Whether you’re playing Skyrim or Titanfall, or if you’re waiting for the release of GTA V for PC, you’ll want to make the most of your computer’s power. First though, you need to prepare it for the beating it’ll get from playing these resource heavy games.
Luckily, you don’t need to be a programming genius to do it. You only need a few programs that, almost automatically, will do all the dirty work for you. From updating drivers to stopping other computer activity while you play, check out these 7 apps that’ll help improve the performance of your PC when gaming.
The gamer’s control center
Game Assistant
Game Assistant is the control tower for your video games. It’s interface collects the games installed on your computer so that you can access them quicker. The IObit program also frees up RAM and controls the temperature of your CPU, GPU and motherboard, to avoid the risk of overheating and possibly even damaging the hardware.
Razer Game Booster
Devoted to maximize the performance of your PC while you play, Razer Game Booster closes all the programs you don’t need while you’re playing so that you use all resources on the videogame.
In addition, it includes a game launcher, a tool for downloading drivers and defragmenting the hard disk, a service for saving games in the cloud, and a built-in feature to make videos and take screenshots.
Updated drivers
GeForce Experience
Ge Force Experience is an essential tool for gamers with a Nvidia graphics card. While the main function of the program is to update the drivers for your video card, it also includes a very useful function to get the best performance from your PC for every game installed. In addition, it shows the computer’s configuration and has an integrated tool for screencasting your game.
AMD Gaming Evolved Client
If you have an AMD video card, the best program for you is AMD Gaming Evolved Client. Similar to GeForce Experience, it helps you keep the drivers updated and optimize your games based on your hardware configuration. In addition, it lets you connect with other players in-game.
Download AMD Gaming Evolved Client
Optimization tools
PC Decrapifier
This little program is ideal to get rid of all those useless programs pre-installed by the manufacturer of your computer, both to delete the ones you don’t want or the ones you don’t use. No installation is required, and it helps you make your PC faster and more powerful, especially while you play.
Auslogics Disk Defrag
There are many utilities to defragment your hard disk, starting from the one offered by Windows, to the ones included in Razor Game Booster. A disk that’s in order improves the performance of your computer, which is why you should opt for one of the best and fastest, such as Auslogics Disk Defrag.
Download Auslogics Disk Defrag
Screencast your combo
Fraps
Game Assistant and Razor Game Booster include tools to screencast your game. But if you don’t want to install them or if you prefer to use independent software, try Fraps. It allows you to take screenshots, record video, and shows the graphics performance of your computer in real time.
If the hardware is not enough, try with software
Every experienced gamer should have at least three or four of these programs installed on their computer, and if you’ve already played games with high requirements, you probably already have one installed.
All (or almost all) of them, however, can make your computer much more efficient or improve performance when you’re about to start playing, or if you’ve been sitting in front of the screen for six hours. And, if you don’t have a latest generation PC, they can help to at least partially compensate for the limitations of your hardware.
If you want to stream your games live, then check out one of our App of the Week entries, Twitch.