10 Tips to Optimize Your Windows 11 PC for Gaming Performance

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Unleash your PC’s true gaming potential! Windows 11 is good, but notgodlike. This guide unlocks hidden performance tweaks, transforming your rig into a finely tuned gaming machine. Prepare to obliterate lag and experience gaming as the developers intended.

1. Disable Startup Applications

Think startup apps don’t matter to your game’s performance? Think again. While most quietly sip resources, a power-hungry app hogging CPU or RAM can turn your frags into lag. The real question isn’tifthey matter, butwhichresource-guzzling gremlins are currently running on your PC.

If you think they are interfering with gaming performance, disable them. Doing this could make your PC run faster.

PressCtrl+Shift+Escon your keyboard to launch the Task Manager.

Navigate to theStartup appstab. Right-click on the app you want to disable and select theDisableoption.

Disable Riot Client from startup apps

Do this for all the unnecessary applications, and your system will start running faster.

2. Disable Resource-intensive Applications

Before diving into your virtual world, silence the resource hogs. Shutting down unnecessary apps stealing precious memory and CPU power ensures your gaming session runs smoother than a perfectly executed combo.

Want to pinpoint what’s hogging your computer’s resources? Reopen Task Manager and give that CPU or Memory column a click. Boom! Instantly see which processes are the biggest power-suckers.

Right-click the unrequired apps consuming the most and selectEnd Task.

List of processes in Task Manager and ending Skitch process

Repeat these steps to disable all the unnecessary applications running in the background and consuming memory or CPU.

3. Disable Visual Effects

Is your Windows PC feeling sluggish? Those fancy visual effects, while pretty, can be resource hogs. Even Microsoft suggests ditching them for a speed boost. If you prioritize performance over pizzazz, disabling these animations is the answer. Let’s get started:

Type “performance” in Windows Search and openAdjust the appearance and performance of Windows.

SelectAdjust for best performanceoption here to get the best performance while sacrificing special effects.

Disabling Visual Effects in performance settings

Is your interface looking drab? Breathe life back into those icons and fonts! Unleash the full visual arsenal – shadows and enhanced font rendering – without sacrificing speed. The performance hit is barely a whisper.

4. Enable and Use the Ultimate Performance Power Plan

Unleash the Beast: Windows 11’s Hidden Power Mode.

Tired of micro-stutters ruining your gaming or creative flow? Windows 11 has a secret weapon: the Ultimate Performance power plan. This mode throws caution to the wind and puts your PC in maximum overdrive, eliminating even the tiniest power-saving features that might cause annoying hiccups.

Think of it as liquid nitrogen for your processor. While your system likely runs at near-peak performance in High Performance mode, Ultimate Performance guarantees a zero-tolerance policy for power dips. Use it when you absolutely, positively need unwavering performance, like when chasing that perfect, buttery-smooth frame rate. Just remember: with great power comes great power consumption. Enable it only when you need that extra edge.

You’ll have to enable it first before selecting it. Open Command Prompt and run the following command in it:

“` powercfg

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03f14749eb61 “`

Running command in CMD

Unleash your PC’s hidden power! Just punch “power plan” into the Windows search bar and choose “Choose a power plan.” Now, for the grand finale: select the “Ultimate Performance” plan. Don’t see it? No problem! Click “Show additional plans” lurking at the bottom – your performance beast is waiting to be unleashed.

Choosing Ultimate Power Plan

Unleash this power plan with caution! It’s a battery vampire, a fan-revving fiend, and a heat-generating monster when idle. Save it for those epic gaming moments, and keep it locked away the rest of the time.

Unleash your PC’s gaming potential! Don’t let outdated graphics drivers bottleneck your performance. Windows’ default drivers often lag behind the cutting edge.

Level up your game: Ditch outdated drivers! Either hunt down the latest versions yourself, or unleash the power of your GPU manufacturer’s software for automatic updates. Need a guide? We’ve got you covered for both Nvidia and AMD.

6. Activate Game Mode

Level Up Your Game: Unleash Uninterrupted Power with Game Mode! Already a champion in Windows 10, this feature silences distractions and optimizes performance, letting you conquer any virtual world without lag.

Unleash Your Inner Gamer: Windows Game Mode – Does It Really Make a Difference?

Windows Game Mode persists in Windows 11, promising optimized gaming and smoother frame rates. The question remains: does toggling it on actually give you a competitive edge during gameplay? Short answer: Yes, activate it.

Open Windows Settings, navigate toGaming, and selectGame Mode.

Gaming options in Windows 11 settings

Toggle the option to enableGame Mode.

Game mode option in Windows 11 settings

7. Select Dedicated GPU for All Games

Is your gaming laptop’s performance stuck in low gear? Many gaming laptops boast a dynamic duo of GPUs: a battery-sipping integrated one and a powerhouse dedicated card. The problem? That automatic switch to the dedicated GPU for gaming sometimes fumbles, leaving you with less than stellar visuals. Unleash your laptop’s true gaming potential! Force every game to tap into the dedicated GPU’s raw power and kiss those performance hiccups goodbye. Ready to crank up the graphics? Read on to find out how.

Unleash your game’s full potential! Dive into Windows Settings, navigate the System labyrinth to the Display chamber, and unlock Graphics glory. Spot the “Add desktop app” portal, click it, and bestow upon it your game’s sacred executable file. Prepare for optimized performance!

Adding app to manage GPU priority

Now, crank up the graphics! In the newly added game’s settings, switch theGPU preferencetoHigh Performance. Rinse and repeat for all your games, unleashing the power of your dedicated GPU for maximum visual fidelity.

Selecting dedicated GPU for an app in Windows Settings

8. Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling

Unleash your graphics card’s true potential with Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, a Windows innovation that shifts workload management from your CPU to the GPU itself. Imagine offloading mundane tasks, freeing your CPU to focus on what matters, while your GPU takes charge, slashing latency and boosting efficiency. Experience smoother performance and a more responsive system thanks to this powerful behind-the-scenes upgrade.

Unleash smoother gameplay and lightning-fast reactions! Depending on your setup, this boost could supercharge CPU-heavy games, slashing input lag by freeing up your processor from unnecessary scheduling duties.

Unleash your graphics card’s hidden power! Dive into Windows Settings (SystemDisplayGraphics) and flip the switch forHardwareaccelerated GPU schedulingunderAdvanced Graphics settings. Prepare for smoother performance and a visual feast.

HAGS option in Windows 11

9. Exclude Game Folders from Microsoft Defender Scans

Microsoft Defender: Your vigilant protector, but at what cost? Its constant file scrutiny, while ensuring safety, subtly taxes your CPU and introduces frustrating latency. This can manifest as agonizingly slow loading times and those dreaded micro-stutters when your game struggles to load critical assets. Is the trade-off worth it?

Tired of Defender slowing down your game? Give your games a speed boost! Tell Windows Security to leave them alone. Just type “security” into the Windows Search bar and open theWindows Securityapp. No more midgame stuttering!

Want to shield your favorite games from Windows Defender’s watchful eye? It’s easier than you think! Dive intoVirus & threat protection, then tweakManage settings. UnderExclusions, clickAdd or remove exclusions, and finally,Add an exclusion. Now you can handpick those game folders to let them run wild, worryfree!

Adding folder exclusions in Windows Security

10. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Unleash your game! Windows juggles full-screen games, trying to give you both top speed and slick features like overlays. But this balancing act still leaves performance on the table compared to true, uncompromised full-screen mode.

Unleash hidden FPS! Got a solo mission and ditching those pesky overlays? Tame fullscreen hiccups for smoother gameplay. Right-click your game’s .exe, dive into “Properties,” then the “Compatibility” tab. Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations” and watch your performance soar.

Game properties showing compatibility options

Hungry for even more performance? These simple tweaks are just the appetizer. Dive into the advanced techniques, like wielding the Windows Registry for gaming dominance or surgically disabling unnecessary Windows services to unleash your PC’s true speed. Laptop gamers, we haven’t forgotten you – dedicated tweaks await to transform your mobile rig into a gaming powerhouse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Windows 11 Better for gaming than Windows 10?

Windows 11 gives gamers a subtle edge, thanks to a power-up from Xbox: Auto HDR and DirectStorage unleash visuals and faster loading.

Are there any other ways to optimize Windows 11 for gaming?

Beyond the Basics: Unleash the True Gaming Potential of Windows 11.

Unleash your NVIDIA GPU’s hidden power for gaming! Tweak settings and boost performance directly through the NVIDIA Control Panel. Find it with a simple right-click on your desktop, then select “Show more options ->NVIDIA Control Panel” and prepare to dominate the digital battlefield.

How to Enable AutoHDR Functionality on Windows 11?

Unleash a visual feast in your games with Windows 11’s Auto HDR! Breathe life into your favorite titles, painting them with richer, more vibrant colors you never thought possible. It’s like giving your eyes a front-row seat to a dazzling spectacle.

Ready to transform your gaming experience? Auto HDR isn’t switched on by default, but activating it is a breeze:

  1. Navigate to “Settings ->System ->Display” in Windows.
  2. Spot the “HDR” option and give it a click.
  3. First, flip the switch for “Use HDR” at the top of the page.
  4. Scroll down until you see the magical “Auto HDR” toggle and enable it!

Prepare to be amazed as your games burst forth with newfound visual brilliance.

Thanks for reading 10 Tips to Optimize Your Windows 11 PC for Gaming Performance

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