Getting the Most from Your Gaming PC

gaming pc

A Gaming PC could potentially be one of the largest purchases you will ever make when it comes to technology, and most of the time, everything is great. When your computer is shiny, new and under warranty, you will find very few issues, but when the machine starts to age, you may notice that it begins to slow down or stop working altogether.

In this article, we will discover some of the steps you can take at home to maintain your gaming PC and get the very best performance from it for as long as possible.

Anti-Virus Software

Obviously, you want great anti-virus software on your gaming PC, as this will help protect you from viruses, malware, and hacks. There is a great range of anti-virus software available on the market today, at varying prices, and whilst some will charge a monthly subscription fee, others are a one-off cost, and some are even free.

When it comes to malware protection software, people will often use the phrase ‘you get what you pay for.’ While this can be the case at times, it’s worth doing some research and checking out customer reviews, simply because there are some great low-cost alternatives out there.

Really, the choice you make is going to be dependent on what meets your needs and what your budget is; find a good compromise for you, something with great reviews and reputation, but that also meets your pricing ideals.

Just as important as installing the anti-virus software, you must also ensure you regularly update it. One of the biggest mistakes you can make to kill your PC dead before it’s time is to not update this crucial software. Yes, it is a pain, but it’s necessary!

Get Cleaning

It sounds obvious, but computer maintenance isn’t simply digital. To properly keep your gaming PC working well, you want to also clean it! Regularly wipe a feather duster around the keyboard and inputs, as this will ensure dust does not enter your system.

If you are technical, you may even want to take the computer apart and gently vacuum the inside; however, this is not advisable if your computer is under warranty as opening the machine can void it. It’s also not advisable to attempt this if you are not confident in doing so.

Make sure you also keep cables neat and untangled, as otherwise, they can cause a fire hazard.

And while we are talking about housekeeping, do not attempt to eat and drink around your very expensive gaming machine — this is just an accident waiting to happen. You could end up with crumbs making their way into your system, or worse, liquid! If you do plan on doing this, you should consider taking out insurance!

You can also use a silicone keyboard protector if you want to take this one step further.

You should always try and store your PC, and use it for that matter, in an area away from direct heat and ideally with space around it to allow the fan to function properly.

Disk Maintenance

Giving your hard disk the odd clean will serve you well also. This is extremely simple to do and could save you a lot of money in replacing your machine, as leftover data, even just from general browsing, can really cause your machine to slow down.

Starting by doing a simple ‘disk clean-up’ is a great place to start. Once you have done this, remove any files you do not require on your PC. If you’re not using them regularly, but you may need them in the future, you can back them up onto an external hard drive or cloud storage such as Google Drive, then delete them from your gaming machine and delete them from your rubbish bin.

Updates

Your PC will luckily prompt you when it’s time to do an update, and while it is tempting to postpone multiple times, it is much more beneficial to your system to allow it to make the updates promptly. This also goes for drivers and software. Anytime a software update is due, the vendors have released the update for a reason so it’s absolutely essential to the health of your PC to do them.

Know When It’s Time to Seek Professional Help

While it can be tempting to perform upgrades or repairs yourself, this can sometimes be counterproductive, especially when we are talking about very expensive gaming PCs. If you are particularly computer savvy, then great, but if you have watched a couple of YouTube videos and now feel like a pro, then this may not be the best option for you.

If your machine is under warranty, tinkering with it can void that warranty, so your first port of call would be the store you purchased from. However, if your computer is no longer under warranty, there are plenty of places that now offer affordable PC repair.

It’s also important to know when it’s time to let go. Throwing lots of money at an older PC to repair it may seem like a good idea, but it may just be time to purchase a new device and start looking after it correctly. It’s not unusual for repairs to be made, to then find the computer is simply at the end of its life and will start to fail in other ways.

CCL offers great gaming PCs at fantastic prices if you’re looking for a replacement machine that meets all of your gaming requirements. They have excellent Trustpilot reviews and will even build you a custom PC if you’re looking for something specific.

Proper gaming PC maintenance, including both hardware, software, and even housekeeping is going to extend the longevity of your machine and keep it at its optimum performance level for as long as possible. Most of these tasks take only a few minutes and will make a huge difference to the life of your computer in the long term. When it is time to make repairs or even replacements, make sure you find a reputable service to use.

About the author

Ashutosh

Ashutosh Tayal

Our Senior rumors analyst, Ashutosh is a postgraduate in biotechnology and has an immense interest in following technology developments. Quiet by nature, he is an avid Chess player. He is responsible for handling the office staff writers and providing them with the latest updates happenings in the world of technology.