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I've been helping some friends build their first gaming PCs and realized how many little PC gaming tips can make a big difference in performance. Things like optimizing Windows settings, managing background processes, and tweaking in-game graphics settings.

What are your best PC gaming tips for getting the most out of your hardware? I'm talking both hardware and software optimizations. For example, I always recommend people check their RAM speeds in BIOS because sometimes they're running slower than advertised.

Also, what about game-specific optimizations? Some games have hidden settings or .ini file tweaks that can really improve performance. I've found some great PC gaming tips in Reddit communities for specific games.

Are there any tools or software you always install on a new gaming PC? Things like MSI Afterburner for monitoring or specific driver versions that work better for certain games?

One of my best PC gaming tips is to use Process Lasso to manage CPU priorities. You can set games to high priority while lowering priority for background tasks. This can help with stuttering in CPU-bound games.

For RAM, enabling XMP in BIOS is crucial. So many people build PCs and never enable it, leaving performance on the table. Also, make sure your RAM is in the correct slots for dual-channel operation - usually slots 2 and 4.

For game-specific optimizations, PCGamingWiki is an incredible resource. They have tweaks and fixes for thousands of games, from .ini edits to community patches for old games.

I always install MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server for monitoring. Being able to see frame times, CPU/GPU usage, and temperatures in-game helps identify bottlenecks.

For Windows optimization, disabling Game Mode actually helped my performance in some games. It sounds counterintuitive, but Game Mode can sometimes interfere with other optimizations. Also, make sure hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is enabled if your GPU supports it.

A simple but effective PC gaming tip: clean your PC regularly. Dust buildup can cause thermal throttling. I use compressed air every few months to keep things clean.

For in-game settings, shadows and ambient occlusion are usually the biggest performance hits for relatively small visual gains. I'll turn those down before reducing texture quality or resolution.

DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) is essential when changing graphics cards or having driver issues. Doing a clean driver install can fix so many problems.

Undervolting your GPU can give you better performance with less heat and noise. Modern graphics cards often come with more voltage than they need for stability. Using MSI Afterburner to find a stable undervolt can lower temperatures significantly.

For CPU optimization, making sure your power plan is set to High Performance in Windows can help. Also, disabling unnecessary startup programs frees up RAM and CPU cycles.

A PC gaming tip many people overlook: monitor your temperatures. If your CPU or GPU is thermal throttling, no amount of software optimization will help. Consider better cooling if temperatures are consistently high.

For game files, defragmenting HDDs (not SSDs!) and verifying game file integrity in Steam can fix performance issues caused by file corruption.

For network optimization, using a DNS like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) can reduce latency in online games. Also, if you're on Wi-Fi, make sure you're on the 5GHz band if possible for less interference.

A simple PC gaming tip: close background applications. Discord, Chrome tabs, and other apps can use significant resources. I have a gaming profile in Process Lasso that automatically closes non-essential apps when I launch games.

For storage, make sure your games are on an SSD. The difference in load times is massive. If you have multiple drives, put your OS and most-played games on the fastest SSD.

Nvidia Profile Inspector or AMD Adrenalin can force driver-level optimizations for games that don't have good in-game settings. Things like forcing anisotropic filtering or anti-aliasing.

For multiplayer games, limiting your frame rate to your monitor's refresh rate can reduce input lag. Unlimited FPS can cause screen tearing and inconsistent frame times. Use in-game limiters or RTSS for this.

A PC gaming tip for competitive games: lower your graphics settings. Higher FPS is more important than visual fidelity in games like Valorant or CS:GO. Even if you have a high-end PC, consistent high FPS matters more.

Make sure your monitor is set to its highest refresh rate in Windows display settings. Some monitors default to 60Hz even if they support 144Hz or higher.

For audio, using a dedicated sound card or USB DAC can reduce CPU usage compared to onboard audio, especially in games with complex audio processing.

So I was in the middle of the final boss fight when my game just froze completely, and now it won't even get past the main menu without a crash to desktop. I’ve tried verifying the files, but that didn't help at all. Has anyone else hit this specific wall and found a way through?

Yep, I hit that wall too. Verifying files didn’t help. I ended up deleting the game’s config folder (the saved settings) and letting it recreate on first launch. After that I could get back to the main menu.

During a boss fight it froze and then crashed to desktop here as well. I lowered textures, turned off VSync, ran in borderless fullscreen, and disabled Steam overlay. It stopped crashing for me.

A friend had antivirus block a shader cache in the game’s temp folder. Whitelisting the game and its temp path fixed it for them.

I did a clean driver install and looked for background apps hogging RAM. Updating the GPU drivers helped a bit, but the crashes persisted until I disabled the in game overlay and a memory monitor.

Tried a new save to see if the file got corrupted. It ran fine for a while, and then I hit the same wall again later.

Not sure if this is the real problem, but it feels like the trigger isn’t the boss so much as a memory leak in the scene. I keep thinking about it, but I can’t pin it down.

Do you still crash after the splash logos or only when the boss spawns?

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