Anyone who has a gaming computer knows how frustrating it is to see your machine fall behind. So it is very important to know how to improve PC performance for gaming. Below you will find several tips to optimize your machine and improve its performance when playing games. All tips are equally applied in Windows 10 and Windows 7 and, in case of difference between the two systems, both cases are pointed out.
Optimize your Startup
In the Start Menu search bar, type "msconfig" and hit Enter. In the new window, select the "Startup" tab (if it's Windows 10) or "System Startup" (if it's Windows 7) and then "Advanced Options":
In the next window, in the "Number of processors" tab, select the maximum number that appears and then click "Ok":
Back in the previous window, select the "Services" tab (Windowws 10) or "Program Startup" (Windows 7). In this window, uncheck all programs that you don't use to ease your system's startup. In the case of Windows 10, you can check the box "Hide all Microsoft services" to prevent you from disabling essential programs. Then select "Ok":
Increase system performance
On your desktop or in Windows Explorer (key Windows + E), find the "This Computer" (Windows 10) or "My Computer" Windows 7 menu, right-click, and then choose "Properties".
In the next window, on the "Advanced" tab, click on "Settings" in the "Performance" section:
In the next window, check the option "Adjust for better performance" and then select "Ok".
This will cause your system to give up a certain image quality for better performance.
Do a general system cleanup
As you use your PC, different files are stored in different folders. Often these files are forgotten and remain on your computer long after you have already deleted the program, and this gradually slows down your machine. Here are some tips on how to resolve this:
Delete the contents of the "Windows/Temp" and "Local/Temp" directories
In the Start Menu "Run" tool, type "temp" and hit Enter to quickly get to the " "Windows / Temp". You can erase the entire contents of it (not the entire folder) to get rid of temporary files your computer stores. Then repeat the process by typing "% Temp%" in the "Run" tool and erase the entire contents of the directory "AppData/Local/Temp".
If any file cannot be deleted at the moment, it will be deleted when you shut down or restart your computer.
clean the disk
From the "This Computer" (Windows 10) or "My Computer" (Windows 7) menu, right-click your disk drive (usually C: drive) and go to "Properties". On your next screen, select "Disk Cleanup":
In the next window you can choose what types of files to delete from your system. After selecting them, click "OK" to clean:
Defrag or disk
Again, right click on Drive C and access its properties. This time, go to the "Tools" tab and look for the disk defrag option. The image below shows the function in Windows 10 (left) and Windows 7 (right):
After selecting the buttons above, click on "Optimize" (Windows 10) or "Defragment" (Windows 7) and wait for the process to finish.
Disable full screen optimization
Locate the directory where Valorant was installed (by default it should be Drive C:>Riot Games>Valorant), and access the "live" folder. Then type ".exe" in the search bar. You should find these results:
In the first two, right-click and select "Properties". In the next window, go to the "Compatibility" menu and check the "Disable full-screen optimizations" box:
After checking the box above, select "Ok" to save the changes. Don't forget to do this in both executables.
For those who don't know, full screen optimization is a Windows function aimed precisely at improving the performance of programs and games running in full screen. However, it is already proven that the functionality does not fulfill its purpose and actually hurts the FPS rate of games.
Increase CPU priority for your game
With your game open, minimize it and open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and access the "Details" tab:
In the list of running processes, look for your game's executable (accompanied by .exe). Right click on it, select the "Set Priority" menu and then increase it to "High" or "Above Normal". Note that this process is not saved by the PC, so you will have to do this every time the game is opened.
Increase power plan performance
In the Start Menu search bar, type "Choose a power plan" and in the next window select "Maximum Performance":
If the maximum performance option does not appear for you, type "cmd" in the Start Menu search bar, right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator":
In the Command Prompt, copy and paste the following code:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
If you did it right, you will get the following message: "Power Scheme GUID: ee64ee27-468a-4a62-ba0d-74606d1b6a6c (Maximum Performance)". In this case, restart your computer and return to the power plan menu mentioned above. The Maximum Performance option will be unlocked.
Close unused applications
When you go to play, the machine's focus needs to be fully on the game. When this doesn't happen, it's normal for the experience to stall. So don't forget to disable those Windows startup apps. They consume a lot of RAM right away!
This can be easily done using Task Manager if you have Windows 8 and up. From 7 onwards we recommend that you use msconfig.exe. There you can disable the automatic launch of all applications.
Invest in an SSD
An HD is slowly becoming an outdated technology. Although most PCs have 1 TB or even 2 TB hard drives, space is not worth it as the computer speeds down. That's why they invented the SSD. SSD processes data much faster.
The negative points of it is that it is still more expensive than the HD and usually has much less space. However, if the idea is to have high performance on a gaming PC, you won't run away from it. There are those who prefer hybrid models, with HD and SSD, but the ideal is to have a machine only with SSD.
Remove unwanted software
Every PC comes with apps you'll never use. You may not think so, but they will hinder the performance of your games. Remember what we talked about above? RAM memory ends up being consumed quickly by these software.
The ideal solution is to uninstall them all. Enter the list of apps and see what they are
Learn to manage your graphics card
The graphics card, of course, is a fundamental part of a good performance on your PC. It's not enough to have the best GeForce or the best AMD if you don't know how to manage all the card's features. In addition, it is extremely important that you update your drivers to the latest versions, getting the most power.
If you have an Nvidia, download GeForce Experience. If you have an AMD card, go with the AMD Catalyst Center. Check the companies website for the best settings and updates you can do.
Update your games manually
This is a problem especially for those who play using Steam. Steam has a function where its games are updated with patches whenever there is something new in this regard. Auto-update is nice, but it consumes RAM and can slow down your PC when you're in the middle of an online game.
So go to Steam's "Settings" and under "Dowloads" simply remove the option to make downloads while playing.
Get two powerful graphics cards
The most common is for people to upgrade their video card to a more powerful one. Pay a lot more, but in compensation the visual performance of the games is spectacular. A more affordable alternative, even so you don't get rid of your old card, is to have two from the same company.
For this, your PC needs to have a PCI Express x16 slot on the motherboard. So you can add an extra graphics card, either from Nvidia or AMD.
Increase RAM memory
When your computer gets really slow, you can be sure it has to do with RAM memory. She is responsible for keeping your computer performing, whether it's high or low. A Windows operating system, for example, can consume up to 2 GB of this memory.
What happens when there is an overload is that data starts streaming to the hard drive. If it's SSD it's bad, if it's an HD, then it's even worse. In these cases, it's worth adding sticks of RAM to balance things out.
The minimum recommended for those who want to play on PC is 8 GB of RAM. But most high-end gaming PCs are 16GB and even 32GB. It is a high investment, we know, but it is compensated by the performance.
For Windows 10 only: Disable Game Mode and Game Bar
In the Start Menu search bar, type "Game Mode" and select "Game Mode Settings" (pictured above) and disable Game Mode. This is a Windows 10 tool that starts in the background whenever you run a game. Despite having interesting features such as live streaming and clip recording, Game Mode requires more from your PC and does not bring any performance benefit to games.
Continuing, on the same screen, in the side menu, select "Game Bar" and then disable it as well. You will not use the tool unless you want to record your gameplay:
See also:
- FPS Meter: Ways to see the frames per second of your games
- How to know my video card or graphics chip in Windows 10, 8 and 7!!
