Nowadays Windows 10 is the favorite operating system for gamers since it can offer better game performance and faster frame rates, supports native and retro games, has a Game Mode, etc. And the best graphic drivers can run on this system, which is important for games. But this is not that simple. To make games run faster on our PC, we need to know how to optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
In short, there are 8 things we can do, for example, use the Game Mode, clone HDD to SSD for disk update via professional SSD cloning software like MiniTool ShadowMaker, update GPU driver, tweak visual effects for performance, etc. Now, let’s go to see them.
How to Optimize Windows 10 for Gaming
Use Windows 10 Game Mode
The first thing we should consider is enabling the game mode on our PC and it is used to improve the gaming experience by offering more system resources to games. During high-intensity gaming sessions, it can help us to get a bit extra out of the hardware.
To use this mode, follow these steps:
Step 1: Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
Step 2: Go to Gaming > Game Mode and turn on the mode.
Upgrade to an SSD
Upgrading an HDD to SSD can’t drastically improve the game performance, but it is helpful to reduce the loading times. Today games take more and more disk space and upgrading to an SSD can be a time-saver since the loading times can go down from 30-40 seconds to 2-3. This is pretty significant for gaming.
If we have an adequate budget, we can prepare an SSD and then use a professional SSD cloning software – MiniTool ShadowMaker to clone HDD to the SSD. After that, install the SSD to the computer. In this post – How to Install SSD in PC? A Detailed Guide Is Here for You, some details are introduced.
Disable Nagle’s Algorithm
Nagle’s algorithm creates bundles of data packets to improve the efficiency of TCP/IP networks. But this can impact the Internet connection, letting it less stable. Disabling this algorithm can cause latency issues when playing games online.
To optimize PC for gaming in Windows 10, we can disable Nagle’s algorithm.
Step 1: Right-click the Start button to choose Run, input regedit, and click OK.
Step 2: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesTcpipParametersInterfaces and we can see many folders.
Step 3: To access the correct file, match our IP address to the DhcpIPAddress key in one of those folders.
Step 4: After finding the folder, right-click it, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value to create two keys – TcpAckFrequency and TCPNoDelay.
Step 5: Double-click each one and change the value data to 1.
Prevent Steam Auto-Updating Games
Like Windows Update, Steam auto-updates are also the problem. The update feature on Steam can update all the games including those that haven’t been played for a long time. This can affect the PC memory and slow down the gaming processes. So, we can prevent Steam from automatically updating games to make Windows 10 faster.
Step 1: Launch Steam and go to Steam > Settings > Downloads.
Step 2: Uncheck the box of Allow downloads during gameplay.
Adjust Mouse Setting to Improve Gaming Speed
Disabling mouse acceleration is another good method to optimize Windows 10 for gaming. And here is what we should do:
Step 1: Go to Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options.
Step 2: Under the Point Options tab, uncheck Enhance pointer precision and save the change.
Adjust Visual Effects Settings
In Windows 10 GUIs (graphical user interfaces), there are many fancy visual effects that are turned on by default. When running a game, they may cause the available processing power of the computer. Thus, to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, we can tweak visual effects settings.
Step 1: Open Settings, type performance and choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
Step 2: Check Adjust for best performance.
Step 3: Under the Advanced tab, choose Programs.
Step 4: Save the changes.
Use a High-Performance Power Plan
This could be a good solution if we are using a desktop rather than a laptop. This is because power plans can better manage battery use on portable devices. On a desktop, there are no such limitations.
Using a high-performance power plan can keep the CPU frequency high and make the PC run better.
To optimize Windows 10 for gaming, do this:
Step 1: Go to Settings > System.
Step 2: In the Power & sleep page, click Additional power settings.
Step 3: Choose High performance.
Update GPU Driver
For the gaming experience, the GPU is crucial. But we need to keep the driver up-to-date to feel the benefit.
Firstly, we need to know the GPU specification by right-clicking the desktop blank area, choosing Display settings, and clicking Advanced display settings > Display adapter properties. Then, go to the manufacturer’s website, find and download the latest driver for the GPU, then install it on our PC.
Additional Tips to Optimize PC for Gaming Windows 10
- Install DirectX 12
- Disable notifications in Windows 10
- Manage Active Hours
- Use faster DNS servers
- More…
Final Words
These tips are helpful to optimize Windows 10 for gaming. If we find our PC runs slow when playing games, we can try them to make the PC faster.
