PC gaming is more popular today than it has ever been before. With exciting new games and superior graphics to any console, the “PC master race” is alive and well.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of PC gaming or a battle-worn veteran, here are some tips that will help you optimize your system and improve PC gaming framerates:

4) Update graphics drivers

If you have an AMD graphics card, then you can download the latest graphics drivers from here.
If you have an Nvidia graphics card, then you can download the latest graphics drivers from here.
If you don’t know which graphics card you own, then you can type dxdiag into your Start menu, then press Enter to learn more about your system.

GPU drivers are used to ease communication between your PC and your graphics card. Without drivers, your video card would be inaccessible.
PC gaming is changing every day, and drivers are constantly updated to reflect those changes. Nvidia and AMD frequently release driver updates which optimize graphics cards to newly-released games.
When Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs first came out, for example, it had awful performance on many AMD and Nvidia rigs. The two graphics companies soon released drivers which smoothed performance and improved framerates.
Even if you don’t play newly-released games, graphics driver updates come with hundreds of unique improvements which smooth performance across all games.

3) Optimize in-game settings using GeForce Experience or AMD Gaming Evolved

Two of the coolest PC gaming software programs to arrive over the last few years are GeForce Experience and AMD Gaming Evolved. Both of these software programs help you manage in-game graphics settings to ensure maximum framerates and smooth gameplay.
To do that, both software programs look at the settings of all AMD users/Nvidia users who have installed a particular game. It measures framerates and graphic quality within those games.

Then, the software looks at your rig and determines the best in-game settings to maximize framerates without sacrificing graphics settings.
Sounds awesome, right? It is. GeForce Experience and AMD Gaming Evolved are must-have programs if you’re a PC gamer. Obviously, you need to download GeForce Experience for Nvidia cards and AMD Gaming Evolved for AMD cards.

2) Buy an SSD

SSDs are the fastest storage device available to consumers today. SSDs use magnets to store data instead of hard discs. The technology behind SSDs doesn’t really matter, but here’s what does matter: SSDs can significantly increase PC gaming performance.

Any games where you need to frequently load data can benefit from SSDs. Level loading times virtually disappear when using an SSD, and many gamers also notice improved framerates during gameplay.
SSDs aren’t nearly as cheap as traditional hard drives. But buying a 256GB SSD should be more than enough room for all your Steam games, right?

1) Eliminate background applications and tasks

If you’re trying to squeeze every extra framerate out of your PC, then eliminating background tasks should be your first concern. Background tasks bleed away your processing power and memory, making it difficult for your PC to dedicate resources to your game.
This tip is obvious, but many gamers refuse to follow it. They think their PC is powerful enough or that “their RAM isn’t even close to being maxed out.”

That may be true, but that doesn’t mean your PC’s performance isn’t being affected. If you don’t believe me, measure framerates before and after you minimize background tasks. I guarantee you’ll notice a difference.
The best way to close down background tasks is using Windows Task Manager. Sort through background tasks by the amount of RAM used. Ideally, your game will be the only application using over 60,000K of memory.