How To Optimize Windows 10 Laptop For Gaming

Windows 10 Specific Gaming Settings

Windows 10 comes with several features that completely focuses on gaming. By default, most of these tweaks like other Windows 10 settings are optimized for balanced power. Now there are a bunch of settings to tweak, but dont worry though, because Ill take you through every setting, and make sure they are providing 100% performance while gaming.

Run Virus And Malware Scans

Malware, spyware, and viruses are infamous for running in the background and slowing down your system. If you go on the Internet, there is a probability that you picked up some adware tracking along the way. Running a virus and malware scan on your computer will not only clean up that junk so it does not run in the background, but it will also remove anything that could be damaging to you or your computer.

A Use The Included Game Mode In Windows 10

Microsoft recognizes the demand for game optimization in Windows 10, which is why the Game Mode exists. You can easily turn it on following our quick guide.

Keep in mind that Game Mode is far from perfect. We recommend using it in conjunction with our other tips shown in our article to ensure your system is most optimized for gaming.

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How Can I Improve Graphics On My Laptop

You can optimize the graphics on your laptop by adjusting the necessary graphics settings such as texture details and resolution.

But if you notice some stuttering and performance issues after changing the graphics settings, Im afraid you are limited as to what your laptop can offer. If you want to maintain stable frame rates, you may want to consider keeping low to medium graphics settings.

I hope that you have found this article useful and are now able to optimize your laptop for gaming easily.

Whilst discussing laptops and graphics here are reviews of the top gaming laptops under $1200 that you may find useful if you are considering a new gaming device.

Configure Graphics Card Settings

As for how to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, in addition to keeping the graphics driver update to date, you can also configure graphics card settings for best gaming performance. If you are using AMD graphics card, see How to Configure AMD Settings to Optimize Gaming Experience. If you are using NVIDIA graphics card, follow these steps.

Step 1: Right click your Windows 10s desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel from the menu.

Step 2: After NVIDIA Control Panel opens, expand 3D Settings and select Adjust image settings with preview on the left side. On the right side, select Use the advanced 3D image settings and click Apply.

Step 3: Select Manage 3D settings on the left side. On the right side, under the Global Settings tab, click Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration and set it to Single display performance mode. Click Power management mode and set it to Prefer maximum performance. Click Texture filtering Quality and set it to High performance. After the changes, click Apply.

Step 4: Select Set PhysX Configuration on the left side. On the right side, choose GeForce GT 730 from the drop-down menu under Select a PhysX processor, and then click Apply.

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Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

Your graphics card is the centerpiece of your gaming experience, but you cant unleash its true performance without the right graphics driver. Updating your graphics card driver can be a huge FPS booster. Take a look at this recent chart from GPU manufacturer Nvidia, which shows how gaming performance improves with updated drivers.

Updating to the latest driver boosted performance by up to 23%. Source: Nvidia

Heres how to update the drivers for the Nvidia GeForce, ATI Radeon, and Intel HD graphics cards:

A 2021 driver update lowered the latency for games such as Overwatch. Source: Nvidia

Regardless of which GPU you have, updating your driver can give you an immediate FPS boost and optimize Windows 10 for gaming. AVG Driver Updater automatically updates all your computers drivers for consistently optimized performance. When you dont need to worry about updating your drivers, youre free to focus on more important things like actually playing, and dominating, your games.

Wait, how do I even know what graphics card I own?

To find out the manufacturer and exact serial number of your graphics card, all you need to do is follow these steps:

Turn Off Accessibility Key Combinations

There is nothing more frustrating than opening warning windows when you are playing your favorite video game. While Sticky Keys can be helpful for accessibility, they can also cause a lot of frustration while gaming. We recommend that you disable accessibility key combinations while gaming.

Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Keyboard . Move over to the right pane. Make sure the toggles for these settings are turned off: Use Sticky Keys, Use Toggle Keys, and Use filter keys. Scroll down to the bottom, and uncheck these options:

When you turn on Sticky Keys or Toggle Keys, or Filter Keys from your keyboard, display a warning message.

Make a sound while turning the Sticky Keys, Toggle Keys, or Filter Keys on and off your keyboard.

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A Clear Your Computer And Registry Using Ccleaner

CCleaner is an application used for many different things. Its able to clean your computer from temporary junk files, browser data, and even helps you with keeping your Registry keys organized.

Heres how to download and use CCleaner for PC optimization.

Adjust The Visual Effects:

While playing games on Windows 10, its GUI continues running in the background, taking up extra computing power. Here are steps that can increase the visual effects of Windows 10, considering that issue.

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C Disable Mouse Acceleration For Better Aim

By default, a feature called mouse acceleration is enabled on every Windows 10 computer. This feature aims to speed your mouse up, however, it can seriously mess with your aiming in video games. To turn it off, follow the steps below.

Reduce Visual Effects Settings

The graphical user interface can also be one of the issues that reduce the speed as well as affect your gameplay. By default, your Windows 10 operating system installation is set to impressive mode.

Games that are not pre-installed in Windows 10 may run into conflicts with the GUI, which is already set up on the PC. Your PC optimal gaming performance as well as the usage will significantly improve if you pay attention to this setting.

To reduce visual effect, press Windows key + I and enter the performance at first. Then select Adjust Windows appearance and performance, choose Adjust for best performance, Apply and click OK. It sounds easy, right?

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Disable Steam Auto Updates

Steam is the default configuration for automatical updating. It updates the game whenever it has a network connection. This technique helps a lot, and users get updates in the background. While users play games or perform their tasks.

But, some essential updates can take you off the playing field and into the waiting line. This wait eliminates the gaming experience. And also disables automatic renewal, forcing you to think.

But, not all updates can disable with a single button. There are no such options. You can disable updates that remove you from the middle of the game.

Now, you better go. This optimization will allow you to experience the best and hiccup-free gaming.

What Is A Low Fps And What Causes It

Low FPS, or frames per second, is when your game slows down because your computer doesnt have enough power or memory to run it properly. Common causes of low FPS are a weak graphics card, old graphics drivers, an outdated CPU, or insufficient RAM.

Like movies, games are displayed on your monitor in a rapid-fire series of frames. The number of frames shown on your monitor each second is known as your frame rate and is measured in FPS frames per second.

Most games run between 30 and 60 FPS. At rates like these, things will look pretty smooth . For competitive gameplay and a super-smooth experience, most gaming monitors and new gaming laptops operate at speeds of 144 to 360 Hz, which allow for extremely smooth gameplay and lower latency.

If your computer isnt powerful enough to keep generating all these frames, the frame rate will fall. This results in the game looking and feeling as though it were running in slow motion.

Viewed as a console gaming vs. PC gaming issue, boosting FPS is a win for the PC gamers you cant modify a console once its in your hands. The FPS booster tips in this article are all about showing you how to increase FPS and speed up your computer for gaming.

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Top Tips For How To Optimize Windows 10 For Gaming

Tip #1 Change Windows 10 Automatic Updates

The easiest and simplest way to optimize Windows 10 is by altering how Windows searches for updates and downloads them. This is useful for several reasons. Firstly, youll find that your gaming performance wont be interrupted by lagging because your internets bandwidth will be used up by the download of Windows updates.

They can be large files. You dont want them taking up bandwidth. You also dont want to ruin your gaming experience if your computer decides to restart so it can finish the Windows update.

To do this, you just need to press the Windows key, then select Settings from the list of programs. Once Settings has opened, you should see a choice for Windows Update on the list. Simply click on Windows Update, then scroll down to Advanced Options. Click on it.

Then turn off the automatic restart setting. You also can pause Windows Update for up to 35 days, so you wont have any issues for a while, and can play game after game without ever having your bandwidth strained by a Windows 10 update.

Tip #2 Change Your DNS Settings

The second way you can optimize Windows 10 for gaming is by altering your DNS settings. This is ideal for any online gamer, as it will reduce issues related to network traffic.

Youll want to press the Windows key, then select Settings from the list of programs.

You should see your WiFi networks name on the new list. Right-click on it. And then you want to click on Properties.

Tips And Tricks To Increase Pc Performance On Windows 10

Although Windows 10 is a fast system , at some point, the performance will start degrading as a result of many factors, including compatibility issues and bugs, viruses or other types of malware, hardware problems, and more.

If you notice that your device is getting slower, it does not necessarily mean you have to replace it immediately. A few simple software and hardware tweaks can significantly speed up the Windows 10 experience.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through 20 ways you can try to speed up, optimize, and improve the performance of your computer whether it has an older or modern hardware configuration.

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Does Ram Speed Affect Gaming

For example, 8GB DDR4-2400 RAM is running at a frequency of 2400MHz. Frequencies of RAM typically range from 800MHz in older DDR2 modules up to 4200MHz in DDR4. This is why though higher frequency RAM is technically faster, that additional speed often does not translate into better actual real world performance.

Max Power Plan To Improve Windows 10 Gaming Performance

Power options are often ignored due to their supposedly negligible effect. Some gamers claim adjusting for higher performance works, while others fail to notice any difference changing their PC power settings.

The only way to know for sure is to test it out on your PC. To change your power settings:

This option will allow your PC to perform better at the cost of higher energy consumption and temperature levels. For this reason, it’s better to activate this Windows 10 optimization on the desktop rather than laptop PCs.

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Turn Off Game Dvr Background Recording

Windows 10s Game DVR feature can slow your gaming performance by automatically recording video in the background. If you dont care about recording your gameplay, disable Game DVR for better gaming performance.

Step 1: Similarly, open Settings and then choose Gaming.

Step 2: Select Game DVR on the left side. On the right side, make sure the toggle button under Record in the background while Im playing a game is in the Off position.

C Disable Some Of Your Startup Applications

Startup applications have a tendency to slow down your computer and make the booting process take much longer than it should. Sometimes, applications automatically allow themselves to launch upon boot, which makes it so they keep running on your device until you manually exit them.

This can be very taxing for your CPU, which in turn causes lag on your system and in-game. Prevent this from happening by disabling startup applications, described in the guide below.

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Use Onedrive Files On

Some users may not want to stop OneDrive from syncing doing so defeats its purpose of making sure you have the latest files on whatever device you use. And it would also mean you wont be able to use OneDrive as a way to safely back up files.

But theres a way to get the best of both worlds: You can keep syncing to an absolute minimum and only do it when absolutely necessary. Youll speed up performance, and still get the best of what OneDrive has to offer.

To do this, you use Windows OneDrive Files on-Demand feature. With it, you can choose to keep only certain files on your PC, but still have access to all your other OneDrive files in the cloud. When you want to use one of those online files, you open it directly from the cloud. With fewer files on your PC sync, you should see a performance boost.

Right-click the OneDrive icon on the right side of the Taskbar and select Settings, then click the Settings tab on the dialog box that appears. Check the box next to Files On-Demand. Now click the OneDrive icon and select Open Folder. OneDrive appears in a File Explorer window. Right-click a folder whose files you want stored only in the cloud, but not on your PC, then select Free up space. Files from that folder will be removed from your disk, but still kept in OneDrive in the cloud.

Microsoft

Use this dialog box to turn on OneDrive Files on-Demand

Note that OneDrive Files on-Demand is available only on Windows Version 1709 and higher.