home > Breakdowns > Why the computer began to think for a long time. What to do if the computer lags a lot. Dust cleaning


Why the computer began to think for a long time. What to do if the computer lags a lot. Dust cleaning




And so hello everyone! Today we’ll talk about why a computer can slow down. If you begin to notice slow work or loading of your PC. So your system needs intervention. Most users do not know how to revive the system. Therefore, most often they reinstall the operating system. But this is not always convenient, because over time, each of us accumulates information on a computer. We put a lot of different programs, and simply, we configure the computer to fit our needs. And after reinstallation, everything will have to be done again, and the time spent on reinstalling the operating system and setting up the PC will take a lot.

In addition, it may or may not help, it all depends on the reason for which the problems began. Therefore, it is better to try to restore the computer's performance without resorting to reinstallation.

And so let's start, you began to notice that the computer began to slow down. It loads slowly and launches various applications for a very long time, and sometimes it freezes in general. There are several simple methods by which you can restore performance.

Three easy ways to speed up your computer

First what you need to do if your computer slows down a lot is to check the hard drive for errors and bad sectors. To do this, go to My Computer, right-click on the hard drive and click Properties.

In the menu that appears, select the Service tab and click Run Check. In the next menu, check the boxes Automatically fix system errors and Scan for and repair bad sectors and click Start. Then a message will appear.

Click Schedule Disk Check and restart your computer. During the reboot process, the operating system checks the hard drive for errors and automatically fixes them. This may take a long time depending on the condition of your hard drive. Very often, the computer slows down precisely because of problems with the hard drive.

Second after your hard drive has been checked and the computer has turned on, you need to defragment the disk. Defragmentation helps a lot. It consolidates scattered files on your hard drive. Defragmentation is recommended to be done at least once a month. If you do not do it, then the computer can slow down a lot. To do this, also go to My Computer, right-click on the hard drive, select Properties. In the window that appears, go to the Tools tab and click Defragment.


In the window that appears, click Disk Defragmenter and wait for the process to complete. If someone wants to learn more about whether a computer can slow down and freeze because of this, and what it is.


Third what can be done is to clean the registry and remove any junk. Problems with the computer can also arise due to the fact that there are a lot of different unnecessary files in the system. Because of this, the computer will not slow down much, but these files will have a negative impact on the work.

To do this, use the free utility CCleaner. . After you have downloaded and installed the program, run it. Click on the Cleaning tab and click on the Analysis button below. After the analysis is completed, you will see a list of unnecessary files and the size they occupy, click cleanup.


Now go to the Registry tab. Here everything is the same, click Search for problems and see a list of problems and then click fix.

CCleaner will offer to backup the registry, click yes, specify the path where the backup will be stored. In the next window, you can fix problems one by one, but if you have accumulated a lot of them, then click Evaporate marked ones.


Fourth what you need to do is update your anti-virus databases and scan your computer for viruses. If you have Nod32, then you can update the server.

In such standard ways, you can restore the system. This method will help you in the case when there are no problems at the hardware level, i.e. the computer hardware is in working condition. If after all the above steps, the computer continues to work slowly. So you have more serious problems and you need to try to reinstall the system.

After using a Windows desktop or laptop for a long time, users may encounter a situation where the PC has become very slow and slow. There can be many reasons for PC slowdown.

In order to deal in detail with the problem of PC braking, we have prepared a material in which we will consider in detail the methods and methods that increase the speed of the PC. By following our guidelines, you can bring back the speed desktop computer or laptop with Windows OS. By returning the speed of your computer, you can enjoy various multimedia entertainment, computer games and work, while forgetting about braking and various PC glitches.

Cleaning the system in Windows operating systems

Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 operating systems have their own built-in system cleaners. The main disadvantage of such cleaners is that they clean up trash, which the system itself creates, and even then, not all.

To fulfill complete system cleanup from garbage, where the OS and many programs will be cleaned, you need to use third-party software. One of the best cleaning programs is CCleaner. This utility is released by Piriform LTD.

The utility is free and downloadable CCleaner on a PC, you can from the official website www.piriform.com. The utility has been holding up for years first in the ranking from well-known online publications such as The Guardian, PC World, CHIP Online and many others. The utility works on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 operating systems. After installation, we will run the utility on Windows 7.

To clean the system from garbage, use the Analyze button located at the bottom of the window.

The image shows how much garbage the system found. This is the explorer history when the user opens folders or copies folders. Also, this is the history of the browser and various garbage created by utilities.

After analysis remove the trash, which the utility found by clicking the Cleanup button.

In such a simple way, you can increase the speed of the system and its programs. The possibilities of the utility do not end there. The program can also delete unnecessary registry branches that were created by different software. To use this feature, we need to open the tab " Registry”and, by analogy with the previous example, click the Search for problems button.

After the search, click the Fix button and thereby remove unnecessary registry entries.

The functionality of the utility is not limited to this, but its coverage does not fit into the topic of the article, so we will move on. Having finished cleaning the system and registry, it's time to take on defragmentation which we will discuss in the following examples.

Defragmentation in Windows operating systems

The operating systems Windows XP, Vista, as well as newer Windows 7, 8, 10 have their own built-in tools that allow you to defragment. The only disadvantage of the built-in defragmenter in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 is its work speed and poor functionality.

Therefore, it is better to use a third-party defragmenter. The best defragmenter today is a free utility Defraggler. utility Defraggler developed by the same company CCleaner Piriform Ltd. Download Defraggler to the PC folder, you can also from its official website www.piriform.com, as well as CCleaner.

Installing Defraggler is quite simple and comes down to a couple of clicks, so any PC user can handle it. Except Defraggler, there are many more high-quality defragmenters, but we chose this one, as it will help us solve another problem that can cause your PC to slow down and run slowly.

Defraggler works with all current Windows operating systems from XP to Windows 10. Therefore, feel free to install and run it on any Windows. In our case, we ran Defraggler on Windows 7.

To start defragmentation, click the Defragmentation button at the bottom of the window. Next to this button there is a button that can start analyzing the disk for the need for defragmentation. After the start of defragmentation, it can be observed on the disk map.

This process can take a long time and depends on the size of the disk and the degree of disk fragmentation.

Utility Defraggler can defragment both the entire disk and a separate folder and files. Its functionality does not end there. The utility can also:

  • Do a quick defragmentation;
  • Make the program work according to the schedule;
  • Defragment free disk space;
  • Shutdown PC after defragmentation;
  • Defragment the registry.

Of all the functions described, the last one is the most significant. Using registry defragmentation, you can also increase the speed of your desktop computer or laptop. To use this feature, go to the " Settings» and activate defragmenting the registry on PC startup, as shown in the image.

By enabling this option, in your PC at system startup Defraggler will do registry defragmentation:

Now let's talk about the features of the program that we mentioned earlier. Defraggler can monitor the status of your hard drive, namely S.M.A.R.T..

S.M.A.R.T. is a built-in subroutine that can determine the status of a hard drive. Let's go to the " State».

The image above shows the parameters of a good hard drive. The following image shows a hard drive with broken sectors:

If you have just such a situation, then the culprit in braking the system is Winchester. Based on this, hard drive needs to be replaced. In addition, the hard drive will not last long in this state, and you may suddenly lose a lot of important information. Probably all.

It can be seen from the example that with Defraggler you can do:

  • Disk defragmentation long or fast;
  • Registry defragmentation;
  • Check the condition of the hard drive.

It should also be noted that if you have an SDD disk type installed in your PC, then do not defragment it, as this may shorten its life.

Solving problems with RAM

Very often, the culprit of braking and freezing the PC is RAM. Operating systems from Windows 7 to Windows 10 have built-in memory checkers. For example, let's run a tool to check the RAM for errors in Windows 10. To do this, use the search in the top ten and enter the phrase " Memory Checker».

Now let's run the found utility.

In the window that opens, select the first item, after which the computer will restart and RAM diagnostics will start.

After a long check, the computer will boot up and the result of the check will be displayed to the user. If the test result is negative, this means that the RAM must be replaced with a new one.

Older OSes like Windows XP do not have a built-in memory check. It follows that on Windows XP, to check the memory, you should use third party software. One of the most popular utilities can do a RAM check Memtest86.

Speed ​​up with ReadyBoost

Sometimes even all the steps taken to eliminate braking and glitches in the PC do not help properly. This is due to the fact that on your PC weak hardware. To solve this problem in OS, starting with Windows 7 and ending with Windows 10, the user has the opportunity to use the technology ReadyBoost.

The essence of the technology ReadyBoost is to use fast USB drives for data caching. That is, using ReadyBoost, you can replace default swap file on a screw, on a fast USB flash drive.

For example, we will use a PC with Windows 10 and a flash drive with an interface USB 3.0. You ask why exactly USB 3.0 The answer is simple, this interface very fast and best suited to our task. Insert the flash drive into the PC and go to it properties to the tab " ReadyBoost».

Now let's select the item in the window to speed up our system as shown in the image above and click the Apply button. The same is true for Windows 7 and 8.

After these actions, the system should noticeably accelerate, the long launch of programs and braking should disappear.

If you want to use the described technology on Windows XP then use a third party program eBoostr.

Other ways to speed up a desktop computer or laptop and remove the brakes

If the above examples did not help, then the following methods will help solve the problem with brakes and glitches:

  • Changing the antivirus program;
  • Disabling visual effects;
  • Stopping unnecessary services;
  • Reinstalling the operating system;
  • Upgrade seven to ten.

If you have a good anti-virus program installed on your desktop or laptop, then you are securely protected on a modern PC and this does not affect the performance of the system. But if you have a weak laptop or desktop computer, it will be noticeable how Antivirus slows down the system.

To remedy this situation, Panda Security SL has developed an antivirus Panda Cloud Antivirus, which practically does not waste system resources of a weak PC. The secret of this antivirus is that everything complex operations in it are performed in the cloud.

In addition to antivirus, the performance of a weak laptop or desktop computer can be affected by OS visual effects. Starting with Vista, the Windows operating system uses various visual effects that slow down the PC. To disable visual effects, for example, in Windows 10, you need to go to the system properties. For this, the program Run let's type the command "sysdm.cpl".

Go to the system properties, open the tab " Additionally". In the performance text box, click on the Options button.

A window should open before us where we can disable and enable visual effects in Windows 10.

In the same way, visual effects are configured in Windows 7 and 8. If we talk about Windows XP, then turning off its visual effects does not make sense, since they already consume few resources.

You need to be careful with disabling services, as this may lead to incorrect operation of the operating system. To stop unnecessary services, for example, in Windows 7, you need to go to the snap-in responsible for services. For this, the program Run let's type the command "services.msc". Once executed, the snap-in will open Services».

You can disable any service in this snap-in. Before disabling an unnecessary service, make sure that disabling this service is absolutely safe for the system. For example, you can stop the service " Print Manager" if your PC does not use a printer.

Another way is complete system reinstall. After reinstalling Windows, you will immediately notice how fast your laptop or all-in-one works. This happens because the OS is new and has a clean registry and no junk. In many cases, reinstalling the OS helps to revive a laptop or desktop PC and get rid of the brakes.

In addition to reinstallation, there are times when a user of the seven upgrades the system to Windows 7 and after that it works slowly. The slow operation of the system is related to the way updates are distributed and to the hardware. In the first case, slow operation is associated with a new type of update delivery in the P2P network. That is, updates come from user to user. In the second case, slow work is associated with old hardware. In this case, only updating the components or buying a new laptop will help.

Summing up

We hope that all the material presented in the article will help our readers and you will not have questions about why the PC began to slow down or why the laptop or monoblock began to freeze. I would also like to give a couple of tips to our readers.

If you have problems with slowdowns and freezes in the system, then malware may be the culprit of your problem. In this case, you should perform a full system scan for viruses and remove them from the found folder.

In addition, if you own a PC with Windows XP, then it's time for you to think about changing the OS to a more secure one. Support for XP has long ended and new antiviruses do not support it for a long time. This means that the system is very insecure and if you give such a system access to the Internet, then you can face real problems due to viruses. Due to viruses, you may encounter both system brakes and theft and damage to personal information.

Related videos

If your Windows laptop or desktop computer is no longer as fast as it used to be, do not rush to pass judgment on it and prepare a replacement. Quite often, the root of the whole problem lies in the memory load and a lot of unnecessary tasks that use precious device resources. Many problems are easy to diagnose and fix at an early stage. In some cases, you don't even need special knowledge.

Clear your computer's memory

First of all, it is worth checking how much free space is on your hard drive. You can do this in "My Computer" or using any file manager that you use. Quite often, the lack of free memory negatively affects the overall speed of the system, so it is important that no garbage is stored in memory. Garbage can be understood as files that you don’t even always know about - these are residual data after uninstalling programs and games, versions of old unused programs, temporary files, cache, and so on. All this clogs the system, eating up memory and slowing down the speed of work. You can control the amount of such data and periodically clean the hard drive using the CCleaner utility, which you can download. It will show the entire list of files that you can easily delete without much harm to the system.

Free up space on your system drive

If your hard drive is divided into several disks, one of which is reserved for the installed system, it is important that it is never filled back to back. There should always be at least a few free GBs left on the system drive. You can clear it manually by opening a section with installed programs in Explorer or a file manager and deleting unused ones. In certain cases, it is better to install programs that are large in weight not immediately on the system disk, but on any other. It is not so easy to transfer an already installed program, so sometimes it is easier to completely remove it and then install it to another partition. It also makes sense to check the disk for temporary files using the program from the link above.

Remove stuff from startup

If the computer takes a long time to boot and after Windows starts it still does not allow you to immediately start working, then there may be a lot of unnecessary stuff in startup. We are talking about programs and processes that become active immediately when you turn on the computer, they can significantly overload the RAM and slow down the execution of system tasks. You can again check the list of automatically launched processors using CCleaner, in the task manager, or through the key combination Win + R and enter the msconfig command. The displayed window will show all running processes and the status of their work. Right-clicking on them will bring up a small drop-down menu from which you can turn them off. It is important to do this procedure right after starting Windows, so that you see only those tasks that were launched without your direct participation.

Check your computer for viruses

It will not be superfluous to check your computer for viruses, because you may not notice the presence of malware on your computer, but this does not mean that it does not exist. Many viruses that specialize in sending data are skillfully disguised as programs you are familiar with and automatically turn on when certain conditions are met. Antivirus programs, many of which are distributed completely free of charge, will help detect such malware. An example is Kaspersky Free, which not only scans files on your PC, but also automatically blocks dangerous downloads and warns you about malicious websites. You can use it without any subscriptions and other things. The program is downloaded directly from the official website of the developer.

Update your drivers

Usually, if you use a system preinstalled on a PC, all drivers for components and peripherals are already installed, but it is not at all a fact that the latest versions are used. Updating these software tools can often greatly improve the performance of your computer while eliminating possible conflicts within the system. The relevance of each driver can be checked through the device manager or the websites of their manufacturers, however, to simplify this process, you can resort to using special services. For example, DriverPack Solution is able to determine the current drivers on your PC and detect their more recent versions, if any.

Update Windows or reinstall

Timely updating of the system is also very important, because each new build of Windows brings not only functional changes, but also fixes for bugs and errors. Recently, the current Windows 10 OS has been updated quite often, don't let that bother you. This process is necessary for the stable operation of your PC and its security. If the computer is running slower with updates and the above methods did not fix the situation, it makes sense to try to completely reinstall the system. It is desirable to do this with a complete cleaning of the disks, that is, you first need to save all important data from memory or duplicate them in cloud storage.

Turn down your computer's heat

For laptop users, the problem of strong heating due to excess dust in the case is relevant. If you feel that the keyboard panel and the area around it have begun to heat up more than usual, it makes sense to open the case and gently brush it through a complete cleaning, removing debris from the coolers and all accessible components. Also, the cause of overheating can be dried thermal paste, which serves to improve the thermal conductivity of the processor and video card. Usually its replacement is carried out in 2-4 years, depending on the load of the computer. This can be done both on your own and in any PC service center. True, it is worthwhile to study the issue of loss of warranty in advance if not much time has passed since the purchase of the PC.

Upgrade your computer

Of course, it is worth remembering the need for a timely upgrade of your PC. After all, our needs and demands are constantly growing, and technical means must meet them. You can not demand lightning-fast work with modern services from an office computer 5 years ago. Depending on the components, you can often increase the speed of work by simply replacing the processor, increasing the amount of RAM, and replacing the old hard drive with an SSD drive. The last two points are relevant not only for stationary machines, but also for many laptops - manufacturers have long envisaged the possibility of replacing some important components, which can significantly increase the life of a PC.

I was even a little confused, because there can be more than one hundred reasons. But after a few seconds, I decided to start the discussion with the most common problems that may contribute to the computer not working properly. Many people still believe that it is enough to restart the computer and everything will immediately work fine, but this is far from a true assumption. There are many cases in which a reboot will not help, and it is about them that we will talk today.

Local disk C full

One of the most popular reasons why a computer slows down is the improper use of memory. Every month we download dozens of files to our computer and do not always think about where they are saved. But this is very important, because the memory of a computer is not infinite and sooner or later everyone ends. Only someone monitors this and deletes unnecessary files in time to upload new ones. And some just shove a bunch of information until the computer completely shuts down.

So, friends, it is very important to keep the information on your computer as clean as possible. And the most important thing is not to overload the local drive C. After all, it is on it that your operating system is stored by default. Therefore, when the memory is overloaded, the computer simply does not have the ability to physically work in the correct mode.

Probably not enough to just say it. let's now everyone who reads the article will check the computer's memory and find out if there is such a problem at the moment. To do this, go to the "My Computer" shortcut or through Explorer, but the main thing is that a window opens in front of you, in which local and external drives will be listed. Among them, we are mainly interested in the local drive C, so we carefully look at it, if the memory indicator is blue, then everything is in order at the moment, but if you have it highlighted in red, then be sure it's time to delete unnecessary information, thereby unloading system.

I think the meaning is generally clear, do not like to keep order, do not expect good, stable work from the computer. For those who follow their technique, nothing is buggy:

Heavy load on components

Many in the first few seconds may wonder what kind of load on components, due to which a computer can fail? I hasten to dispel your guesses, in this section I want to remind you that you should not forget about the maximum capabilities of your PC. Let's say you bought a computer, about 4 years have passed and you want it to work just as well, but unfortunately, in reality this will not happen. Parts inside the system unit operate at a sufficiently high temperature, which in one way or another accelerates the wear of iron.

Here you just need to understand that the old computer will only work slower every year. Not because it was broken or misused, but simply because it is old. But it also happens that when buying a new computer, some programs are buggy or freeze. A rather offensive situation in which everyone begins to live, some even swear, they say, they just bought a new one, and already everything is buggy. It is worth being patient and trying to understand why a glitch or freeze occurs. After all, as a rule, everything is fine on a new PC, so the first thing you should pay attention to is the load that you give to your computer.

Most likely, when you start one or two programs, the computer will work normally, but if you start something else at the same time (a game in a browser, a player with music and an anti-virus scan in parallel), then just at that moment a failure may occur, as a result, everything works very well. freezes slowly or completely. From this behavior, we can conclude that the computer simply does not have enough physical power of components, that is, you require more from it than it can. Each machine has its own maximum capabilities and it is desirable to know or at least understand them.

The current generation is not well versed in the structure of system units and almost everyone can do small tests that will help determine which part of the computer does not provide the necessary power. But people born before the 90s, in most cases, hardly "defeat" the structure of computers. I can’t tell you in one article what characteristics and details you need to look at, what tests to conduct to identify the load. Therefore, for those who are important to be "friends" with their computer, it will help you diagnose your PC and track most of the most important performance parameters.

Infection with malware and viruses


Now we have moved on to the most understandable section of the article, at first glance. After all, I most often hear from friends, clients and just acquaintances - the computer slows down because there are a lot of viruses in it. And although you crack, proving that this may not be the reason, people without even understanding the principle of operation of the operating system will foam at the mouth to prove that the computer is buggy precisely because of the viruses that probably exist, but they can not be found.

In such cases, the “debriefing” increases in time several times, because it is necessary not only to solve the problem, but also to explain to the person what the real reason is. Without deviating from the topic, it is worth partially agreeing that there are really a lot of viruses and they often infect computers of inattentive or careless users. Although most often they overtake inquisitive people when downloading pirated software or when visiting sites with emancipated content.

I can disappoint many by saying right away that there is no perfect antivirus that will save you from any infection. Therefore, even having installed a reliable antivirus, do not lose vigilance and always use your head. But if it was not possible to avoid infection, or it just seems to you that it is possible that a virus could somehow accidentally get into you. Then it is clearly necessary to carry out a qualitative check aimed at a “deep” search for malicious files.

I see no reason to analyze each type of infection and how to solve it, I simply do not have enough strength, time and knowledge. Therefore, I am ready to offer you an excellent, universal solution to the problem. I have already written a detailed article with practical examples and a video that tells how to correctly find and remove a virus from a computer?

Many errors in the database registry

Not everyone knows what a registry is and why a computer can slow down because of it. Let's try to bring a little clarity for this, I will try to write as simple as possible, understandable to everyone in language. So, the registry is a huge database that simply stores the settings of the operating system.

To understand a little better what is happening, let me tell you that when you install any new application (program or game), new entries (settings) will enter the registry, designed for the correct operation of this application.

Typical user question...

Hello.

One game (Diablo III) is slowing down on my computer. Tried a lot of things but nothing helps...

The computer several times exceeds the minimum characteristics of the game, declared by the manufacturer. I lowered the graphics and performance settings in the game to a minimum - I got ~ 10 FPS ...

Tell me why the game can slow down even on a relatively powerful PC?

Good time everyone!

There is probably not a single PC user who does not play computer games! And most of them faced brakes, lags, delays, and other incidents. So the question presented in the article is a very popular one (perhaps only the name of the game changes).

In this article, I will look at the main reasons why games slow down, and give advice on how to eliminate and fix them. By the way, I do not pretend to be the ultimate truth 😉.

So, now on to the topic...

IMPORTANT!

First of all, pay attention to the system requirements of the specific game that slows you down. If her minimum requirements (and there are also recommended ones) your computer / laptop does not satisfy - then the reason for the brakes is obvious (Therefore, I do not dwell on system requirements in this article). True, in this case, something can be done to speed up the game (more on that below).

Eliminate lags and brakes in games

I will build the article in the form of questions, for each of which I will give an answer. Going through them and checking your PC, optimizing it - in any case, you will get some (even if it's small) performance gain.

❶ What programs load the processor, hard drive, RAM and network?

The very first thing I want to start with is to check what your processor, hard drive, RAM is loaded with. The fact is that even on a powerful computer, brakes can appear if, in addition to the game itself, another dozen or two different programs are launched on it (I'm not talking about various conflicts).

The easiest way to find out about downloading them is to use task manager . To open it, press the buttons Ctrl+Shift+Esc(or Ctrl+Alt+Del ). By the way, it is highly desirable to first open the task manager, then start the game, and when the brakes start in it, turn it off and see what the main load is on.

Note: to minimize the game, press the key combination Alt + Tab, or the Win button.

In the task manager, pay attention first to what is most loaded: CPU, memory, disk or network. In my case - the CPU was loaded (approx. : the processor, by the way, is usually loaded more often than memory or disk) .

Pay attention to the screenshot below - the CPU is loaded not with the Civilization IV game, but with Explorer (in which there are five tabs open and several operations). No wonder the computer began to slow down when starting the game...

After the work in the explorer was completed (and it was restarted), the game began to function normally, not a single lag or freeze. Here's your recipe for wellness 👍...

In addition, pay attention to HDD : often it can be loaded with torrents (so popular lately).

Note: Many programs that you have already closed may remain in memory and boot your PC. That is why, in cases of problems in games, it is advisable to always check in the task manager if there is any extraneous process that heavily loads the PC.

Therefore, summing up, I will say the following: first of all, check if any third-party programs are running that take the lion's share of PC resources instead of the desired game. After making sure that the load is created directly by the game itself, you can move on ...

To help!

How to increase CPU performance through power settings (parking cores, how to enable all CPU cores ✔) -

❷ Do you know about problematic graphics in some games: fire, water, shadows, etc.?

Very often the reason for the brakes lies in the game itself, for example, often the developers did not optimize the graphics, say, for a certain line of video cards. As a result, for most users, everything works as it should, and for some users, the game is simply unrecognizable: everything lags, slows down, the picture twitches and distorts.

It is quite difficult to name for each game where and what problems it has (much more can be said about this on some forum dedicated to a particular game).

As for the same Diablo III (and some other games) - the game in the first releases had a problem with NVIDIA video cards due to the parameter enabled in the driver settings AMBIENT OCLUSION (backlight shading). When it was disabled in the graphic settings, the game started to fly!

Pay attention to these items like: fire, water, shadows, fog, dust, etc. If it is possible to disable them in the game (or reduce their detail) - try it! In some cases, games begin to behave in a completely different way.

❸ Have you used utilities to speed up games?

Who would not say anything about "magic buttons", that they do not exist, etc. - there are still utilities that can speed up the computer in a few steps, and as a result, reduce the number of errors and lags in games.

I will not talk about them in detail here, since this will require quite a lot of space and time (especially since there is already such an article on the blog).

❹ Are video drivers updated? Is there a conflict, are they optimal?

Video drivers have a very serious and significant impact on performance in games.

For some video cards, choosing the optimal driver is not always easy: the newest driver may not be optimized, it may contain errors, it may not work correctly with some types of textures (but, as a rule, in new drivers, on the contrary, the number of errors tends to a minimum).

I'll give you one piece of advice: try downloading multiple versions of drivers for your graphics card. Then install one by one and check how the game works with one or another. Perhaps by installing another driver, the error will disappear ...

Update drivers in Windows 10 - an overview of the 5 best programs (in Russian) -

How to update the driver for AMD, nVidia and Intel HD graphics cards: from A to Z -

In addition, I recommend that you also go to device Manager and check if there is a driver conflict, if drivers are found and installed for all equipment (if there are any yellow exclamation marks. An example of how a problematic driver looks in the device manager is).

To open device Manager : press a combination of buttons Win+R and type devmgmt.msc(example below).

Pay attention to the tabs "Video Adapters" And "Unknown Devices" - are there any devices with yellow exclamation marks (or just unknown devices ).

If there are any, you need to find drivers for them and install them. Then restart the PC and check how the performance in games changes.

To help!

How to find and install a driver for an unknown device -

❺ Are video drivers tuned for maximum performance?

I think that it's not a secret for anyone that the performance in games depends very much on the settings of video drivers. Sometimes, by changing some parameters, it is possible to increase the game by 1.5 (or more) times!

How to speed up an AMD graphics card (Radeon) -

How to improve the performance of your NVIDIA graphics card in games -

How to speed up an IntelHD graphics card, at least 10-15% performance increase -

❻ Is the game set to low graphics settings: resolution, details, shadows, etc.?

In addition to the video card settings, there are also settings for the game itself. By the way, their influence is no less than the video card settings (and maybe more!).

Absolutely every game (99.9%) has graphics settings. Going into them, pay attention (first of all) to the following things:

  1. screen resolution: has the strongest impact on the quality of the picture in the game, and on the loading of your video card. By lowering the resolution a little, you can significantly increase the performance of your PC in the game. By the way, I’ll add on my own that in many games, the decrease in resolution will be hardly noticeable, while the performance will grow significantly! So, you always need to look for a balance;
  2. quality of graphics, visualization, video: also has the strongest impact on performance. If the game lags, try lowering the settings from high to medium (or even low);
  3. landscape detail, shadows, fog, etc.: remove, or completely disable, if this is provided by the game;
  4. vertical sync: Try enabling/disabling. Sometimes it gives a significant increase in the number of FPS.

What to look for when setting up the graphics of the game // on the example of Civilization IV

❼ Does the built-in graphics card switch to discrete when playing games?

This question concerns computers / laptops with two video cards: integrated and discrete. The fact is that when starting games, the computer must use a discrete graphics card for maximum performance.

But this does not always happen, often the device does not switch the video card, and you play on the built-in one. Then, even if you have a powerful gaming laptop, you may well observe lags in relatively old games!

I already have an article on my blog about this problem. I recommend to take a look.

How to run the game on a discrete graphics card. How to check on which video card the game is running // using NVIDIA as an example -

Game mode in Windows 10: improve the performance of your computer in games -

❽ Have you checked the temperature of the components, is there any overheating?

Crashes and brakes in games can be associated with overheating. The fact is that games are rather demanding programs that significantly load both the processor and the video card, and sometimes the hard drive (with intensive data loading).

Particular attention should be paid to the temperature in the following cases:

  • strong hum of fans/coolers;
  • during unstable PC operation: reboots, brakes, freezes;
  • warm case (noticeable in laptops / netbooks);
  • frequent critical errors, etc.

Usually, you have to remember about the temperature in a warm summer, when the temperature in the room rises significantly and it becomes really hot (not only for a person, but also for a computer 😊).

To find out and control the temperature of the main components (CPU, video card, hard drive), I recommend using one of the utilities:.

For example, in the screenshot below I have a utility Speccy.

In general, it is difficult to say what temperature is critical (a lot depends on the specific iron). But in general, in general, if you highlight, then:

  1. processor: pay attention to the temperature if in games it began to exceed 60 ° C ();
  2. hard disk : normal hard disk temperature range is 25÷43°C. If yours is higher, I recommend that you seriously worry, as leaving this zone can seriously affect the longevity of your disk ();
  3. video card: in general, some video card models (for example, NVIDIA) can withstand temperatures up to 100 ° C (but personally I cannot call this a normal situation). At temperatures in games above 80 ÷ 85 ° C - I recommend reading the recommended temperature ranges of your video card manufacturer ().

To help!

The laptop is heating up: what to do? Temperature high all the time: 85°C+ -

Important!

One of the main "enemies" of computer hardware is dust. It penetrates absolutely everywhere, over time it clogs the cooling system, which leads to an increase in temperature. And this, in turn, can affect the speed of the PC, as well as its service life.

To help!

Cleaning the computer from dust: monitor, system unit, keyboard -

❾ Is Windows optimized for maximum speed?

It's no secret that an optimized Windows operating system can run significantly faster than one that no one has worked on. Moreover, all this can also affect the performance of the PC in games (and the number of FPS).

Imagine for yourself: extra services and programs that you never use are loaded into memory for some reason, executed, etc. All this takes up PC resources.

I'm not talking about the fact that over time a large amount of garbage accumulates in the system: temporary files, folders, erroneous entries in the registry, non-working shortcuts, etc. All this needs to be cleaned and cleaned, and then Windows will be much more responsive, the number of errors will be less, and the performance will be higher!

Windows 10 optimization // to speed up your computer - (also relevant for Windows 7, 8)

❿ What PC power supply scheme is involved, is the economy mode enabled?

This item is more about laptops. The fact is that in Windows there is a power section where operating modes are set. Among the modes there are several options: economical, optimal (or balanced), and high-performance.

By default, most often, either optimal or economical is enabled. The latter, in general, can have a very significant effect on the performance of a laptop (and, moreover, not only in games).

To open the settings and select a power plan, go to Windows at: .

High performance // Power supply

If you have a laptop with Windows 10, please also note that you can add performance using the battery icon in the tray.

Also, with regard to laptops, some manufacturers equip their devices with special software. Among this software there are modules responsible for powering the laptop: for example, some LENOVO devices have power saving modes.

By the way, in some cases, due to power settings, Turbo Boost may be disabled. (as a result, the processor works far beyond its capabilities). You can learn how to check this point and enable Turbo Boost from my previous article, the link to which is given below.

To help!

Because of what the low performance of the Intel processor on the laptop. How it can be accelerated (about Turbo Boost) -

I-❶ Do you have 2 hard drives? Does one of them turn off?

If the game works, works, and then after a certain time it freezes for 0.5-1 seconds, and then works again, then this behavior is similar to turning off the hard drive. Those. Windows turned off the hard drive, and when data was needed from it and the game wanted to get it, it turned on again, and it took this time to turn it on (at the same time, if you listen, you can hear how the disk starts to work (make noise).

The conclusion suggests itself - you need to prohibit the hard drive from turning off during operation. By the way, this often happens when you have 2 or more hard drives in your system. Some of them are disabled when inactive.

To prevent this, Windows at: Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options . Next, open the link "Setting the power plan" for the active scheme (example below)!

Expand the section "HDD" and put "0" tab "turn off hard drive after" . This means that the hard drive will never turn off (which is required). Save your settings and try to return to the game. Will this characteristic lag disappear?

never turn off hard drive // ​​Windows 10

I-❷ Do you have antivirus/firewall enabled, have you tried without it?

And the last thing I wanted to dwell on in this article is viruses and antiviruses (and other security software). In some cases, antiviruses/firewalls can have a significant impact on performance, for example, they may have a computer scan for viruses scheduled in their schedule, and at that time you sat down to play. Often, in this case, the game starts to slow down.

I'll be brief here:


This is where I end the article.

Zand additions on the topic - I will be grateful.