Forgeary

Author: profilabs

  • How to Optimize Windows 11 for Gaming

    Microsoft Windows is the best and most popular operating system for gaming. Besides the consoles there simply is no alternative that supports all the popular game titles.

    Windows 11 is not only used for gaming however and many of its features and configurations are made for office work.

    Luckily, there is a lot that can be done to the OS to optimize its performance.

    In this guide you will learn the following

    • What Windows optimization is
    • Why it’s important to optimize Windows
    • How to optimize Windows for competitive gaming

    The Windows 11 Optimization Guide

    What is Windows optimization?

    Windows is currently the most popular Operating System in the world.
    Windows contains a large amount of legacy code since it’s required to maintain features for many use cases.

    Why is it important to optimize Windows?

    As we mentioned, Windows needs to work for a vast number of different workloads.
    Many features that are needed for professional and office work will instead limit the performance of pure gaming.

    How to Optimize Windows 11 for Gaming

    Windows installation

    Windows 10 is the preferred operating system in 2021.
    We recommend Windows 10 Home for most people instead of Pro.
    However, both versions come with unnecessary applications so be prepared to do some cleaning.
    Install Windows 10 with the latest major update for maximum security, compatibility, and features for the latest games and patches.
    We advise against using insider and preview builds as they are not optimized and may contain bugs.
    Avoid using unlicensed versions of Window as they are prone to viruses and other vulnerabilities
    Microsoft no longer maintains windows 7, and therefore it’s not recommended to use for any application in 2021.

    Download & preparation

    Download the latest available release of Windows to ensure up-to-date security and the best possible DirectX support in games.

    Local account

    Disconnect ethernet to avoid unnecessary driver installation and registration during setup.
    To create a local account during the installation, you should unplug the PC from your network.
    Use a local account to limit the amount of Telemetry data that is synchronized back to Microsoft and may interfere with performance.

    Fresh reset

    In Windows 2004 it’s possible to use internet recovery to download a fresh installation of Windows
    Avoid any bloatware installed by the OEM if you purchase a system from any of the major computer brands like Dell and HP.

    Power plan management

    Use the High-Performance Plan.
    Set the highest possible setting to let the hardware draw enough power.

    Advanced power plan options

    The most important option to set is the one to allow your CPU to run at full speed all the time.
    Disable “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” for USB hosts and Network adapters.

    Telemetry

    Telemetry is data and information that gets sent from your PC to a server for analysis and diagnostics.
    Unfortunately, this will interfere with performance and should be limited.
    Network activity running in the background to report usage, update online apps, and pinging servers for updates to the system.

    Privacy settings

    We are not involved in the politics of privacy, but the performance hit such tools have on our hardware.
    Privacy features are usually a connected service that runs in the background.
    Pings servers and scans files and may interfere with running apps and games.

    Services

    Services are running in the background to enable various features such as printing etc.
    Limit the number of running services to avoid stutter and interruptions in Windows.
    Set unneeded services to manual.
    Stuff like printer and file sharing can be disabled to improve performance and lag

    Disable Windows Defender

    Use Antivirus inside Router to offload CPU if possible.
    Requires Untangle or similar

    Security threats

    Update Windows and other applications to avoid vulnerabilities that may compromise your system and interfere with performance.
    Stay up to date with security threats such as crypto mining scripts etc.

    Scheduled tasks

    Tasks are processes running in the background to keep the system up to date.

    Memory compression

    Windows Store bloatware

    Most apps installed with Windows are paid ads in the form of apps from the Store.
    Remove using a script or a third-party application for best efficiency.

    Limit background apps

    Exit any background applications when you launch a game. They are stealing resources from the CPU and your RAM which may cause stutter and increased input-lag

    Optimization for windowed games

    Link to article from Microsoft and Windows 11 specific reference here.

    Enable Windows Game Mode

    Enabling Game Mode will improve your performance by shutting down background applications while gaming.

  • The Input Lag Optimization Guide: Reduce Input Lag, Improve Gaming Performance

    Input lag is the most notorious performance issue gamers will encounter.

    Whenever your actions on screen get delayed you are in deep trouble.

    It makes you miss crucial shots and the whole experience feels disconnected.

    The Input Lag Optimzation Guide

    • What is Input lag
    • Why latency is important
    • How to fix Input lag

    One of the best ways to think about this is when you try your favorite retro game that you played on a CRT monitor. CRT Monitors have close to zero Input-lag meaning we were spoiled in the old days. If you compare it to how it feels when you play the same game on a modern console of your LCD TV, you will notice an enormous difference.

    Games like Megaman and Super Mario are overly sensitive to Input lag. The slightest delay between inputs and actions on the screen will make the games unplayable. Modern TVs also uses plenty filters to improve the picture quality which we will learn adds to the latency. Computer monitors are better even when using “Game Mode” on your television.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is input lag?

    Input lag is defined by the amount of time between physical action and the visual response on the screen.

    More Input-lag will increase the time from when you push the button on your mouse to when your character will fire its gun in the game.
    Input-lag is measured in ms (milliseconds) and equals the amount of time
    between an action and a visual reaction on the screen.

    While it’s easy to describe and feel Input-lag it’s often more complicated to understand why and how latency is introduced.
    Latency happens in all stages of the processing inside the computer which makes it impossible to eliminate completely.

    Why is input-lag bad?

    Accuracy Another way of explaining Input-lag is to describe the floaty feeling you get when using the mouse cursor.

    Floaty gameplay makes it harder for the brain to predict future movements which affect our ability to react and adapt.

    Is 9ms input lag good? – According to various sources a difference in 5 MS lag is perceivable by humans.

    Responsiveness If there is a delay between the physical movement on the Mousepad and the cursor on the screen. Based on this it’s easy to understand why this behavior is bad for your performance.

    During competitive play, your actions need to make an impact instantly. The goal is to have your skills work 1:1 with your actions in-game because a missed shot can make or break an important match.

    How do I reduce input lag?

    While it’s easy to explain what latency is, how it works in every step is far more complex.
    It’s always a clever idea to limit the number of devices, effects, and software running on your system, reducing the resolution and graphics settings of your game, disabling V-sync, and using a monitor with a low response time.

    Does RGB increase input delay?

    There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on a number of factors. However, RGB does tend to increase input delay. This is because RGB signals are typically processed in addition to other signals, which can lead to increased delays. Furthermore, RGB often require more processing power in terms of required software, which can also contribute to increased delays.

    Factors impacting input lag

    1. Human reaction time (200-300ms)
    2. Input devices
    3. Computer processing
    4. GPU and graphics
    5. Display output & monitor

    Human Reaction time

    – The importance of sleep
    – Get enough sleep to stay alert.
    – Sleep also enhances our ability to predict future actions.
    – Improves the brain’s speed to process available information.

    Keyboard & Mouse

    Use 1000 Hz polling rate on your mouse which equals 1 MS added latency, 500 Hz equal 2 MS added to your overall latency.
    More devices will add more strain to the USB controller, make sure to disconnect any non-crucial peripherals during important games.
    There is data suggesting that using a high polling rate on multiple devices will interfere with performance.
    (If desired you can experiment with lowering the polling rate for the keyboard as it is not as crucial.)

    Drivers

    Limit the number of connected devices and make sure the essential drivers are up to date.
    Avoid software suits with added functionality such as RGB which will add latency.
    Modern drivers are smaller in size which can improve the access time for your system.
    The above is one of the main reasons to update your drivers regularly.

    Background apps

    Limit the number of running applications on the computer, because they will often ping remote servers and may run background tasks on your system stealing resources.
    Exit game launchers and other programs when you launch a game, you can always start it again later.
    And finally, make sure to disable autostart for non-essential apps when you log in to Windows.

    Resolution

    Make sure you always play at your monitor’s native resolution to avoid Input-lag and other side effects.
    The monitor is designed to use the native resolution, other settings force the monitor to add an extra layer of processing.

    Graphics settings

    Performance impact
    Higher graphical settings will put an increasing amount of strain on your graphics card.
    Avoid the most demanding visual effects to keep the GPU utilization below 100%.
    Visual enhancements
    Anti-Aliasing and other post-processing techniques will increase the visual fidelity at the cost of responsiveness.
    A bonus effect is that your own vision will improve, as well as the processing of visual elements inside your brain.
    In most cases, lower graphics settings will reduce the amount of clutter and details in the viewport that will distract you from the enemy.

    Limit FPS

    Limit the FPS output using an application such as Nvidia Control Panel, RTSS or use the in-game FPS limiter.
    Different methods come with different pros and cons depending on how your system hardware is balanced.
    Limiting the FPS lowers GPU utilization and improves input lag.
    (This also has an enormous impact on Frame-pacing making it one of the most important settings overall.)
    In-game FPS limiter
    Limits the FPS on a game engine level.
    Usually results in the lowest impact on input lag.
    The main downside is the risk of uneven frame timing.
    NVIDIA Control Panel
    Nvidia has improved the FPS limiter with the latest version.
    Limits the FPS on the (GPU) driver level.
    Works best if you are not limited by GPU utilization.
    Rivatuner RTSS
    Limits the FPS using the CPU.
    Generally, adds 1 frame of lag.
    Works best if you are not bottlenecked by the CPU.

    V-sync

    V-sync will result in smoother gameplay because every frame is perfectly lined up with the monitor.
    The downside is that there is going to be added input latency thanks to how V-sync waits for an even frame output to the monitor.
    The key is to find a compromise between input lag and frame-timing to avoid stutter and retain stutter-free gameplay.

    Post-processing and filters

    Limit the number of filters and post-processing techniques in your monitor.
    Avoid Anti-Aliasing and other visual filters as they will add to the post-processing and increase Input-lag.
    (Bigger problems on TV but still relevant for gaming monitors.)

    Monitor settings

    Enable Overdrive to increase pixel response time and counter input lag.
    Avoid filters and additional features that add strain and overhead to your monitors.

    Conclusion

    If you follow the general steps above, you will have heads start against your opponents.

    Combine these concepts with our other more specific guides to optimize your complete setup for increased responsiveness.

    And remember high FPS is not all, instead you want a balanced configuration with as low latency as possible.