1. Clean your PC
Like all applications, games benefit from a clean system. Before you even think about buying new hardware, do some spring cleaning.
Even Windows 7 benefits from a slash-and-burn reinstall every few months to get rid of the cobwebs, memory-resident apps and other shackles that so easily accumulate over time. If games are running slower than they used to, it's a very good first step to take.
2. Install more memory
Any major component of your PC can be a drag on your system if it isn't powerful enough. Memory is one of the cheapest to upgrade, and the easiest – you simply pop in new sticks and you're done.
3. Change your video card
If you didn't buy a dedicated gaming PC, or your PC is a couple of years old, the graphics card in it is likely to be mediocre to terrible. Any 3D game relies on having a powerful graphics card to crunch the numbers, but buying one isn't necessarily as easy as just plugging one in.
Graphics cards can be incredibly big, and your case needs both the space and the cooling to handle that. They also need to be connected to your PC's power supply, and if that's not powerful enough, the card won't work even after you fit it.
Be sure to check all the specifications before ordering. Given a choice between ATI and Nvidia cards, we currently recommend Nvidia.
4. Update your drivers
It's easy to forget, but the best video card in the world will struggle without the most up-to-date drivers.
If you have trouble with a game, updating the drivers should always be the first step – it'll expect you to have everything ready for it. This can be a pain, but a necessary one.
5. Boost your CPU
If you don't have a decent video card, there's little that any CPU will do for you on its own. However, it still plays a key role in determining how fast your system performs.
Dual-core is fine for the overwhelming majority of modern games, but quad-core is obviously better if you can afford it. You don't realistically need anything more than that at the moment, though.
6. Forget about overclocking
It may sound like heresy, but overclocking your CPU is unlikely to make any real appreciable difference to most games – a difference, yes, but generally one that will be measured in a few extra frames.
If you plan to try it anyway, make sure your cooling can stretch that far. Generally, though, overclocking has become something you do because you enjoy overclocking, and it can safely be avoided if you're not comfortable getting your hands that dirty.
7. Check your PC's v-sync settings
Now for the mysterious v-sync. This is vertical-synchronisation, and when it's switched off , you can encounter problems if your graphics card is churning out data faster than the monitor can display it.
This gives an effect called 'tearing', which can make it look as though the game is stuttering or lagging when it's actually performing above and beyond. Leave v-sync alone.
8. Turn off filtering
Anisotropic filtering is similar. It looks good, but it's the kind of looking good that you don't really notice in the middle of a game. It does slow down rendering, though. Switch it off for an immediate performance boost.
9. Remove reflections
Real-time reflections are one of the most intensive graphical effects around, but you won't lose much by switching them off. We're all so used to water being just a coloured plane that you're more likely to notice an effective reflection for being good than to chafe at its absence.
10. Tone down shadows
Shadows are a fundamental part of many games' atmospheres, and it's a shame to lose them. Instead, you normally get to tone them down to something easier for the game to render – for instance, switching off soft edges, or replacing the carefully rendered shadow with something simpler, like a blended circle.
11. Turn down your effects
Before you start switching things off, try turning them down. We don't actually recommend losing all anti-aliasing if you can avoid it, but you probably don't need it at 8x power. Try dropping down to just 2x and seeing if that makes any difference.
12. Remove reflections
Real-time reflections are one of the most intensive graphical effects around, but you won't lose much by switching them off. We're all so used to water being just a coloured plane that you're more likely to notice an effective reflection for being good than to chafe at its absence.
13. Tone down shadows
Shadows are a fundamental part of many games' atmospheres, and it's a shame to lose them. Instead, you normally get to tone them down to something easier for the game to render – for instance, switching off soft edges, or replacing the carefully rendered shadow with something simpler, like a blended circle.
14. Turn down your effects
Before you start switching things off, try turning them down. We don't actually recommend losing all anti-aliasing if you can avoid it, but you probably don't need it at 8x power. Try dropping down to just 2x and seeing if that makes any difference.
15. Choose games carefully
If you can't get games running smoothly, look for titles that are more friendly. Casual games have low system specs and can still look and play well. Check out PopCap's range or the indie Diablo clone Torchlight.
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