Generally, the nuanced world of computer gaming separates the hardcore gamers from the herd’s more casual. That’s partly because it requires far more upkeep and hands-on involvement to make sure the games play properly.
If you haven’t toiled over your machine’s optimization to make it run faster, you lack a certain badge of honor. Your gaming performance is probably suffering – so read on to discover how to make your machine faster and game harder.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
First, figure out what graphics processing unit your computer presently has. To find out what model you are rocking with, find the Device Manager setting, accessed from the Control Panel.
Next, a GPU is only as good as the driver running it – and running updates on the software matters. Download the most recent driver for yours – a general rule is downloading the “beta” version is the best bet.
Some nerds also recommend overclocking your GPU – in other words, running it at a faster speed than was designed. Whereas a decade ago, this would’ve been fatal, a 10-15% overclock is standard in the modern computer gaming playbook.
Still, it’s important to be well informed before you go messing around with the settings to avoid overheating. It’s not just your processing units that are at risk; it’s your beloved machine itself!
If you have a desktop – or a rare laptop with desktop functionality – you can upgrade the GPU. Keep in mind, though, that there’s always a newer and better GPU coming out, and it costs to keep up.
Hard Drive
Another component that determines your computer’s performance is its hard disk, aka its hard drive. If you know a thing or two about optimizing this baby, your gaming will improve exponentially.
A simple thing you can do is clear up the drive space, which will allow other programs to run smoothly. Do this by uninstalling programs you don’t use, and keep in mind that every program you install slows you down.
Moreover, often idle programs are running in the background, and you can disable these programs without uninstalling them. It depends on what kind of software your computer uses, but usually, you find Run Programs and disable them.
Finally, upgrading from a hard disk to a solid-state drive (SSD) will reduce the load time it takes when gaming. That’s because SSD’s are faster than the traditional hard disk unit that comes preinstalled, and thank goodness for that.
Get one with at least 250 GB, but more dedicated gamers will want closer to the 500 GB mark. Remember, folks, an average game’s installation will take up, on average, at least 10 GB, and that adds up quickly.
Final Thoughts
There’s a bunch you can do to optimize your computer to run at its best and render graphics most beautifully. The two main places to start are the GPU and hard drive; once you’ve optimized these, you’ll game stronger faster.
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