It is inevitable that, at one point, your system will experience a slowdown. However, not everyone has the budget to replace an old PC unit with a new system as quickly as possible. The good news is there are specific tweaks to improve its performance. Here are tips and tweaks on how to improve the speed and performance of your gaming PC:
- Uninstall unnecessary software or programs.
- Unable any start-up programs you don’t need.
- Add more RAM to your gaming PC.
- Scan your PC system for viruses or malware.
- Use the system Disc Cleanup and consider defragmentation.
- Upgrade your HDD to SSD.
1 – Uninstall unnecessary software or programs.
Buying a pre-built gaming PC comes with preloaded applications which many people don’t actually use. Most of these programs actually eat up the majority of your system resources. You can identify these programs when you see a pop-up notification prompting you to update the program you have never used before.
Remove these programs and free up disk space by uninstalling them. Go to your Settings, then choose Programs and Features. It will show a list of all your apps and identify which apps you have recently used and take up most of your system memory. Identify which apps you are not using and delete them from your system. Freeing up some of your disk space will help improve the performance of your gaming PC.
But before uninstalling any programs, make sure that you double-check their function. Uninstall only the programs that won’t affect your PC performance or the necessary software required for running your system.
2 – Unable any start-up programs you don’t need.
Having too many programs running on your start-up can reduce the speed and performance of your gaming PC. So you need to identify which applications run when your PC boots up. Running the Task Manager will help you determine which programs you want to run in the background and which you want to start independently. You can disable any programs you don’t need to run at a start-up.
To disable any programs that run on start-up, you can follow these steps:
- 1 – Run Task Manager by pressing CTRL+Shift+Escape buttons.
- 2 – Check the list of all the applications currently running on your system.
- 3 – Identify which programs use too much of your system resources running in the background.
- 4 – Choose any background programs you don’t need to run at a start-up. Right-click each of these applications and disable their auto start-up.
3 – Add more RAM to your gaming PC.
Increasing the RAM modules of your gaming PC is one of the best ways to speed up its performance. While some users are satisfied with a unit running at 16GB RAM, you might want to add more to further speed up your system performance.
Most high-end gaming PCs run at their best on 24GB and 32GB RAM. This will also enable you to run other background programs while playing your favorite video game. You will need this if you plan to stream your video games online.
4 – Scan your system for any viruses, malware, or spyware.
If you notice your gaming PC suddenly slows down, it might be possible that it caught malware or virus online. Good thing, though, that the new Windows Defender makes it easier for users to find any malware that may be causing significant issues on your system. You can also choose to install third-party programs that can effectively remove any spyware or viruses on your PC.
It is ideal to find a program that is efficient and removes malware or software but doesn’t take too much disk space on your PC. IT experts suggest installing two types of software to protect your system. The first software is to clean up malware in your system to remove any lagging issues or pop-ups you don’t want. Then the other software is an antivirus program to serve as another layer of protection if any virus can affect your system.
5 – Use the system Disc Cleanup.
Another tip is to use Disk Cleanup, which identifies applications and files you are no longer using and suggests deleting them from your PC. This frees up drive space for other programs or video games you plan to install.
To use Disk Cleanup, follow these steps:
- 1 – Click the Start button in the Taskbar, and search Disk Cleanup.
- 2 – Start a quick scan which will show you the temporary files, installer applications, and web pages you are no longer using.
- 3 – If you agree, it will automatically delete these files and programs to clear up some space in your disk drive.
Remember that the performance of the Disk Cleanup relies on how much RAM you have installed on your PC. This is why it is better to add more RAM to your device, as it will enable you to run your system faster.
6 – Upgrade your HDD to SSD.
Older PC units usually use an HDD for their system, but newer units now have a pre-installed SSD to store their programs and files. While HDD may secure your files better in the long run, SSD is the better choice if you want to improve the performance of your gaming PC. They can process programs faster than HDD and require little space in your unit, which can help improve the airflow inside your PC unit.
Install a 1TB SSD for your gaming PC, then you can prefer to add an HDD to act as a secondary storage drive. Install your operating system in your SSD and all the necessary programs and software you need to run your PC. You can then use the HDD to store files, photos, documents, and programs you don’t usually run.