Sometimes it happens that, when you start a video game on your computer, you realize that something is wrong: the image is not perfectly smooth and there are some annoying slowdowns. This is not the first time this has happened and it also happens when you play online: it is rather annoying for you that the actions of the game are performed with a few seconds of delay.
If you find yourself in a situation similar to the ones I told you about, your difficulties in being able to play optimally are probably due to a software or hardware problem with your computer or one attributable to your Internet connection. In these cases, even if you are not a computer expert, you can try to use some tricks that may help you solve your problem.
Do you want to know how to proceed? First of all, therefore, rest assured and do not worry, with this guide of mine I will help you optimize your PC to play. All you have to do is simply take a few minutes of your free time, taking care to carefully follow all the steps that I will show you. Are you ready to start? Yup? Very well, then sit comfortably, I wish you a good read!
Index:
- General advice
- Manage the Internet connection
- Adjust the antivirus
- Update the video card drivers
- How to optimize your PC to play via software
General advice
If you want to improve the performance of your PC, you must first carry out some procedures that will lead you to change the Windows settings, in order to start with the optimization of a video game.
First, check if the Energy saving on your computer. This feature lowers the computer's performance while consuming less electricity. If this setting is enabled it could cause conflicts and a failure to optimize the execution of a video game.
Then click the button Start in the lower left corner in the Application bar Windows. Then click on the icon of Settings (symbol of a gear) and, in the window that opens, click on the item System.
From the left sidebar click on the entry Suspension power supply and then click on the wording Additional power saving settings. From the window that opens you will need to check the box High performance.
Also, I suggest you check the Windows settings panel to change the items related to your computer's performance.
Then click the icon with the symbol of a magnifying glass (Search), which you find at the bottom left of the Application bar of Windows.
Then type in the term performance and, in the search results, click on the item Change the appearance and performance of Windows. In the window that will appear, activate the box Adjust for best performance. Then click the button Apply to confirm the change.
Another piece of advice I want to give you is to close all unnecessary software during your gaming session. However, keep in mind that some processes can run in the background and this could therefore take up resources for your PC.
What I recommend, therefore, is to open the Task Manager (Activity management) of Windows and view all processes and applications to close those that are not useful. To open this panel, you can use the key combination on your keyboard Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Or Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
Through the tab Processes you will be able to view all the software and applications currently in the background on your computer; then right-click on one of them and choose the item End activity.
I recommend that you only close those processes that you deem actually unnecessary. Be careful: shutting down processes essential to running Windows could harm your PC.
By clicking on the tab instead Start, you will be able to see all the processes that start automatically when Windows is turned on. Then right-click on those applications you want to disable and choose the item Disable.
Another useful tip is to keep your computer hard drive defragmented at all times so that when you play a video game, it can easily and quickly access its files. If you want to know more about this procedure, I suggest you read the guide on how to defragment your PC.
Finally, the last general advice is the one related to installing your games on an SSD. Unlike classic hard drives with magnetic drives, SSDs are much more powerful and allow you to solve many problems related to long loads or more general slowdowns. In this regard, I recommend my guide on the best SSDs so that you can orient yourself in the purchase.
If, on the other hand, you believe that your computer has hardware limitations that prevent the latest generation of video games from running correctly, then I recommend that you upgrade your PC components or buy a gaming computer. In this regard, you can consult my guide where I recommend which PC to buy to play.
Manage the Internet connection
One of the problems that often presents itself to those who play online is that of high ping (latency). When this phenomenon occurs, the triggered factors can be different; among these there may be the use of Wi-Fi or the cause may be the presence of downloads (or uploads) in the background.
In the first case, I do not recommend playing online over Wi-Fi: even if you play near the router, interference factors may intervene and, whenever this happens, latencies may occur that can cause delays in the execution of the actions that do it online.
In this case, I recommend that you use an Ethernet cable and make the connection between your router and your PC.
If you do not have the possibility to connect the PC directly to your router via cable, then you can think of using a Powerline system. In this regard, I recommend my guide, in which I explained how the Powerline works.
A latency issue could also be due to downloads (or uploads) taking place in the background on your computer.
In general, therefore, you can check if there is a process that is currently transferring data over the Internet by opening the panel Resource monitoring.
To reach it, click on the icon with the symbol of a magnifying glass (Search) that you find at the bottom left of the Application bar Windows, and type the term monitoring resources; then click on the corresponding search result to open the panel.
In this window click on the tab Network and, through the tabs you see on the screen, you can view the processes that are currently transferring data.
If you should see a process that is transmitting a huge volume of data, then I recommend that you close it by right clicking on it and selecting the option End process.
Again make sure that the process you are closing is not essential to the proper running of the operating system.
Another thing I recommend you do is to disable the feature Delivery optimization Windows. This function allows you to distribute updates to the operating system and Microsoft software among the various computers on the network.
To disable this feature, click the button Start, which you find at the bottom left, and click on the icon with the symbol of a gear (Settings).
Select by voice Update and security and then click on the item Windows Update, from the left sidebar.
Then scroll down the screen and click on the item Advanced options; then scroll to the next screen and click on the item Delivery optimization. You will then need to move the lever under the item from right to left Allow downloads from other PCs, moving it to Disabled.
If, on the other hand, the Internet connection problems are not attributable to those indicated so far, then it may be that there are disruptions to the server of the video game you are playing. I therefore recommend that you check on the website, forum or support page of the video game if any inefficiencies have been reported.
If not, the problem could be due to your home line. I therefore advise you to contact your telephone operator to check if there are any disruptions on your line.
You can also think about signing up for a fiber contract or choosing an Internet line configuration optimized for gaming. In this regard, I suggest you read my guides on the best fiber offers or the best ADSL offers.
Adjust the antivirus
Sometimes the causes of poor performance of a video game on a computer can be traced back to antivirus. A good antivirus, in fact, in addition to occupying few resources, should have a mode designed to minimize its activity while playing a video game.
In this regard, I recommend some of my guides that could help you find a good antivirus, in case the one you have is not adequate for your needs. So I suggest you read my guide on the best paid antivirus or the one where I recommend some lightweight antivirus.
Update the video card drivers
Have you purchased a next-generation video game that meets the hardware requirements to run correctly, but still having problems? You can think about checking if your video card drivers are up to date.
In this case I recommend that you go to the website of your video card manufacturer (for example AMD or Nvidia) and download the latest drivers. If you are interested in the subject and want to learn more, then I suggest you consult my guide on how to update the video card drivers.
How to optimize your PC to play via software
There are software that, called Game Booster allow you to optimize the execution of a video game on a PC. Installing these on your computer can be an option to consider to solve some of the problems and make some optimizations to play at your best.
In this regard, below I show you a list of software that can do for you:
- Razer cortex (Windows) - This software completely free has the purpose of automatically managing the resources of your computer, taking care to terminate those processes that are not necessary during the execution of a video game. This leads to an increase in available RAM and higher processor resources. This program also has a tool for defragmenting the folders in which your video games are located.
- Wise Game Booster (Windows) - This program is very similar to the one I previously pointed out to you; and in fact it too is distributed for free and performs similar functions. It therefore takes care of closing all those processes and services that are not needed when you play on the computer.
- Game Fire (Windows) - It's software free, but most of its features are available in version a payment. The version participation guarantees a basic performance optimization system, while the a payment has some additional features that allow you to improve PC optimization while playing a video game.
