How to Optimize Windows for PC Gaming – A Complete Guide!
Many gamers prefer PC gaming over anything else simply because they feel more in control and can get the best performance. However, you still may not be getting the most out of Windows when it comes to gaming.
Whether you’re using the ubiquitous Windows 10 or the new Windows 11, a few tips and hacks can improve the performance of games and make your experience even better.
Game Mode
This is the easiest way to optimize Windows for gaming. You can simply enable the Game Mode, which allows the system settings to automatically configure to improve performance.
These are built-in settings, so you don’t have to do much. Simply type ‘Game mode’ in the search bar and select ‘Game Mode settings.’
Simply turn on the Game Mode option by sliding the selector to On.
Keep in mind this also depends on PC, whether or not it supports Game Mode, so not everyone will benefit from this.
Update GPU Drivers
Perhaps your GPU drivers are not updated, which is why your GPU is not giving its best. If you’re specifically after a higher FPS (frames per second) rate, updating GPU drivers to the latest versions might just help.
You can do this by downloading and installing Windows Updates. Check if updates are even available.
However, a better approach is to check the GPU manufacturer website (NVIDIA GeForce, AMD, and Intel) for your particular GPU model whether it has a new driver available.
Temporarily Disable Windows Updates
While you want Windows Updates to be running regularly, during your gaming session, you may want to disable them. This is because if the updates are downloading while you’re playing a game on PC, the performance can be impacted.
It will especially eat up bandwidth, so if you’re playing online games, you can try this solution.
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Updates.
- Go to Advanced options > Update options
- Disable the option ‘Restart this device as soon as possible when a restart is required to install an update.’
- Now, enable ‘show a notification’
- Click on Pause updates
Change Mouse Settings
On Windows 10 and 11, you can tweak one mouse setting to see better performance and maneuverability; it’s the pointer precision feature.
Here’s how you do it:
- Go to Settings > Devices > Mouse
- Click on Additional mouse settings in Related settings
- Go to the Pointer Options tab
- Uncheck ‘Enhance pointer precision’ and Click Apply and Ok
Disable Notifications
Disabling Windows notifications won’t have much impact on performance as such, but it will make the gaming experience unintrusive. Windows has improved its notification management settings, so you can use them to ensure notifications don’t run while gaming.
You can manage this with Focus Assist.
- Go to System > Focus Assist
- Select Alarms only option
That’s it! You won’t get notifications during the game.
Wrap Up
Your game may also have options to optimize settings and perform better on PC. For example, you could adjust the resolution to ensure the GPU is optimized. However, this depends on the game. There may not be much leeway for this with online games.
