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4 must-have tools to optimize your PC performance for gaming in 2025
Getting the most performance out of your PC is essential for everyone, especially gamers. There are plenty of tips and tricks to optimize Windows 11 for gaming; but for those not on Windows, or for Windows users who may be looking for a bit more, there are also programs out there that have been specifically designed to help. Optimizing your PC performance for gaming has never been easier and, in a lot of cases, can be done with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Thanks to some of the programs listed below, gone are the days when you had to enter the BIOS to overclock and tune your hardware. Now, it can all be done through apps which not only make it much easier, but can also save you loads of time and hassle. If you have never tried to optimize your performance, there is no better time than now to give it a go.
You won't even need to Alt-Tab out of your game.
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner has been one of the go-to tools for monitoring and overclocking GPUs for as long as I can remember. It works on any GPU, not just an MSI card, and gives you complete control of your GPU while also allowing you to monitor it at the same time. You can even capture your video output so you can share your gaming clips with friends and family. Best of all, it's free and rather easy to use once it's installed.
MSI Afterburner features numerous manual overclocking tools and even has an OC Scanner option which is used for one touch overclocking. Basically, it will automatically find the highest stable overclock settings for your GPU, and apply them. There is an on-screen display that will allow you to monitor your system performance in real time while gaming, and it also has a hardware monitor for use when not in the game. You can change your voltage, set custom fan curves, and otherwise with ease.
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner is one of the best overclocking software with many extra features to monitor your PC's performance.
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NVIDIA App
Those with NVIDIA graphics cards need to be familiar with the new NVIDIA app. This app is essential for PC gamers and creators alike. Not only does it keep your NVIDIA drivers up to date, it will allow you to capture your gameplay and optimize your PC with just a few clicks. You can also monitor and measure your performance so you know if you are getting the most from your GPU.
Game Ready drivers will make sure your GPU is up-to-date with the best settings for the latest and greatest games. Using the GPU Control Center, you can pick and choose which games you want to optimize for better performance, and see what settings have been applied. ShadowPlay allows you to capture video and screenshots of your games. It also offers an instant replay feature, among others, making sure that you never miss recording your most important gameplay.
NVIDIA App
The NVIDIA App will allow users with a NVIDA GPU to keep their drivers up to date and keep their games optimized.
AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
This software is used only for AMD GPUs and has a whole suite of features for customizing your settings and monitoring your hardware. It's not hard to use, but there are so many options that it will take you some time to get your head around things. However, once you do, you will be having the best gaming experience you can, all thanks to a few clicks of your mouse.
AMD's Software: Adrenalin Edition will make use of AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) to increase frame rates and smoothness. It also comes with an Anti-Lag feature that will prioritize the queuing of CPU work ahead of GPU. The Boost feature will adjust your resolution automating during camera rotations to make sure you are getting the highest frame rates possible. If that's not enough, it also features Super Resolution, which is AMD's upscaling answer to NVIDIA's DLSS to help offer better frame rates. There are even more features, such as Chill, Performance Tuning, and FRTC, which are all designed to further improve your gameplay experience.
Is it better than optimizing your PC games' settings manually?
Razer Cortex
This is an amazing all-in-one app for PC gamers. Not only will it help boost your system performance, it will also help you find the best deals on your favorite games and will even allow you to launch the games from within the app itself. If being able to find cheap games and play them with the best settings for your PC on maximum FPS sounds good to you, Razer Cortex is here to help.
The fun doesn't stop there. Razer Cortex also has a dedicated android app for mobile gamers. It also offers everyday PC users some PC optimization options with its System Booster settings, which can automatically detect and delete junk files to free up space. If this isn't enough to entice you, there is also a reward program called Paid To Play which, as it sounds, rewards you with points you can redeem for Razer gear, games, and more by simply playing PC games.
Razer Cortex
It boosts your system performance for higher framerates and faster load times so you can game at your best, helps you find the best gaming deals, and is the central app to launch your favorite games quickly and easily.
Do the programs really work?
Yes, they sure do, and better than ever! It has been a long time coming, but thanks to advancements in tech over the past few years, including AI, these optimization programs are better than ever. One of the cool things about them is that using them to optimize games, can, in some instances, also help optimize the overall performance of your PC as a whole, which is a win-win.
Also, as they are programs, there is no worry about messing things up or causing damage to your PC. In most cases, if something doesn't quite work out, you can just revert that setting back to normal and try again. Worst case, you may have to restart your PC for the setting change to take effect, but it's nowhere near as intimidating as changing BIOS settings. At the end of the day, it should be an easy experience and can be quite fun once you start seeing the results and all the extra performance you have gained.
MSI Afterburner is definitely a solid choice for gamers wanting to squeeze extra performance without diving into complex BIOS settings. Pairing it with lightweight RAM optimizers like Mem Reduct can help reduce memory bloat during long sessions, keeping frame rates stable. It’s those small tweaks that often make the biggest difference in smooth gameplay.
https://memoryreduct.com/mem-reduct-download/