Chicago
Track Your Order
0
How to make your GPU perform better
Graphics cards are among the most expensive components in your computer, so it can be daunting to have to buy a new one. Luckily, you can improve your current graphics card to make it last a little longer and perform better in newer games.
There are several ways to improve the performance of your graphics card, but before you start opening components, changing settings within your computer's BIOS, or overclocking anything, try these simple methods first.
5 useless settings I always disable in games
Here's a collection of in-game options and settings that I always turn off to avoid degrading my visual experience.Is your computer bottlenecking?
Bottlenecking is the first thing to consider when you want to improve your GPU's performance. A bottleneck occurs when one of the components on your computer is slower than the rest. For instance, your graphics card may be underperforming because your processor is slow, or you might not have enough RAM for your graphics card to run smoothly.
A bottleneck can be hard to pinpoint, but before you consider buying any components for your computer, you should list your current components and look for any hardware holding the system back.
Cleaning and maintenance
Over time, your computer will accumulate dust, and if you don't clean the fans and vents regularly, this will block airflow to the computer, causing it to overheat and perform worse. It is recommended to clean your computer every three to six months, depending on how often you use it, but even cleaning your computer once a year can help boost your GPU's performance and increase the longevity of your card and other components.
On the reverse, if you find yourself cleaning your computer very frequently or you notice your PC is overheating often, then your case does not have enough ventilation. You’ll need more fans to direct the airflow and more air vents. A PC that consistently overheats will crash your operating system and can permanently damage cables and components, so make sure you clean it often.
Applying new thermal paste to your PC
If your computer is dust-free and has good air ventilation, but your PC is still overheating, then it might be time to replace the thermal paste in your CPU and GPU. For your components to perform optimally, thermal paste should be reapplied every six months or once a year for a normal user. The two main components you'll need to reapply thermal paste to are your CPU and GPU.
Your CPU is relatively easy to do. Just power off your PC, unscrew your heatsink, remove your CPU from the CPU socket, clean off the old thermal paste, and apply new thermal paste, then reattach your CPU. Replacing thermal paste on your GPU is slightly riskier, but it is still very easy to do. Take your GPU out of the PC, unscrew your graphics card case (this will void your GPU's warranty), and remove the heatsink. Wipe away the old thermal paste and apply the new thermal paste.
In-game settings and resolution
Sometimes, it's not your graphics card; sometimes, it's the game. Every game you play will be different and have different graphical requirements, but you can change your resolution and in-game settings to allow the game to play smoothly with little change in the overall quality.
Lowering your in-game graphics settings or tweaking very specific settings within the game can be one of the easiest methods to make your graphics card last longer. In many games, the visual differences between low and ultra settings are night and day, but the difference between high and ultra settings may be harder to spot. It can unnecessarily push your hardware for very little graphical effect.
Other less important in-game settings like Vsync, motion blur, film grain, and chromatic aberration all take a toll on your system's performance. Turning off these settings in game can help improve fps and reduce lag in games.
Another setting that may cause your GPU to slow down is the resolution you are using in-game. A game that runs on high/ultra settings at 1080p may need to be lowered to medium/low settings when played in 4K. A general rule of thumb is that every time you double your resolution, you should halve your graphics settings.
You can also boost your GPU's performance by using AI-based settings like Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FSR. Frame generation technology is a great way to improve your GPU's performance, as long as your CPU is powerful enough to handle it.
Nvidia or AMD graphics cards?
Whether you have an AMD or Nvidia graphics card will affect what applications you can use to improve your GPU. Computers with AMD graphics cards have a built-in program called AMD Radeon Software that allows you to monitor your card's performance and safely tweak settings within the graphics card.
Nvidia's program, GeForce Experience, allows users to optimize in-game settings and also has the option to record gameplay. Nvidia's graphics cards also have access to the Nvidia control panel, which hosts a myriad of resolutions and advanced display settings for you to customize.
Nvidia and AMD use these applications to perform maintenance on your GPU and provide users with software and driver updates that improve their graphics card's performance in newer games. Generally, driver updates are automated by the computer, but if your computer doesn't have access to the internet to update, then your computer will run much slower.
Updating your Nvidia graphics card drivers
- Search for or open the Nvidia GeForce Experience application.
- Once the program opens, select the Drivers tab.
A computer desktop with an arrow pointing to the Geforce Experience Icon© Provided by XDA DevelopersThe NVIDIA Geforce Experience program open on a windows desktop© Provided by XDA Developers
- Click on Check for updates and download the latest driver.
- Look at the version and release date to confirm that it is the latest update.
An arrow pointing to the check for updates button© Provided by XDA DevelopersA list of the latest graphics display drivers on Geforce Experience© Provided by XDA Developers
Updating your AMD graphics card drivers
- Search for and open your Device Manager.
- Select your display adapter, right-click on the AMD graphics driver, and click Update driver.
A windows search bar with the device manager application showing© Provided by XDA Developersan arrow pointing to the update driver button on the device manager© Provided by XDA Developers
- Select the search automatically for drivers option.
- The driver will automatically download, or a prompt will appear saying you have the latest driver.
An arrow is pointing to the 'search for drivers automatically' option in a window© Provided by XDA DevelopersA window stating that the latest graphics driver is installed© Provided by XDA Developers
Overclocking your graphics card
Overclocking is the process of changing the settings on your graphics card to make it run faster and perform better. This may sound like a cheat code to improve your graphics within a game, but be warned that the process can damage your graphics card or motherboard and reduce the lifespan of your components. Regardless of the risk, many gamers overclock their graphics cards to squeeze a few more frames out of older cards.
Overclocking a graphics card is different for every card, and other companies have different stances on the matter. Nvidia doesn't particularly like overclocking — you can still do it — but it is intentionally harder to overclock than AMD cards, which often have overclocking settings built into the graphics card. Learning how to manually overclock your GPU is difficult, and if you are inexperienced, then you could overheat and damage your card.
The safest tool for overclocking your graphics card is MSI Afterburner, an industry-standard software that works on Nvidia and AMD. The software identifies your components and allows you to overclock them without damaging them.
How to overclock your Graphics card with MSI Afterburner
- Search for MSI Afterburner.
- Click Download Afterburner and open the installation folder.
Google search results for MSI Afterburner© Provided by XDA DevelopersThe MSI Afterburner website with a button to download Afterburner© Provided by XDA Developers
- Click Next to Install MSI Afterburner.
- Tick the box for the Rivatuner statistics server.
MSI Afterburner instillation wizard on a Windows desktop© Provided by XDA DevelopersMSI Afterburner Instillation on a desktop with an arrow pointing at the Rivatuner setting© Provided by XDA Developers
- Click Next to Install the Rivatuner statistics server.
- Once MSI Afterburner is open, you can change the voltage, clock, and fan speeds to improve the performance of your graphics card.
Installation wizard for Rivatuner statistics server on a windows desktop© Provided by XDA DevelopersMSI Afterburner application with arrows pointing to the voltage, fan, and clock settings© Provided by XDA Developers
Getting the most from your GPU
The biggest factor to consider when looking to improve your GPU's performance is the age of your GPU and other components. At this point, a computer that is six years old should be able to play most modern games on medium settings and would probably only benefit from a new storage device (preferably an SSD) and a RAM upgrade.
But if your graphics card is older than that and you can only play games at minimum settings, then it might be worthwhile to try to overclock it until you can upgrade your PC with a better graphics card in the future.
