Gaming on a computer can be a fantastic experience, but nothing is more frustrating than lackluster performance that impacts your gameplay. Whether you play the latest AAA titles or stick to indie games, it’s understandable to want the best possible gaming experience your system can deliver.
After building my own gaming PC and tweaking settings over the years, I’ve discovered many ways to optimize performance for higher framerates (FPS) and smoother gameplay. Here are my top 26 tips to improve gaming performance on your computer:
1. Close Unnecessary Background Programs and Services
Having too many programs and services running in the background can drain system resources that games need to run smoothly.
I make sure to close any apps I’m not using like web browsers, chat clients, video players, etc. ** disabling or exiting background services and startup programs I don’t need can also help**. With more RAM and CPU cycles freed up, games have more available resources resulting in better performance.
2. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated graphics drivers can severely impact gaming performance and cause glitches or stability issues. I make sure to keep my NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers up to date through their respective GeForce Experience and Radeon Software utilities.
Performing regular driver updates ensures I have the latest performance optimizations and bug fixes for smooth, glitch-free gaming.
3. Tweak In-Game Graphics Settings
The graphics settings you choose in-game have a massive impact on gaming performance and FPS. I take the time to tweak each setting to find the optimal balance of visuals and FPS for each game.
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Lowering graphics intensive settings like shadows, shading, reflections, and anti-aliasing can greatly boost FPS.
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Finding the display resolution and FPS cap that matches your system’s capabilities is also key – a lower resolution with a higher FPS cap can mean smoother gameplay.
4. Use Razer Cortex for Gaming Optimization
Razer Cortex is a free gamer-centric optimization program that shuts down unnecessary processes during gameplay for better system resource utilization.
I use Razer Cortex to enjoy boosted frames and lower latency by limiting programs and services before launching games. Its game-specific optimization profiles automatically adjust Windows settings too.
5. Adjust NVIDIA or Radeon Software Settings
The NVIDIA Control Panel and AMD Radeon Settings allow further graphics tweaking for your GPU. I configure these to align with the performance needs of the games I play.
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Setting Power Management Mode to “Prefer Maximum Performance” prevents GPU throttling during gaming.
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Adjusting Antialiasing, Anisotropic Filtering, Texture Filtering Quality, and more can also optimize your gaming visuals and FPS.
6. Overclock Your GPU
If you have a custom gaming PC, overclocking your graphics card through software tools like MSI Afterburner can dramatically boost gaming performance. This pushes your GPU’s clock speeds higher than stock settings for extra FPS.
I overclock conservatively and run stress tests to find the highest stable frequency that doesn’t overheat my graphics card – this nets me sometimes 15%+ higher FPS without stability issues.
7. Enable XMP Memory Profiles
XMP (or AMP) allows RAM to run at advertised higherfrequencies for increased performance. I make sure XMP is enabled in my BIOS so my RAM doesn’t just default to standard 2133MHz or slower.
Higher memory frequencies like 3200MHz+ let my RAM operate at optimal speeds to remove bottlenecks for gaming.
8. Use an SSD for Faster Level Loading
A solid state drive (SSD) offers vastly faster loading versus a hard disk drive thanks to higher read/write speeds.
I installed my games on an SSD instead of an HDD and level load times were cut from 30+ seconds to under 10 seconds in many titles. SSDs greatly accelerate in-game load times for a smoother experience.
9. Free Up Disk Space
If your gaming PC is low on disk space, it can lead to sluggish performance and longer loading times as the system has less room to quickly access, write, and read game data.
I routinely use Disk Cleanup and TreeSize to purge unneeded files and free up space – keeping at least 10-20% of my SSD or HDD free ensures snappy gaming performance.
10. Upgrade to Faster RAM
Upgrading to faster DDR4 RAM from 2133MHz to 3000MHz or beyond can provide a healthy performance uplift in system intensive games. I upgraded from 16GB 2133MHz to 16GB 3200Mhz and saw FPS gains in titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
Faster memory means quicker transfer of assets to your GPU VRAM, translating to higher average and 1% low FPS for a smoother gaming experience.
11. Disable Game DVR Features
Windows 10 and Xbox software include game DVR/recording features that can negatively impact gaming performance. I keep these Game DVR options disabled as they can sap precious system resources in the background during gameplay.
Disabling NVIDIA ShadowPlay or AMD Radeon ReLive overlays/recordings can also maximize game performance if you don’t plan to capture gameplay footage.
12. Update Your Motherboard BIOS
Your system motherboard BIOS provides low-level settings and optimizations that impact gaming. I periodically check for BIOS updates that can apply performance fixes, RAM compatibility updates, and other enhancements for a boost.
Updating motherboard BIOS revisions ensures optimal stability and compatibility for enhanced gaming.
13. Don’t Run Too Many Programs Simultaneously
Alt-tabbing between active programs during gaming puts extra demand on RAM and CPU. This leads to reduced performance, input lag, and stuttering issues in-game.
I make sure to only have my game open during play sessions for the best experience – keeping hardware resources solely focused on my game prevents hitches and lag.
14. Set Windows Power Plan to High Performance
By default Windows utilizes power saving CPU throttling that can hinder gaming performance. Setting my Windows Power Plan to High Performance prevents CPU downclocking for faster speeds during gameplay.
High Performance mode keeps my CPU cranking at full speed so I don’t lose out on critical frames that lower power plans can cause.
15. Close Background Apps on Xbox
Similar to closing unneeded apps on a gaming PC, ensuring no background apps are running on your Xbox console improves performance by reserving more memory and CPU time for games.
Pressing the Xbox button and selecting “Close” on any active apps helps maximize available console resources for higher in-game FPS and faster loading.
16. Prevent Overheating with Proper Cooling
Excessive heat can majorly throttle CPU and GPU performance during gaming. Utilizing quality aftermarket CPU coolers and chassis fans prevents thermal throttling and sustains high speeds.
I installed a beefy air cooler in my PC case and positioned fans to optimize airflow – keeping temperatures low allows my hardware to run full tilt for the best experience.
17. Set In-Game FPS Cap to Monitor’s Refresh Rate
Capping in-game FPS to your monitor’s max refresh rate offers smoother gameplay by syncing framerate output to your display’s capabilities. This prevents wasted GPU cycles above what your monitor can show.
My display runs at 165Hz so I enable 165 FPS caps in competitive online shooters – the locked 1:1 FPS-to-refresh synchronization results in incredibly smooth visuals and response.
18. Use Wired Internet for Lower Latency
Wireless internet leads to higher ping and latency variance versus wired ethernet, resulting in more lag and gameplay interruptions online. I always connect my gaming PC and consoles directly to my router or modem with Cat 5e/Cat 6 cables.
The stable wired connection provides minimal latency and lag-free online gaming experiences like competitive first-person shooters.
19. Close Extra Launchers and Clients
Game launchers and multiplayer clients running concurrently in the background sap system memory. I only keep game clients open that I am currently playing online with.
Exiting Destiny 2 or closing Battle.net while playing Call of Duty: Warzone prevents unwanted memory usage – dedicating RAM solely to the current game maximizes FPS stability.
20. Add More RAM
Upgrading to more system memory from 8GB to 16GB or 16GB to 32GB reduces lag, stuttering, and long load times associated with maxed out RAM. Extra memory headroom ensures buttery smooth gameplay.
I upgraded from 16GB to 32GB of 3200MHz RAM and it removed all memory bottlenecks for vastly improved 1% low FPS and fewer hitches in The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.
21. Upgrade Your CPU
A newer and faster CPU improves performance substantially in processor-intensive games that hammer multiple cores. Upgrading to a modern chip like the Ryzen 5600X from an older quad-core model provided major FPS gains for me in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Picking a flagship gaming CPU or latest generation chip gives you plenty of headroom to crank settings while maintaining high FPS.
22. Add More Storage Space
Adding extra SSD or HDD internal storage or external USB drives expands your game library capacity. With sizable 500GB+ game installs now common, insufficient disk space quickly fills up.
I added a 2TB HDD solely for game installs – this ample storage means I can keep 10+ AAA titles installed at once and quickly swap between them.
23. Clean Out Consoles and PCs
Dust buildup within gaming hardware causes elevated temperatures leading to thermal throttling. I use compressed air to routinely clean out dust from my PC case fans, vents, and components to prevent overheating issues.
Keeping your gaming console and PC interior dust-free ensures optimal cooling and sustained performance during long sessions.
24. Adjust Game Settings Per Level or Mission
Certain in-game missions or areas are more demanding than others, so I tweak settings between play sessions tailored to each part. Lowering quality settings temporarily during exceptionally intensive sections improves FPS.
Customizing configurations based on individual game stages prevents FPS dips or hitching only during certain levels. I can maximize FPS while keeping quality higher in less demanding portions.
25. Restart Your PC Before Playing
Allowing a gaming PC to sleep or run for days can cause performance issues as memory gets bogged down and response times worsen. I make sure to fully reboot my system before playing for a fresh, lag-free experience.
Restarting clears standby memory, caches, and processes to eliminate hitches while demanding AAA games run.
26. Game on an External Console Monitor
Console-oriented monitors optimized for gaming provide faster refresh rates and response times versus everyday TVs for a competitive edge. I hook up my Xbox Series X to a high refresh rate monitor for snappier input response in multiplayer games like Halo Infinite.
The enhanced refresh rates and ultra-low input lag give me vastly smoother controller reaction and an edge in twitch gameplay.
Hopefully these tips help you tweak your gaming setup and optimize performance for higher FPS, faster loading, lower latency, and an overall better experience! Let me know if you have any other advice for getting the most out of your computer or console for gaming.
