Most experienced gamers realize that many different kinds of malware can slow down their games. For instance, computer viruses and worms can corrupt critical operational or save files, while adware and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) can make PCs sluggish. Some programs like crapware, bloatware, and freeware, while not exactly classified as malicious software, can also negatively impact a gaming machine’s performance.
Your Computer is Running too Hot
Your games will slow down if your computer is running too hot. Symptoms of an overheating computer include temperature warnings from your motherboard, software crashes, loud operational noise, and more. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make your PC run cooler:
- Clean your computer with concentrated air and focus on the fans and vents
- Install more powerful fans
- Apply fresh thermal paste to your processor and GPU
- Place your machine in a more ventilated area
Your Software is Glitchy
Glitchy software is a common reason why games slow. Download the latest drivers for your computer and the newest patches for your games, operating system, and other essential software to see if that helps. Sometimes errant processes can slow down games. Try restarting your computer to see if that helps.
Your Settings are too High
Your video game settings may be too high for your video card to render adequate framerates. Try reducing settings from the highest to medium to see if that makes a difference. Alternatively, you can reduce the shadow, anisotropic filtering, and antialiasing effects to see if that helps. Changing the video resolution from 4K to 1080p can also make a big difference.
Your Hardware is Faulty
Your computer’s hardware may be adequate on paper, but it could be running games slowly because of faults. Test your computer’s CPU, GPU, RAM, hard drive, SSD, and power supply for problems, and replace them.
While malicious hardware can undoubtedly hold a gaming machine back, it's not always the culprit. Software plays a critical role too. Gamers usually install a fast and light antivirus program that removes all malicious software and PUPs from their system.
Your Hardware is Aging
Aging hardware may be unable to keep up with the demands of the latest video game titles. Consider upgrading your video card to a newer version for the most bang for your buck. But first, try the following steps:
- Check graphics card reviews to find the right one for your favorite game
- Compare benchmarks with your current hardware to ensure the upgrade is worthwhile
- Ensure that your new video card is compatible with your motherboard
- Make sure that your power supply is strong enough to feed your new component
Remember, your video card will only perform as well as the rest of the hardware allows. For instance, a 10-year-old processor may bottleneck its performance.
However, a relatively new core i5 or core i7 processor (or equivalent) should be sufficient as most games are more GPU dependent than CPU dependent.
Similarly, ensure that you have enough memory to run your games. Most gamers nowadays use 16GB of RAM to play modern titles.