Abstract
- Regardless of having a high-end gaming laptop computer at my disposal, I wasn’t eking out each final drop of accessible efficiency.
- After making a number of changes to my setup, my gaming rig is now firing on all cylinders.
- Listed here are 3 measures I now at all times take to make sure optimum PC gaming efficiency.
After I bought the possibility to check out my first-ever gaming PC final month, the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 18 laptop computer, I was blown away. With its cutting-edge {hardware} specs, its highly effective cooling system, huge 18-inch show, and array of dazzling RBG lights, I used to be pushed exterior my consolation zone in the easiest way possible.
Since then, I have been slowly acclimating to the broad and various world of PC gaming, and, regardless of my house console-based roots, I have been having fun with the expertise. Early on in my journey, I came upon I wasn’t wringing out every last ounce of compute energy out there inside my PC rig — to greatest benefit from the SCAR 18’s NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPU and its Intel Core Extremely 9 275HX CPU, I promptly recognized and addressed these three concerns.
Associated
5 reasons I bought a gaming laptop instead of a desktop – and why you should too
A gaming laptop computer could be a better option than a desktop. Here is why.
1
The PC wasn’t plugged into the wall
Efficiency can take successful when operating on battery energy
Typically talking, most Windows 11 laptop computer PCs that run on x86-based chips (Intel and AMD processors) throttle efficiency down when counting on battery energy. That is carried out to cut back the pressure placed on the system, due to this fact making certain satisfactory battery life when away from an influence socket. In contrast, Qualcomm makes a giant deal about the truth that its ARM-based chipsets run equally quick in each plugged-in and unplugged states.
After all, with regards to gaming PCs, Snapdragon X processors aren’t any match for the one-two punch of an Intel or AMD CPU paired with an NVIDIA GPU. As such, I noticed early on that, with a view to eke out as a lot computational grunt as attainable, I might be greatest served to depart my laptop computer plugged right into a wall outlet when sitting idly on my desk.

Associated
5 basic tricks I use to speed up my Windows 11 PC
Over time, Home windows-based PCs are likely to bathroom down. Listed here are the steps I take to at all times maintain my laptop computer’s efficiency in tip-top form.
2
The PC was underneath thermal constraints
Give your gaming rig some respiration room
Highly effective inside laptop parts produce a ton of warmth, which is why the very best gaming PCs supply superior lively cooling methods. Within the case of my ROG Strix SCAR 18, this contains an end-to-end vapor chamber, a sandwiched heatsink design, and tri-fan clever cooling.
However, all this superior expertise might be halted to a crawl if exterior elements aren’t optimized. For instance, I discontinued my behavior of inserting my gaming laptop computer onto a fabric-laden floor, and I relocated its fundamental charging location to a spot in my house the place the solar is much less intense.
By doing so, I now give the PC sufficient room to breathe and to chill off, which is particularly necessary throughout intense gaming periods (whereas concurrently topping up on battery life at a whopping 380W). The gadget nonetheless tends to warmth up throughout use, and I can generally hear the followers whirling, however at the least I do know the product is working as meant in a lab setting.

Associated
4 tricks I use to upgrade my gaming for free on Windows 11
Your personal wants could range, however at the least one or two of those concepts ought to show helpful.
3
The PC’s settings weren’t optimized
Small software program changes can go a great distance
Final however not least, we flip to the software program facet of the equation: most gaming rigs include bespoke packages for managing efficiency, reminiscence hundreds, inside temperatures, and different key PC well being metrics. Within the case of my ROG Strix Scar 18, Asus bundles in its personal full-featured Armoury Crate suite.
Even nonetheless, there are a number of different settings inside vanilla Home windows 11 that may be tweaked to boost gaming efficiency output on the entire. For instance, Microsoft affords a local Sport Mode throughout the system, which may “optimize your PC for play by turning issues off within the background.” Fashionable variations of Home windows are notoriously resource-intensive, so I went forward and toggled the characteristic on by navigating to Settings > Gaming > Sport Mode.
…there are a number of different settings inside vanilla Home windows 11 that may be tweaked to boost gaming efficiency.
Elsewhere, underneath System > Show > Graphics, I toggled on the Optimizations for windowed video games setting, which purports to “scale back latency and use superior options in appropriate video games by utilizing flip presentation mannequin.” I additionally ensured that my show’s refresh price was maxed out at 144Hz underneath System > Show > Superior show, whereas additionally double-checking that the AI-based Auto HDR choice was enabled underneath System > Show > HDR.

Associated
I used a gaming laptop for the first time (and I was blown away)
I switched to the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 18 gaming laptop computer for every week – listed here are my observations as a non-PC gamer.