If you have ever sat down for a gaming session and noticed your game stuttering, frames dropping, or your PC just not keeping up — you are not alone. A lot of gamers in the UK deal with this, and the good news is that most of it is fixable without spending a penny on new hardware.

Whether you have a brand-new gaming PC or one that is a few years old, optimising it properly can make a huge difference to your experience. From smoother frame rates to faster load times, the right tweaks can genuinely transform how your games feel.

At PC Gaming Cases, we help gamers across the UK find the right hardware — from individual components to fully prebuilt gaming PCs. But beyond the hardware, how you set up and maintain your system matters just as much. That is exactly what this guide covers.

Let's walk through everything you need to know about pc optimisation for gaming, step by step.

Why You Should Optimise Your PC for Gaming

A lot of people assume that if they have decent specs, everything will just work well. In reality, a PC that has never been optimised is often running at a fraction of its potential.

Here is why it matters:

• Better frame rates - More stable FPS means a smoother, more responsive gaming experience

• Reduced lag and stuttering - Background processes and poor settings are often the culprit

• Longer hardware lifespan - Managing thermals and keeping your system clean extends the life of your components

• Faster load times - Especially relevant if you are still running an older spinning hard drive

• Improved online gaming - Network optimisation reduces ping and packet loss

The best part? Most of these optimisations are completely free and take less than an hour to go through.

Understanding What Affects Gaming Performance

Before jumping into the tips, it helps to understand what is actually inside your PC and how each part affects gaming. This will help you make smarter decisions going forward.

Graphics Card (GPU)

The GPU is arguably the most important component for gaming. It is responsible for rendering every single frame you see on screen. A good GPU will handle high resolutions and demanding graphics settings with ease. If you are running an older card, you may need to lower your in-game settings — but you would be surprised how much further optimisation can push even mid-range GPUs.

At PC Gaming Cases, we stock a range of GPUs including the latest 50 Series cards and the popular 40 Series GPUs — ideal if you are looking to upgrade.

Processor (CPU)

The CPU handles the game's logic — AI behaviour, physics, open-world streaming, and more. In competitive titles, the CPU often matters more than the GPU for achieving high, stable frame rates. You can browse a range of AMD and Intel CPUs at PC Gaming Cases to find one that suits your game pc setup.

RAM

Most modern games recommend at least 16GB of RAM, and 32GB is becoming the sweet spot for future-proofing. Running games with too little RAM causes slowdowns and hitching as your system tries to compensate using slower storage. Check out the RAM collection at PC Gaming Cases if you are thinking about an upgrade — both DDR4 and DDR5 options are available.

Storage (SSD vs HDD)

If you are still gaming on a traditional hard drive (HDD), switching to a solid-state drive (SSD) is one of the single biggest performance improvements you can make. Load times drop dramatically, and open-world games that stream assets in real-time feel far more responsive. PC Gaming Cases stocks SSDs ranging from 512GB right up to 4TB depending on your needs.

Monitor and Refresh Rate

Even the best GPU is limited by your monitor. If you are gaming on a 60Hz display, you will never see more than 60 frames per second regardless of your hardware. A 144Hz or 165Hz monitor unlocks the full benefit of a well-optimised system.

How to Optimise Your PC for Gaming

Now let us get into the actual steps. These are listed in order of impact and ease — start from the top.

1. Update Your Graphics Drivers

This is the first thing to check, and one of the most overlooked. GPU manufacturers release driver updates regularly that include performance improvements and bug fixes for specific games.

• For NVIDIA cards: Download and install the latest drivers from the NVIDIA website or use GeForce Experience

• For AMD cards: Use AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or download directly from the AMD website

• Restart your PC after updating before testing

Outdated drivers can cause crashes, screen tearing, and reduced frame rates — all of which are easily avoided with a simple update.

2. Enable Game Mode in Windows

Windows 10 and Windows 11 both include a built-in Game Mode that prioritises system resources towards your game and reduces background activity.

To enable it:

• Press Windows + I to open Settings

• Go to Gaming → Game Mode

• Toggle it On

It is a small change, but it tells Windows to hold back on background tasks like updates and system scans while you are playing.

3. Set Your Power Plan to High Performance

By default, many PCs are set to a balanced or energy-saving power plan. This limits how hard your CPU and GPU can work.

• Open Control Panel → Power Options

• Select High Performance (or Ultimate Performance if available)

• On laptops, always do this when plugged in

This alone can give you a noticeable boost in CPU-heavy games.

4. Adjust Your GPU Control Panel Settings

Both NVIDIA and AMD have their own software that lets you fine-tune how your GPU operates. Here are a few things worth adjusting:

• NVIDIA Control Panel:

• Set Power Management Mode to "Prefer Maximum Performance"

• Enable Low Latency Mode for competitive gaming

• Turn off vertical sync (V-Sync) if you have a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor

• AMD Radeon Software:

• Enable Radeon Anti-Lag for lower input latency

• Turn on Radeon Boost for dynamic resolution scaling

• Use Radeon Image Sharpening to maintain visual clarity at lower resolutions

5. Disable Startup Apps and Background Processes

Every app that loads when your PC starts up is using memory and CPU time — even if you never open it. Trimming your startup list frees up resources for your games.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager

• Go to the Startup tab

• Right-click and disable anything you do not need running in the background — things like Spotify, Discord (unless you use it for gaming), OneDrive, and browser auto-launchers

You can also check the Processes tab while gaming to see what is hogging resources.

6. Free Up Disk Space

Windows slows down significantly when your storage drive is nearly full. Aim to keep at least 15–20% of your drive free at all times.

• Run Disk Cleanup — search for it in the Start menu

• Delete old downloads, temp files, and games you no longer play

• Empty the Recycle Bin

If your system drive is getting cramped, it might be time to upgrade. PC Gaming Cases carries a solid range of storage options at competitive prices.

7. Optimise Your In-Game Graphics Settings

This is where a lot of performance gains hide. Not all graphical settings have an equal impact on frame rate. Some look great but hit performance hard; others barely affect visuals but free up a lot of GPU headroom.

Settings that have the highest performance cost (consider lowering these first):

• Resolution (play at your monitor's native if possible, but try DLSS or FSR)

• Shadows and shadow distance

• Ray tracing

• Ambient occlusion

• Anti-aliasing

Settings that have a lower performance cost but still look good:

• Texture quality (uses VRAM, not much GPU power)

• Anisotropic filtering

• Foliage density

Use the in-game benchmark or an FPS counter (like MSI Afterburner) to test changes before committing to them.

8. Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling

HAGS is a Windows feature that allows the GPU to manage its own video memory directly, reducing CPU overhead and potentially improving frame times.

To enable it:

• Open Settings → System → Display → Graphics settings

• Toggle on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling

• Restart your PC

Note: This feature requires Windows 10 version 2004 or later and a supported GPU (most modern NVIDIA and AMD cards are compatible).

9. Optimise Your Network for Online Gaming

For online gaming, your connection quality matters as much as your hardware performance. Ping spikes and packet loss can ruin a session even on a powerful PC.

Here are a few things to check:

• Use a wired connection - Ethernet is always more stable than Wi-Fi for gaming

• Enable QoS (Quality of Service) on your router if it supports it - this prioritises gaming traffic

• Close bandwidth-heavy apps before playing - streaming services, downloads, and cloud backups compete with your game

• Flush your DNS cache - open Command Prompt and type ipconfig /flushdns

• Check for DNS leaks and consider using a gaming-optimised DNS server like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8)

10. Keep Your PC Cool with Proper Thermal Management

Heat is one of the biggest enemies of consistent gaming performance. When components get too hot, they throttle — meaning they reduce their own speed to protect themselves from damage. This shows up as sudden FPS drops, stuttering, and crashes.

To keep temperatures in check:

• Clean your PC regularly - dust buildup on fans and heatsinks reduces airflow dramatically

• Check your thermal paste - if your CPU is more than 3–4 years old, the paste may have dried out and needs replacing

• Monitor temps while gaming - use HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner to keep an eye on CPU and GPU temperatures

• Ensure good case airflow - make sure your intake fans are at the front and bottom, and exhaust fans at the rear and top

If you are building or upgrading, PC Gaming Cases offers a great selection of PC cases from brands including Corsair, Fractal, Cooler Master, and more — all designed with airflow and aesthetics in mind.

Healthy gaming temperatures to aim for:

• CPU: Under 80°C under load

• GPU: Under 85°C under load

• Idle temperatures: Both should sit below 45°C when not under load

Advanced Optimisation Techniques

Once you have covered the basics, here are a few more things worth exploring if you want to push performance even further:

• XMP / EXPO profiles for RAM - Most RAM runs at a default lower speed unless you manually enable its rated profile in your BIOS. Look for XMP (Intel) or EXPO (AMD) settings and enable them; this can improve performance in memory-sensitive games

• Overclock your GPU (carefully) - Software like MSI Afterburner allows you to increase your GPU's core and memory clock speeds. Start small, test for stability, and only push further if temps remain safe

• Reinstall Windows periodically - Over time, Windows accumulates clutter, broken registry entries, and software conflicts. A clean install every couple of years can feel like a whole new machine

• Upgrade to a faster SSD - NVMe SSDs (PCIe 4.0 or 5.0) offer significantly faster read/write speeds compared to SATA SSDs, which helps in games that stream large amounts of data

• Consider a prebuilt or custom build - If you have applied all of these optimisations and your PC still struggles, it might be time for new hardware. PC Gaming Cases offers both prebuilt gaming PCs and a configure-your-own-build tool that makes it easy to build a gaming PC in the UK with the exact specs you need

If you are weighing up your options, our blog on prebuilt gaming PCs vs custom-built PCs is a great place to start. And if budget is a concern, it is worth reading our thoughts on whether now is the right time to buy a gaming PC before making a decision. You might also want to understand why gaming PC prices are rising in 2026 before committing to a purchase.

About PC Gaming Cases

PC Gaming Cases is a UK-based retailer specialising in gaming PCs, components, and accessories. Whether you are after a best prebuilt gaming desktop ready to go straight out of the box, individual components to upgrade your current rig, or you want to configure your own custom build from scratch — PC Gaming Cases has you covered.

With free shipping across mainland UK, next-day delivery options, and a price match guarantee on selected products, they make it straightforward to get the right hardware at a fair price. The team understands what UK gamers need and stock everything from entry-level setups to high-end machines capable of running the latest titles at maximum settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I optimise my PC for gaming without spending money?
Start with the free steps: update your GPU drivers, enable Windows Game Mode, set your power plan to High Performance, disable unnecessary startup apps, and adjust your in-game graphics settings. These changes alone can significantly improve performance at no cost.

Q: How much RAM do I need for gaming in 2026?
16GB is the minimum for most modern games, but 32GB is increasingly recommended — especially for open-world games and titles that are regularly updated with higher system requirements.

Q: Does Game Mode actually help in Windows 11?
Yes, but the impact varies by game. Game Mode reduces background activity and prioritises your game's use of system resources, which is most noticeable on lower-spec systems or when running multiple apps simultaneously.

Q: What temperature should my GPU be while gaming?
Most GPUs are designed to operate safely up to around 85–90°C, but ideally you want to keep it below 85°C during extended gaming sessions. If it consistently runs hotter than that, check your case airflow and consider cleaning the fans.

Q: Is it better to buy a prebuilt gaming PC or build my own in the UK?
Both have their advantages. A prebuilt is quicker and often comes with a warranty, while a custom build gives you more control over every component. PC Gaming Cases offers both options — you can browse prebuilt PCs or configure your own.

Q: Can optimising my PC make games run better without upgrading hardware?
Absolutely. Many PCs run well below their potential due to outdated drivers, background processes, poor power settings, and thermal throttling. Going through this guide can often recover 15–30% more performance from the same hardware.

Q: What is the best way to reduce lag in online games?
Use a wired Ethernet connection, close background apps that use bandwidth, enable QoS on your router, and consider switching to a faster DNS server. These steps directly reduce ping and packet loss.