Making Your Computer Run Faster

Depending on your career, the computer you need for work may not have a lot of demand. It isn't the implied importance of the work that matters, but the intensity of the program, and most office-related software isn't very intense for the computers made around the same time. If you'd like to get into gaming, you have the option of buying a new computer designed for gaming or upgrading an existing system to be gaming compatible. Here's what matters in gaming systems to help you pick out the right parts or figure out how useful a prebuilt system is.

What Is A Gaming Computer?

Before getting into any technical terms, understand that the "gaming" in gaming computer is nothing more than a marketing term. There are many cases when computers have specific tasks, but this is less due to added features and more because of limitations. Single-use systems are specialized, marking term systems are enhanced.

The enhancements in a gaming computer involve making sure the information for your game gets processed quickly for beautiful visuals and fast response times, as well as handling internet connections as quickly as possible if you're playing an online game. There are many tweaks to manage, and the core components are few; the video card, processor and memory are what you need to focus on first.

Defining Gaming Power

One of the harder things to do is know how much power you need. You don't want to waste money on the most powerful system out there, because excessive power means faster wear and tear for components that you hardly use to their highest potential. Instead, look up the recommended system requirements that can be found at your desired game's website or on the box.

The recommended requirements show which important components need a specific value for the best gaming experience. Do not try to save money by using the minimum requirements, as these describe the lowest possible values with poor performance and will become obsolete as the game updates over time.

On most system requirements (such as this list from the online game Rift), the game describes the processor speed, video card type, hard drive size, memory amount and other factors. The most expensive and key components are the video card, processor, and memory.

Keying In On Important Parts

The video card is the most vital component for gaming. It's like a miniature computer on a board that attaches to the motherboard (your computer's main board that connects everything else), and handles the graphics calculations needed to make your game play. It's not just raw power; there are specific instructions needed to handle complex, experimental gaming code that can not be calculated without a video card, no matter how powerful the other components are. It's an issue of understanding the game's language.

Processors are the next most important, as your game is an application or program that runs within your computer's environment. The processor needs to be able to run the rest of the computer while the video card helps without the graphics part.

Memory determines how much information—such as background processes and applications—can be sent at one time for the processor to handle. It determines how many things can be running at full speed for the processor, and is like a flood gate for information.

These three components following the recommended specifications deliver a great gaming experience. There are other performance tweaks, such as a motherboard that sends information a bit faster or card positions in better places, but contact an IT customer support expert to see what you need.