Self guide to improve your PC’s gaming performance

Gaming can be very demanding on the resources of your PC and therefore you need to get the most out of your system. Follow these steps to improve the performance of your current setup and then if you still aren't seeing the results you want, you may need to look at upgrading individual components.

One factor that can have a detrimental impact on speed is if you find your system overheating. The first step is to check whether the case needs cleaning. If dust has accumulated inside, it can prevent airflow, and ultimately the temperature of your processor will rise. CPU will slow down and the frame rate of your games will drop. A quick vacuum or a blast of compressed air inside quickly sort things out.

Apart from the usual heating issues, other factors could also pull down the performance.

Malware: Install an antivirus and run regular scans to protect your PC from viruses which can slow down or even have a much more detrimental effect on your system. Make sure you choose a good one and not some cheap AV that would add additional load to your operating system.

Unnecessary files: Delete unwanted software to free up space. Also, delete any temporary files as these too can slow you down.

Storage: Your hard drive could also add to the problem - defragment the drive to help it run efficiently. Check for bad sectors that could create havoc to your data in addition to slowing your PC to a crawl. If space is the issue, you might need to upgrade the storage. An SSD will improve speed considerably.

RAM: Probably your system doesn't have enough memory to keep things running smoothly. Purchase more RAM or upgrade to a suitable speed and capacity. Check the manufacturer's website to know details of RAM required for your rig.

Graphics: If you suspect your graphics card is sluggish, give it a little attention — keep the drivers updated. The manufacturer regularly releases new drivers and you should download and install the latest versions to improve performance and compatibility with latest games. Make sure you remove old drivers before installing new ones.

Driver settings: This help to strike a balance between game image quality and performance. You can therefore tweak to get a right balance depending on your preference. Texture filtering, antialiasing, ambient occlusion, tessellation and vertical sync can all have a big impact on how a game looks and performs. Adjust the in-game settings for additional performance.

Focus on gaming: Make sure your games get maximum resources from your system. It's a good idea to disable any unnecessary start-up programs. Windows has an inbuilt tool for this but always research before you disable any, as they could be important for your OS.

Overclocking: This can improve game performance. However, it comes with higher risks, as it can reduce the life of your graphics card and kill the warranty. Overclocking will also draw more power and increase GPU temperature more than its usual operating conditions.

Cooling will be important and ensuring sufficient airflow through your PC case is vital. Tie back any loose cables to allow air to flow. You may need to add more fans or use a GPU overclock tool to increase the fan speeds

At every stage of the overclocking process, it's important to weigh up whether the gains you make are worth the payoff in terms of additional heat being generated or extra power being consumed.

However, there are people who have made significant gains in the speed of their systems for gaming and there is usually a little extra capacity built into a graphics card for those who know how to utilise it in the 'right way'.

There is plenty of advice available online so research the possibilities and then tread carefully. If you are successful, it's a great way to get better performance out of your PC for no financial outlay.