If you want a better gaming experience in your PC, the first thing you probably think to do
is upgrade your graphics card. And if you can't do that, easing up on the in-game settings
can at least get you more frames per second without spending any extra money.
But did you know there are actually several settings in Windows that can make a significant difference?
Let's get started by talking about the most straightforward of these settings, Game Mode.
This was introduced in Windows 10 and Microsoft has kept it around in Windows 11.
Game Mode suppresses distracting notifications so you won't get interrupted
during your very important game. But it also prevents certain background processes
like Windows Update from hogging system resources,
which can result in a smoother frame rate. It's typically a good idea to have this turned on,
which you can confirm by opening up the settings app and going here.
But in terms of performance benefits, don't expect anything earth-shattering.
This aspect of Game Mode is really only helpful if you have a lower-end system
where background tasks tie up a high proportion of your memory and CPU cycles.
Or if you're one of those folks who just leaves tons of things open
before firing up a game. Would it kill you to just clean up a little bit?
Another group of settings to tweak are the Windows Visual Effects,
which you can access by going here in the settings app, clicking Advanced System Settings,
then opening up the performance settings. You'll see a big list of visual effects
that make Windows look prettier. But if you're rocking a very low-end system,
such as one running on integrated graphics, try selecting the Adjust for Best Performance option,
which will disable all this eye candy and free up more of your system's power
for actually rendering games. But let's say you're fortunate enough
to have a mid-to-upper range PC.
There are some settings to change that could help you out too.
Have you ever wondered what that Enhanced Point or Precision box in the mouse settings actually does?
It's been there since the days of Windows XP and it's actually a mouse accelerator.
So when you move the mouse quickly, the cursor will travel farther than it would otherwise.
Although some folks like this feature for navigating around a high-res desktop,
it can cause some weird behavior in games where you use a mouse.
So turn this feature off if you never seem to be pointed the right way
while you're gaming. Practicing my 360 no-scopes, they never hit.
Moving on, if you've got an HDR monitor, give Windows Auto HDR a shot.
Although lots of modern games have HDR support built in,
there are plenty of older but still popular games that do not.
Auto HDR uses an algorithm to enhance bright
and dark areas of the picture in games that don't have HDR support.
And although the quality can vary wildly depending on which game you're playing
and how good your monitor is, we've seen it deliver impressive results
in certain titles. You can try it out by simply going here.
Finally, here's a trick that requires a bit of tinkering in the registry.
Ever hear of Nagel's algorithm?
It's okay. Even many seasoned computer enthusiasts haven't,
but it's not that hard to understand. It's a tool that combines small packets of data
into larger ones with the goal of reducing congestion on the network
by sending fewer packets overall, basically like public transit, but with less P smell.
But in multiplayer games, this can be a bad thing as waiting for the system to combine these packets
introduces extra latency, which can manifest as lag when playing online.
Windows enables Nagel's algorithm by default,
but you can turn it off by firing up the registry editor,
looking up this key, creating these two new values
and setting the both to one. Restart your computer and you'll be all set.
We're all out of time, but let your fellow gamers know down in the comment section
about other Windows tricks that have helped you out in your games,
like maybe deleting system 32.
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