Editorial:Basic performance tips
From Wikia Gaming
by user Tyroney
Sometimes we don't have the system we wish we had. There are a few things you can do to squeeze the last bit of life out of your machine. No depth here, just ideas to get you started down the path of minimalist gaming.
maintenance
- Scan for viruses and malware regularly (and practice safe computing)
- Check and defragment your hard drive at least once a month, more if you use it often (for Mac users, also be sure to repair permissions at least every week or two)
- Keep the area around your computer clean (to make the next point easier)
- Every couple of months or so, open up your case and use canned air to clear out fans and heat sinks.
game settings
- reduce resolution, turn off anti-aliasing
- turn off anisotropic filtering and/or glow, shadows, shader effects
- reduce the draw distance
- turn on buffering, or sync. (some cards work better with certain settings on)
- turn off pixel shading (if possible)
- consider using a 16-bit resolution; some games look almost identical this way, but the performance gain can be huge
network
- For wireless routers, changing channels and opening up the correct ports might be helpful
- use a different server
- Otherwise, get used to it. Short of getting a different/faster connection, there isn't tons you can do for ping issues.
painful details
- slowdown with lots of disk activity? Changing settings/size of your swap file might help. (aka virtual memory)
- having a swap file on a separate disk can work wonders also
- pushing the boundaries of good taste? Kill other processes you don't need. (like the finder or explorer)
- sometimes, you just need more ram, or a better video card. If you're lucky, new video card drivers might be enough.
