Hardware & Software Tips

A simple introduction and breakdown of some crucial components which will improve your gameplay.

Some of us gamers, don't really understand what's going on behind the computer, how things work, why are games slow and how to make them faster. We just want our games to run as smoothly as possible. This article focuses exactly on the main components that affect dramatically how your computer performs inside and outside of games.

GPU

GPU – For us gamers, the most important thing while we play is FPS (frames per second) consistency. That's what makes the games look smooth, therefore maximizing our potential in-game. The most crucial hardware component for FPS gaining, is the graphics card. Even though there is only 2 companies sharing this huge market, AMD and Nvidia, there's a lot of choices out there. Basically you have to have in consideration 2 main factors before choosing your GPU. Maximum resolution your monitor supports and the type of games you play. Here's my personal advice based on resolutions and for general gaming. Essentially, the higher the resolution you want to play at, the more VRAM, clock speed, cores, etc you need to have, of course prices scaling with this.

Resolution: 1680x1050 and below

MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti TWIN FROZR II 1GB
XFX Core Edition Radeon HD 7850 2GB

Resolution: 1920x1080 (Full HD)

Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB
EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB

Resolution: 2560x1440 (WQHD)

Sapphire HD 7970 3GB
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Superclocked
ASUS GTX 690 4GB

CPU

CPU – The second most important computer component for gaming is the processor. There's also 2 big brands out there, Intel and AMD, but since AMD has been on the weak side the last few years, I can only recommend Intel processors at the moment. Basically you have processors with different amount of cores, different clock speeds, hyper-treading, and overclock capabilities included or not. Some games are more CPU-dependent (aka CPU-bound) while others aren't (they are more GPU dependent then), so be sure to know what games you'll play before hand, and base your decision on that. Also, if you like to multi-task while gaming, be sure to get a CPU with more cores, since it can process more stuff at the same time. I'll give you my advice based on a performance per money directed at gaming, at specific price ranges.

Intel i3 2120 – This is the best CPU you can buy in the £100 range. It's fast enough for most games and has a very low power consumption value.

Intel i5 3450 – In the £150 range, this CPU offers excellent performance, while still having room for multitasking if you need it. Will handle most games without any issues.

Intel i7 2600k - Even though the new Ivy Bridge processors are out now, the Sandy Bridge still kicks ass, and even in some cases outruns them. It's a "k" edition, which means it is unlocked for overclocking. I truly recommend doing it, but of course you'll need an aftermarket cooler, but your gains in FPS will be very noticeable. Best CPU for gaming you can get right now, really fast, reliable, excellent at multitasking, excellent in applications also.

Keyboard & Mouse

Keyboard & Mouse – There's no need to explain how important these 2 components are, and even though there is tons of products out there, I'll narrow it down to two main characteristics. For keyboards, mechanical and wired. For mice, comfortable and wired. Ignore all those flashy lights and extra 10.000 buttons, unless you have a specific purpose for them, they're useless, and believe me, I've used many different components in my life, most are overpriced and have too many useless functions, so here's my top picks for both:

Steelseries 6G v2 (or the 7G if you need that bottom part)
Logitech G500

Keeping your computer clean! – This is something that most of the gamers just ignore and think it's completely useless and won't have any impact in your gaming performance. False. Keeping your OS functional and fast is something that will heavily impact your gaming. It's like cleaning your room, imagine if you didn't, dust would start to pile up, bugs would appear, you would get sick with so much crap in it. Well computers function in a very similar way. Things like not defragmenting your disk, not cleaning your registry, not cleaning your disks, crappy softwares at startup, etc. There's also a ton of software out there, but I'll only give you two of them, which are more than enough to keeping everything clean and safe.

TuneUp Utilities - I can highly recommend this to anyone who has a computer. It boosts up your PC performance by shutting unnecessary things off, blocking malware and crappy programs at start, by constantly making fixes and checking for errors and bugs in the background. It also has a feature that turns off every windows "omg looks awesome" visual feature that makes your computer heavily slow. It has so many features, you should simply install and try it.

CCleaner – This program not only cleans your PC but also makes it faster, and more importantly, protects your privacy. It can clean every bit unnecessary data you have in your computer, therefore making it lighter.

Follow the above tips and advice for a head start on your opponents and GLHF!