How to Take Care of Your Laptop while Gaming
Always restart between games
I have a bunch of games in my PC. Sometimes I can’t decide which game to play so I go about testing one game, before getting bored and jumping to the next.
It is all fun and videogames until you start noticing a slight lag. This is because skipping from game to game can cause your CPU or Central Processing Unit to come under pressure. One minute it was running “Call of Duty” and the next you made it do “Dark Souls”. This can be a drag on the PC’s capabilities. Every time a game starts, several processes begin and keep running – and those processes change when the next game starts.
Therefore, it is best to begin each game with a fresh start. That way, your PC needs to run only the processes associated with that particular game.
ReadyBoost Does Not Help
If you have ThumbDrives you must be familiar with ReadyBoost, an in-built windows application that can speed up the PC by using the space available on a mostly empty ThumbDrive. This can be useful for most PCs in certain tasks such as file transfer, freeing some RAM usage etc.
However, when it comes to gaming – I find it best to keep all USB ports as free as possible. The reason is that you will be using a mouse and a keyboard for your games. If you add a drive to it, then the PC has to deal with three USB ports that are using energy and information. It is best to remove any unnecessary drives while playing PC games.
Update Your Drivers
If you are like me, your PC salesman probably did not sell you a laptop saying “Here, use this and run Mass Effect 3 on best graphics”. This means that your PC does not come with the best possible drivers for running a PC game. Drivers such as Windows C+++ and DirectX, Visual C can be installed for your particular game. They are between 100 to 200 MB in size and can be found online, Websites such as NOSTEAM have a repository of such drivers and are easy to install.
Use A Separate Keyboard
Keeping the software safe is important, but what about the hardware? In intense games or even normal games played for long hours, the keys on your laptop are bound to get worn out. This is where I would insert an image of my ASDW keys but I am too embarrassed.
The main point is that keeping your hardware safe from the perils of gaming is important. Finding an extra keyboard to attach to your laptop is always a good option. Moreover, the mobility provided by the extra length of cable from the keyboard makes playing the game more comfortable. And… seeing that ReadyBoost is off the table a USB port will be free for your keyboard.
As to how to get a keyboard, rob your local high school or something.
For Shooters, Use Toggle Aim Instead Of Hold
“Toggle Aim” is the act of pressing and holding the right click to aim with your mouse. It is that one setting which you either jive with or absolutely dislike. I was a member of the latter, until I was going through Mouses like Batman goes through his Robins. The “Hold Button” to aim is much more thrilling, and gives us the tense feel of actually gripping a gun and staring down the sights.
However, this can do a number on your external mouse. The right click button takes the brunt of this hold; and can end up damaged much faster. I must have ruined a couple of Mice during my two years in college when I intensively played video games. (The other two years I extensively played video games).
In order to avoid damaging your mouse, you will want to keep the setting on “Toggle Aim”. This way you do not have to always hold down the right button for aiming. This may take some time getting used to, but trust me, this setting will add months to your mouse’s life.
Use A Cooler
A computer is like a frying pan, it makes pancakes faster when the temperature is hotter. Nevertheless, anyone who attended Chi-Phen-Rig-Phel during class Eight or so knows that “make pancakes” is not a recommended function of your laptop/computer. Therefore, the simplest trick to extending a computer’s life is to use a cooler whenever possible.
Delete Everything in the %temp% folder
This is a tip that I received from the Information and Communications Technician at the institution I was in. Your computer is like an android phone, it fills up with multiple files from when you go online or use applications. If you are a gamer, then you probably have a) gone online, and b) used applications. These files are not malicious – they are just additional temporary files that the computer downloads to function faster for some period.
The problem with this is that these files remain in your computer even after their function is over. So, in order to clear up space you’ll need to delete the %temp% folder. The process is very easy.
First, go to the search bar.
Then, type in ‘%temp%’.
It will lead you to this folder, which you can delete to clear up space. Do not worry, the computer feels no pain when you do this – so, rest easy.
And thus, I conclude this week’s “Seven tips and tricks to make your laptop perform better when gaming”. Hopefully, this article was useful for you gamers out there (or in there). Happy gaming.
Ps. The plural for a computer mouse is both mouses and mice.
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