How to optimize Windows 10 for gaming?

Effective and simple ways to get that boost in performance

Gaming on a PC has not always been well received, but it is now beyond obvious that this mode of gaming is here to stay. Windows operating system is the most popular platform by far for gaming on a computer. Mac users, when not suffering from poor graphics processing power, still have to deal with a limited selection of games designed to run on OS X, and the story is not much different for users running Linux.
Windows 10 is an excellent operating system for games, but as we all know, it is generally far from flawless. It is, after all, the latest iteration of Windows, and Microsoft somehow managed to bundle it with many useful programs and features. This comes at a price though; regular and forced updates, crashes, and loss of speed and fluidity overtime are some of the burdens we have to get used to while trying to enjoy our gaming experience.

Whether you are a beginner who is just learning the ropes and coming to terms with PC gaming or an advanced user, this guide would prove almost invaluable to you in optimizing your PC’s gaming performance on windows 10. While reading, if you notice you have completed any of the recommended steps or performed the exact or similar tweak, you can skip it and move on to the next one:

1. 1. Delete useless programs or software: There are many programs on your computer that came preinstalled. There are others you downloaded yourself, but never use and do not intend to use make use of anytime soon. You have to show these programs the door for obvious reasons. This results in the freeing up valuable space and systems resources used by applications that are of no use to you while you lose nothing. Click on the start menu, locate and click on settings, select apps, choose the unwanted program and click on uninstall.
   2. Disable automatic updates: Windows 10 automatically finds, installs the latest updates and will schedule a restart without your permission by default. Microsoft does claim this setting is recommended as default to keep you safe, but automatic updates can become an overwhelming burden or requirement. This is because they actually do slow down your computer connectivity when they are being downloaded in the background. If you do not want internet connection faltering while you are playing or streaming that awesome game, then you need to take charge of your system. First, you must ensure you are using the updated or latest versions of all required programs. Once this task is accomplished, you can now disable automatic updates.
      To do this, follow these simple steps:
      Right-click on This PC, go to Manage, select Service, select Windows Update, and choose Disable, select Apply and Ok.
   3. Update all drivers: Drivers are integral software that enable proper communication between your operating system and computer hardware. Drivers are key to every operation starting from the use of your speakers and display to even the basic functionality of your keyboard. Even your PC speaker might become much louder and clearer if a more suitable driver can be found and installed on your PC. This is how powerful the effect of drivers can be.
      Old drivers generally have the effect of slowing down your PC when compared to updated versions. During gaming in these modern times, much emphasis is placed on the proper functioning of your graphics-processing unit (GPU) than any other part of your PC. AMD or NVidia usually manufacture graphic cards for most PCs. some games even require certain GPU specifications before they can be run at all.

Open Control Panel, and select Device Manager to find out which drivers are functioning improperly or missing from your computer.
If you have a lot of time and do not mind getting things done yourself, you can find and update every single piece of driver software on your computer. Updating your drivers manually can be painstaking and frustrating even for advanced users with significant technical expertise. This is why we recommend the automatic installation of drivers through a proven software designed to do just that.

Sit back and let Auslogics Driver Updater perform this demanding task with maximum efficiency.

• Choose the high-performance power plan: Battery life is one of the last things users care about when gaming. Therefore, it makes no sense if your current power plan is designed to limit your PC performances while gaming. Open Control Panel, go to System and Security, select Power options and change whatever is selected there currently to High Performance.
  This option was created to allow your PC hardware and other relevant software perform at their maximum level at the expense of more power being consumed and increase in temperature (heat). I expect you to know already that peak PC performance comes with its own downsides, but if you are a hardcore gamer or a promising one, then you probably should not actually care about this.
• Turn off unnecessary visual effects: Windows 8 or 8.1 already had an impressive graphic interface, which was obvious during general use, but Windows 10 took it up to a different level entirely with visuals and effects easier or far more pleasing on the eye. The downside to this is the consumption of important processing power and precious system resources. We do not recommend that you to switch off these effects but doing away with some of them would do you considerable good.

To do this, launch Control Panel, go to the System and locate Advanced System Settings. Navigate to the Advanced tab and select settings. Locate Performance Settings, and then proceed to select Visual Effects. Choose Adjust for Best Performance and click on apply.

• Download DirectX 12: DirectX has come a long way before arriving at its current iteration, DirectX 12. DirectX 12 enables developers to easily build games equipped with superior graphics, games that run faster or smoother and possess a lot of stability.
  It is composed of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) designed to handle tasks involving 2D or 3D graphics, and to play video and audio.
  To find out if you have the latest DirectX version, Click on Start and run “dxdiag” without the quotes, and click on DirectX version. If after performing this action, you realize your system is still running an outdated or old version of DirectX, simply check for updates. The latest version of DirectX should automatically be installed after you do this. Regardless, here are the full details on how to go about it.
• Defrag your hard drive (if you use one): A fragmented hard disk has the burden of doing unnecessary hard work that slows it down. You will have to defrag it to end this issue. Windows used to come with an application to do this, but it was pretty limited and ineffective when compared to third-party software. We advise that you use this trusted application to defrag your hard disk. It is the number one recommended software by experts for performing the defragmentation of hard drives, and it is 100 percent free.
• Reduce start up programs: A good number of applications are configured to start up automatically at boot and use up precious system resources at the expense of your PC general performance. These programs usually run in the background without your knowledge. Hence, they open up very fast when you click on their icons.
  It is necessary to ensure that only your integral applications use this feature and unnecessary software that take advantage of it is disabled.
  Open the Task Manager application, click on Start Up and view the programs involved with this feature. Any unnecessary or rarely used software should be removed from the list of Startup programs.
• Use game mode: Game mode is a relatively new feature that was added to Windows 10 creator update. Previous Windows 10 versions, unfortunately, did not come with this update. It was designed by Microsoft to specifically aid the gaming performance of your PC regardless of its brand, specifications, model or age. It works preventing other programs from appropriating your system processor and GPU cycles, while simultaneously redirecting your main system resources towards the game app.
  To activate Game Mode, click on the Start icon, open Settings, select Gaming, click on Game Mode and toggle it on.
• Improve your system general performance: Life is incredibly frustrating when you are using a slow PC. Playing games on such a system is even much worse fate. All steps above work towards achieving a common goal: boost in your PC’s performance. We, however, understand that not everyone is willing to dig in and manually make these changes. Others might attempt these fixes but fail ultimately, while there are those who would like to but technical expertise is simply not their forte. If you belong to any of the aforementioned categories of people or simply desire the best for your system, you certainly should use Auslogics BoostSpeed to improve your system performance. It is an awesome program crafted to carry out almost every fix or optimization tweak listed here and even more. Do not give up on your system until you have used this application.

If the extremely unlikely event of everything failing occurs…

… then a hardware upgrade is the only probable solution to your problems. This would set you back a bit financially, but it is nothing compared to purchasing a new system. By hardware upgrade, we mean increasing the RAM size, hard drive space or upgrading to a solid-state drive or even buying a much more powerful processor for your PC. It is doubtful that you are prepared to do this considering the fact you ended up on this page to solve a software-related issue. This is exactly why we hope that this guide would be comprehensive enough to solve most of your problems, if not all of them.

Happy gaming!