WEBVTT

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If you want a better gaming experience in your PC, the first thing you probably think to do

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is upgrade your graphics card. And if you can't do that, easing up on the in-game settings

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can at least get you more frames per second without spending any extra money.

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But did you know there are actually several settings in Windows that can make a significant difference?

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Let's get started by talking about the most straightforward of these settings, Game Mode.

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This was introduced in Windows 10 and Microsoft has kept it around in Windows 11.

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Game Mode suppresses distracting notifications so you won't get interrupted

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during your very important game. But it also prevents certain background processes

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like Windows Update from hogging system resources,

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which can result in a smoother frame rate. It's typically a good idea to have this turned on,

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which you can confirm by opening up the settings app and going here.

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But in terms of performance benefits, don't expect anything earth-shattering.

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This aspect of Game Mode is really only helpful if you have a lower-end system

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where background tasks tie up a high proportion of your memory and CPU cycles.

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Or if you're one of those folks who just leaves tons of things open

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before firing up a game. Would it kill you to just clean up a little bit?

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Another group of settings to tweak are the Windows Visual Effects,

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which you can access by going here in the settings app, clicking Advanced System Settings,

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then opening up the performance settings. You'll see a big list of visual effects

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that make Windows look prettier. But if you're rocking a very low-end system,

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such as one running on integrated graphics, try selecting the Adjust for Best Performance option,

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which will disable all this eye candy and free up more of your system's power

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for actually rendering games. But let's say you're fortunate enough

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to have a mid-to-upper range PC.

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There are some settings to change that could help you out too.

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Have you ever wondered what that Enhanced Point or Precision box in the mouse settings actually does?

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It's been there since the days of Windows XP and it's actually a mouse accelerator.

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So when you move the mouse quickly, the cursor will travel farther than it would otherwise.

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Although some folks like this feature for navigating around a high-res desktop,

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it can cause some weird behavior in games where you use a mouse.

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So turn this feature off if you never seem to be pointed the right way

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while you're gaming. Practicing my 360 no-scopes, they never hit.

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Moving on, if you've got an HDR monitor, give Windows Auto HDR a shot.

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Although lots of modern games have HDR support built in,

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there are plenty of older but still popular games that do not.

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Auto HDR uses an algorithm to enhance bright

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and dark areas of the picture in games that don't have HDR support.

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And although the quality can vary wildly depending on which game you're playing

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and how good your monitor is, we've seen it deliver impressive results

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in certain titles. You can try it out by simply going here.

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Finally, here's a trick that requires a bit of tinkering in the registry.

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Ever hear of Nagel's algorithm?

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It's okay. Even many seasoned computer enthusiasts haven't,

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but it's not that hard to understand. It's a tool that combines small packets of data

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into larger ones with the goal of reducing congestion on the network

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by sending fewer packets overall, basically like public transit, but with less P smell.

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But in multiplayer games, this can be a bad thing as waiting for the system to combine these packets

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introduces extra latency, which can manifest as lag when playing online.

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Windows enables Nagel's algorithm by default,

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but you can turn it off by firing up the registry editor,

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looking up this key, creating these two new values

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and setting the both to one. Restart your computer and you'll be all set.

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We're all out of time, but let your fellow gamers know down in the comment section

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about other Windows tricks that have helped you out in your games,

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like maybe deleting system 32.

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Hey, thanks for watching the video, guys. Like it if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it,

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