20 Ways to Improve Gameplay on a High-End Gaming Laptop (Part 1)

By xsisted78 | June 14, 2023

Your premium gaming laptop is never going to be able to compete with a gaming desktop’s performance when it comes to price. You are still able to play the newest game titles, though.

On desktop computers, the hardware may always be upgraded. Users using laptops regrettably have few upgrade alternatives. What exactly can you carry out to increase laptop performance, you ask? How can you increase the speed of your laptop for gaming?

The remaining portion of the article outlines 20 techniques to enhance your laptop’s settings for the best potential gaming experience. Make sure you read the entire text.

 

#1 Play with the Charger on

The simplest way to boost a gaming laptop’s performance is to hook it to a wall outlet that provides mains electricity. With no charger plugged in, some laptops tend to function worse or refuse to turn on the discrete GPU.

There is a considerable performance difference between gaming with the charger hooked in and running on battery power. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware and fans on your laptop will run at their highest speeds, providing you with the highest frame rates and the least amount of lag.

 

#2 Adjust Your Power Settings

Power management is crucial for laptops because they are designed to be used without a steady power source.

Ascertain Windows’ power options:

• hit WIN + I or select Settings from the Start menu;
• to access further power settings, select System > Power & Sleep.
• opt for High performance;
• select Change advanced power settings under Change plan settings;
• ensure that the power settings on your device are optimal;
• be aware that certain gaming laptops control the battery on their own. No matter your system, avoid using sub-optimal power settings to get the most out of your PC’s gaming performance.

 

#3 Keep the Laptop on a Suitable Surface

After a long day, you might want to unwind on the couch or in bed with your favorite RPG (like forthcoming Final Fantasy XVI), MMO (like World of Warcraft: Dragonflight), or even FPS game, which are equally popular for home playing (like Overwatch 2), competitive play, and online betting here (Overwatch League is a perfect illustration for the last two). Despite how cozy it may seem, playing games on a laptop while it is resting on a soft surface, such as a bed or couch, might harm the computer.

The vents on your computer may get blocked when you set your laptop down on a soft surface, such as a bed, which prevents the heat produced by the hardware from escaping and leads to a buildup of heat inside your laptop. This has a short-term impact on the laptop’s performance, but over time, it could harm the device and limit its lifespan. Keep all laptops, including those used for gaming, on a flat, sturdy surface, such as a table.

 

#4 Speed up the Fans to Avoid Throttling Due to Heat

Heating is a serious issue that has long plagued laptop users. Even while current laptops are fitted with numerous heatsinks, fans, and other cooling components, if your computer is not set up properly, it may still experience greater temperatures, which will impact how well your games run.

Turn the fan on full speed or enable turbo boost if permitted to reduce temps while gaming. This is a straightforward yet effective technique. This guarantees that the fans on your laptop are operating at their highest RPM and actively cooling your computer.

 

#5 Check Your Network Speed if You Play Online Games

Your computer settings, drivers, and hardware all have a significant role in how well your laptop performs. But another factor to take into account if you engage in online games is the speed of your Internet connection.

Online gaming issues are frequently brought on by lag, which can be brought on by either a slow connection between your router and your laptop or your Internet service. The most recent drivers are typically required for wireless network cards. Therefore, keep Windows updated.

Take into account using an Ethernet cable to the router if nothing has changed following the application of the driver update. Consider purchasing one of the top gaming routers, which allows your network to give gaming traffic priority over other forms of internet traffic. Even if other people are making use of your network at the same time as you are playing online games, this will assist you achieve the greatest performance possible.

 

#6 Shut Down Background Applications

We shall presume that you have installed Windows 10 or 11 for the sake of this article’s content. Make sure all other programs are closed before starting the game.

After completing that, examine the System Tray. This section of the Windows “taskbar” displays programs that are now executing in the background. Unless it is necessary for your game, right-click on every icon and close it. You may, for instance, leave the graphics card management software running.

 

#7 Choose the Right Power Settings for Your GPU

In contrast to desktop configurations, laptops have a variety of GPU power modes available. Both the performance and power consumption of your laptop are impacted by these power modes.

Your GPU’s FPS can be significantly impacted by improper power settings, which will lower your gaming experience. While the power settings offered by laptops vary depending on the manufacturer and model, all computers have two standard settings: “power saver mode” and “standard mode”.

Make sure to set your GPU’s power mode to the highest setting possible on your laptop when playing games or performing any other activity that demands your computer to operate at its peak. In a similar vein, set the power mode to “power saver mode” to increase battery life while browsing the web or watching YouTube.

 

#8 Change NVIDIA Settings for Maximum Performance

You should modify the power management settings for your laptop’s NVIDIA GPU in the NVIDIA Control Panel. The power supply may occasionally be configured to use power saving mode (similar to step 7 above).

To get the best performance out of your NVIDIA graphics card, enter the NVIDIA Control Panel and adjust the preference to “Prefer maximum performance”. It should be noted that you must switch this preference to a power saver mode if you want to play on battery life (not advised). Alternatively, there is no justification for playing when the charger is in power saver mode.

 

#9 Turn Off VSync in Games

The beneficial feature known as Vertical Synchronization (VSync) can lessen and resolve screen tearing. However, keeping VSync on may dramatically lower the maximum FPS you obtain while gaming if you do not encounter the aforementioned screen tearing.

VSync’s primary purpose is to lock the game’s frame rate to the refresh rate of the display you are using. Even if your hardware is capable of producing more than 100 frames per second, you will not be able to game at a frame rate higher than 60 if the resolution of your monitor is 60 hertz and VSync is enabled. When playing online for leisure or in a competitive environment, lag is frequently the result of this, which can be harmful. Therefore, as a general rule, never utilize VSync unless you absolutely must.

 

#10 Adjust Texture Settings to Optimize Your Graphics Card

It is worthwhile to look at the graphics card control panel settings if you have attempted everything else so far and nonetheless would like to understand how to make the most of your gaming laptop more quickly. This is very important if you have to run a certain game.

You can locate the key controls for texturing and shading details, which affect how your games look, under the graphics card’s control panel settings. The possibilities are limited by the GPU’s memory capacity on your laptop, so pick a setup that prioritizes performance over aesthetics. In other words, high-resolution textures will use up RAM, which will lower FPS.

Are you interested in learning how to improve gaming performance on outdated or low-spec notebooks? Just lower the frame rate and texturing, it is this simple. It can take some time to find the ideal video settings for gaming. But once you choose between quality and performance, you will realize that the work was worthwhile. It may be time to improve your laptop or take into consideration purchasing a new one if you are not satisfied with the way the game seems on low settings.

Stay tuned for part 2 of 20 methods to enhance laptop gaming…