, this setting is reached from different points. If you can't find it in the "Control Panel", do a simple search.
Step 3. Press the "Organize" button, then choose the "Last Used Date" item
In this way, you will be able to sort the list of installed programs to immediately have those that have not been used for a long time at your fingertips.
Step 4. Uninstall any programs you no longer need
Once you have located a program you wish to delete, select it and press the "Uninstall" button. If you don't know the nature of a specific program, search the web before uninstalling it (often, some third-party applications are required to run certain games).
Part 3 of 8: Overclocking the GPU
Step 1. ATTENTION:
Before proceeding, make sure the GPU of the graphics card installed on your computer can support overclocking. Many of these devices have been "locked" by their manufacturers so that users cannot change their operating parameters. If this is the case for you, skip to the next section of the article.
Step 2. Overclocking a GPU means changing the parameters and factory settings in order to increase its speed beyond the limits set by the manufacturer
As you can guess, this is a risky procedure that can cause permanent damage to the hardware, so all necessary precautions should be taken before using this method to boost system performance. It is therefore necessary to determine a reference of the current performance of the graphics card.
Step 3. Download a free diagnostic program with which to benchmark your graphics card
The best known and used by users is Heaven 4.0.
Step 4. Launch Heaven 4.0
This will bring up the settings menu.
Step 5. Set the value of the "Resolution" field to "System"
You may need to change other settings as well, if you have the technical knowledge to do so; however, in case you are working with a budget graphics card, it is best to avoid changing the default configuration.
Step 6. Press the "Run" button
This way, the program will start playing various graphical scenarios designed to test your computer's performance. You may notice artifacts, errors, or inconsistent images, but it doesn't matter - it's completely normal.
Step 7. At the end of the test press the "Benchmark" button
It is located in the upper left corner of the program window. In this way, 26 different scenarios will be used to test the compute capacity of the GPU.
Step 8. Note the benchmark result
When the test is complete, a pop-up will appear indicating the score obtained by the graphics card installed in the computer. Make a note of the number, so you can compare it to what you'll get after overclocking.
Step 9. Download a program that allows you to modify the operating parameters of the GPU
You can do it for free from the web; among the most used options are MSI Afterburner and EVGA PrecisionX.
Step 10. Start the program of your choice
Step 11. Increase the clock frequency by a value between 5 and 10 MHz
Make sure that the "Core Clock" and "Shader Clock" parameters are linked together, so that their values are changed automatically.
Step 12. Press the "Apply" button
You can verify that the new changes are correct by accessing the "GPU-Z" section and verifying that the values coincide with those set.
Step 13. Press the "Save" button
It may be necessary to save the new configuration of the graphics card operating parameters. Do this and give the new profile a name.
Step 14. Repeat the overclocking process
One of two scenarios will occur: the Heaven program will run smoothly and then you can further increase the clock rate by another 5-10 MHz or the graphics card will crash. The latter scenario is manifested by the appearance on the video of graphic artifacts, distorted or incorrectly illuminated areas. This means that overclocking has made the graphics card unstable, so you will need to decrease the clock rate.
At this juncture, it is also very important to keep under control the operating temperatures of the various internal components of the computer. If they increase too much, you run the serious risk of damaging the hardware irreparably
Step 15. Set the new working frequency
After finding the correct value for the new graphics card clock rate, restart your computer. At this point, some overclocking programs will ask you to apply the changes you've made.
Step 16. Start a video game
To actually make sure you have found the correct clock rate, try using a game that puts pressure on the graphics card and evaluates how it behaves with the new configuration.
Part 4 of 8: Disable the "Superfetch" and "Prefetch" functions
Step 1. Access the "Start" menu
Step 2. Type the command "regedit" (without quotes) into the search field
Step 3. Select the correct registry key
It should read as follows: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / SessionManager / Memory Management / PrefetchParameters".
Step 4. Select the items "EnablePrefetcher" and "EnableSuperfetch" with the right mouse button
Step 5. Choose the "Edit" option
A pop-up will appear showing the values currently assumed by the selected item.
Step 6. Change the value of the "Value data" field from "3" to "0"
Step 7. Restart your computer
The Windows "Prefetch" and "Superfetch" functions should no longer be active.
Part 5 of 8: Defrag or Trim the Hard Drive
Step 1. Access the "Start" menu
Choose "Programs" or "All Programs", select the "Accessories" icon, then click on "System Tools".
Step 2. Select the "Disk Defragmenter" application
When you delete files and folders from a computer hard drive, the remaining content is fragmented. This aspect can cause a reduction, even a substantial one, in the overall performance of the computer. By defragmenting your hard drive you can quickly and easily increase its processing speed.
Step 3. Select the hard drive or partition where the Windows operating system is installed
If you are using Windows 8, go straight to the next step.
Step 4. Press the "Defragment disk" button
If your computer uses a solid state hard drive (SSD), don't perform the defragmentation, but go straight to the next step
Step 5. Press the "Optimize" button
This will execute the "TRIM" command.
Step 6. Verify that the "TRIM" function is enabled
To do this, open a "Command Prompt" window and type a simple command.
Step 7. Access the "Start" menu
Type the keyword "cmd" (without quotes) into the search field, then select the "Command Prompt" icon from the list of results with the right mouse button.
Step 8. Choose the "Run as administrator" option
Step 9. Wait for the "Command Prompt" window to appear on the screen
Step 10. Type the command "fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify" (without quotes)
If the "TRIM" function is enabled, the command output will be "DisableDeleteNotify = 0". If you do not receive this reply message, execute the command "fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0" (without quotes). If you still don't receive the indicated response message, you may need to update your computer's firmware.
Step 11. Start a video game to test the result of the changes
If the game experience hasn't improved, try following the instructions in another section of the article.
Part 6 of 8: Changing AMD / ATI Graphics Card Settings
Step 1. Select an empty spot on the desktop with the right mouse button
Choose the item "AMD Catalyst Control Center" from the context menu that appeared.
Step 2. Select the "3D Application Settings" item
It is located in the menu on the left of the control panel. Within this section you can change the graphics settings to optimize the use of video games.
Step 3. Customize the configuration settings
Each user, in relation to the same video game, may need to adopt a specific configuration to better optimize their gaming experience.
Part 7 of 8: Change the NVIDIA Graphics Card Settings
Step 1. Select an empty spot on the desktop with the right mouse button
This method specifically refers to video cards manufactured by NVIDIA.
Step 2. Select the "NVIDIA Control Panel" item from the context menu that appeared
Step 3. Choose the "Manage 3D Settings" option
It is located within the menu on the left of the control panel.
Step 4. Customize the configuration settings
Each user, in relation to the same video game, may need to adopt a specific configuration to better optimize their gaming experience.
Part 8 of 8: Update the Hardware Configuration
Step 1. Replace the SSD storage drive
These devices are also known as 'solid state drives' or 'solid state drives' and are much more efficient than normal mechanical hard drives, as they significantly reduce data loading times, especially in the case of a video game.
Step 2. Search according to your needs
There is a wide range of SSDs, both qualitatively and economically. The goal is to identify the most suitable device for your needs and for the system in which it will be installed.
Step 3. Buy a new computer
If after following all the advice described in the article your gaming experience has not improved, it means that you most likely need to buy a new and updated computer, capable of running the latest generation video games.
Advice
- If you have difficulty running a specific program, try using the system administrator account. Select the application icon with the right mouse button, then choose "Run as administrator" from the context menu that appeared.
- To make sure you can use your computer to its fullest potential, be sure to update the drivers for all hardware peripherals.
- Always check carefully the minimum requirements of the video game you are interested in, so that you can be sure that your computer is capable of running it.
- If you've decided to replace your computer's hardware components with more up-to-date ones, remember that you don't need to do it completely. It starts with upgrading the RAM memory and the graphics card, which are the components most stressed by modern video games. In most cases, there is no need to install a very powerful CPU: a dual core i3 microprocessor or a Pentium may already be sufficient.
- Before purchasing a new microprocessor, make sure the current motherboard installed in the computer has a socket compatible with the new CPU. For example, you cannot install an "LGA1150" socket processor on a motherboard that only supports "LGA1155" CPUs.
Warnings
- Before you download and install any software on your computer, do a thorough search - make sure the programs you want to use are safe, free from viruses, malware, and adware, and come from a trustworthy source.
- While overclocking the GPU can be useful for increasing the number of frames displayed per second, it may cause the graphics card to overheat and increase power consumption. Before doing this, make sure your computer's cooling system and power supply can handle the increased heat and power consumption.
- Remember that overclocking your graphics card will shorten its life. Also, some manufacturers may void the device warranty.
