So you just finished installing that game in your PC you had been wanting to play for so long. You rub your hands together and fire it up, expecting something awesome, expect the game responds too slowly, or simply freezes. You were sure your PC had more than enough clout to run it smoothly, but for some reason, it does the exact opposite, making you winder, “why is my computer so slow?”
This is obviously not how a computer game is supposed to work, which means something is seriously wrong. Following are some speed optimization tips to help you move past this, and to ensure that the next game you buy does not give you the same kind of problem.
Check the Hardware
Check again and make sure your PC satisfies the minimum hardware requirements listed by the game manufacturer. The three main parts to check are the RAM, the processor, and the video card. The first and last can be upgraded, but if your processor falls short, you would have to change the motherboard, or give up on trying to play the PC version of this particular game. Based on the motherboard you have, there is a limit to how far you can upgrade the RAM and processor. A superior video card, meanwhile, could require you to get a new power supply unit, and maybe expanded CPU space.
- 4 Gigabytes of RAM is sufficient for most new games, and if you have 8 GB or more, you are definitely better off in terms of gaming options. For the latter though, you would need a 64-bit system to go along.
- With video cards, faster is better; if the one you have is not of the dedicated type, or is exceptionally old, you will want to upgrade. You do not need something top-shelf, so check out deals in your area and compromise on specs if it lets you keep it affordable.
- If you are considering a processor upgrade, prefer a multiple-core one that guarantees there will be no bottleneck.
Check the Drivers
Your video cards can only function well as long as you have the proper drivers installed in your PC. Nvidia and AMD are two popular manufacturers who release periodic driver updates. If you see one available for your card, download and install it. These typically improve the performance of specific models, making games even faster and smoother. You may even see performance boosts outside the games you play. Ensure the network adapter and sound drivers are updated, and check if any firmware updates have come out for the motherboard or hard drives.
Check the Hard Drives
Your hard drive slowing down can cause the games installed on the PC to get sluggish. This can be exasperating, especially when all your friends are waiting on your to join a multiplayer game, or your game lags during crucial moments. This is basically because the contents cannot be loaded quickly enough from the hard drive. Do the following.
- Ensure the hard drives are connected properly to the PC.
- Ensure they are making use of the right transfer mode.
- Regularly defragment them.
- Ensure they carry enough free space.
If the drive you use is of the Solid State type, you may want to optimize it using the dedicated tool in Windows. If this component proves to be where the bottleneck s happening, see if you can get a faster SSD meant primarily for gaming. Those do cost a pretty penny, but your gaming experience would soar in comparison.
In-Game Optimization
Most games carry tweaking options that you can access from a sub-menu. You can play around with the settings to see which combination gets you the best gaming performance. These settings include graphic features, shadow details, texture, resolution, and sound quality.
- If the game lags when you have the resolution set at absolute highest, dial that down and see if that solves the problem
- Reduce graphic quality for good measure. You may not enjoy the same level of detail and overall prettiness, but the lag would now be considerably less, if not altogether absent.
Kill any Background Applications
Keeping your browser open while playing a game poses few problems, unless your rig is running low on RAM, in which case every other application has the potential to slow your game down at the wrong moments. Having additional RAM available is much better for satisfactory gaming.
Check if any RAM-intensive programs are open in the background; if you find any, close them for the time being, after saving any needed data of course.
Install Game Updates and Patches
It may be that the game has an issue which is causing it to freeze or hang. Plenty of game makers release patches and updates so gamers can move past these hitches and derive the best gaming experience. Make sure that your game is patched with the latest updates.
The above tips should help you speed up gaming performance on your PC. If you still have a problem after trying them out, get in touch with our computer tech support team, and we will resolve the issue for you.
