How to optimize Windows 10 for gaming & performance in 2020

Losing a multiplayer match because your computer
suddenly froze for 50 milliseconds can be bitter. The good news is that you can prevent this
mishap in the vast majority of cases. In this post we focus on the software-related
problems and solutions that are most common for modern gamers. These seven tips will help you minimize performance-related
defeats. But before we start, please, subscribe.

1. Optimize your internet connection Make sure your Internet has stable speed and
latency (signal delay). Open your Web browser and navigate to a comprehensive
speed testing service such as speedtest.net or dslreports.com. Make sure that Internet speed is adequate
(most games will do fine with 10 Mbit/s, but video streaming the whole thing requires 50–100
Mbit/s) and a really small delay (aka ping). Modern fiber optic channels typically get
you a 5–50 ms ping, which is fine for most games. A delay in hundreds of millisecond might be
a real obstacle to winning a battle royale. Fixing this issue might involve experimenting
with your router’s Wi-Fi settings, moving it closer to your gaming computer, switching
to a wired connection between computer and router (keep in mind that pro players use
wired connections only) or even changing your Internet provider.

2. Optimize your game’s video settings If your game is too resource-hungry and your
graphics card cannot provide enough processing power, the gaming experience could be frustrating. Setting a lower detail level or reducing resolution
in the game settings can help a lot. Focus on reducing eye candy while maintaining
things such as viewing distance that help you win. Switch on an FPS indicator if it’s supported
by the game settings, and fine-tune settings until you can consistently squeeze 30–60
frames per second out of your system. More is better (and gives you some room for
graphics enhancements); less is usually considered unplayable for dynamic games such as shooters.

For online gaming more than 60 FPS is highly
recommended. 3. Optimize your power settings This one is critical for laptops but relevant
for other computers too. Make sure you’re playing on AC power and
have the best performance mode enabled. The easiest way to adjust that is to click
the battery icon in the task bar and move the slider to the far right, where the “Best
performance” setting is located. 4. Turn off unnecessary applications Any apps that compete for resources with the
game can introduce that dreaded lag. It may help to close all browser windows,
unneeded chat apps, and everything else that is not system-level and not related to the
game you’re playing. This small trick alone can solve the issue
with lags. To get an idea of what apps consume the most
memory and processing power, use Windows’ Task Manager app. If you click the “More details” button
in the lower part of its window, it will flood you with details on all processes running. Sort this table by the “Memory” and “CPU”
columns and consider closing the hungriest processes.

You may also find some additional offenders,
like a messenger client you didn’t even realize was running in the background, or
some other unobtrusive app. 5. Set up antivirus properly Many gamers think an antivirus or Internet
security solution is the app worth stopping. Some go as far as uninstalling it permanently. In reality, this approach is outdated and
unhelpful. In fact, it can even make your games run slower! Consider two things: First, if you turn off
a third-party antivirus utility in Windows 10, Windows Defender may automatically spring
into action, depending on OS version and settings. Second, not all antiviruses are created equal. Some security solutions have a dedicated gaming
mode that minimizes their impact on PC performance, but Windows Defender doesn’t provide such
a luxury. Keep in mind that you probably have one more
“bonus” antivirus that you’re not aware of. It’s hidden inside … Google Chrome! That AV also has very limited settings, and
nothing particularly useful for gamers. That’s another reason to close browser windows
when you’re trying to optimize your computer speed. That said, the right approach to the AV question
is to install one of a few security solutions that have both a proven minimal impact on
speed and a dedicated gaming mode to reduce lag and disable any pop-ups, additional scans,
and so forth.

We will demonstrate with Kaspersky Internet
Security and Kaspersky Security Cloud, which have consistently received top marks for performance
and efficiency for quite a few years already. Make sure that any scheduled scans or updates
are set for times when you’re not gaming. Double-check that gaming mode is set to turn
on automatically whenever a full-screen app is running. This option is switched on by default, and
it ensures your computer won't disturb you during the game. 6. Set up Windows Update properly Certain Windows 10 subsystems’ background
operations can be the cause of sudden delays. Most notably, when Windows Update is downloading
and installing something, it hits performance substantially. That’s why it helps to set the update schedule
for times when you’re not gaming: Open Windows 10 settings, navigate to Windows Update, and
click “Change active hours.” 7.

Clean up your computer As time goes by, almost every computer shows
some speed degradation. The major reason for this slowdown is the
accumulation of junk files and apps. To help your computer run faster, you should
clean out temporary files, archive or delete unneeded documents, and uninstall the games
you don’t play anymore. Many dedicated apps do this maintenance for
you, and Kaspersky Total Security and Kaspersky Security Cloud also perform cleanup functions. With all of the steps above taken, your computer
should be a failure-proof gaming rig — and winning the game becomes a matter of tactics,
training, and teamwork..

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